The Best Oven Mitt Reviews & A Detailed Buying Guide

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Triumphant Chef Super Flex Silicone Oven Mitt

Our Top Pick for 2019: Triumphant Chef Super Flex Silicone Oven Mitt
Read our full review.

Whether you are cooking on the grill or in the oven, a good oven mitt provides an excellent line of defense against burnt hands and spilled food. The differences between an adequate and a great oven mitt can vary greatly, and picking one that will protect your hands, not be damaged by the heat of your cooking surface, and withstand the tests of time can be a complex proposition. Oven mitts range from a simple cotton-based, quilted material to more specialized materials like fireproof Nomex, or even bullet resistant Kevlar. We’ve taken the time to examine several of the better oven mitt choices on the market, and here is what we came up with.

#1. Triumphant Chef Super Flex Silicone Oven Mitt

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As with the majority of the oven mitts on our list, the Triumphant Chef mitts are made of sturdy, rubber-like silicone. Silicone, as a polymer, is an amazingly fire resistant material that can be as flexible as a pair of gloves. This oven mitt is one of the few silicone oven mitts available today that are flexible enough that you can perform a “thumbs up” sign with minimal strain. The physical design is somewhat rubbery looking, but the added protection provided by the material as well as the comfort and flexibility will make this a prized purchase for any cook. Both of the exterior sides of the mitts are identical; allowing for the easy, comfortable gripping of hot items by both hands.

The exterior of this mitt is designed with a slip proof “O” and “Y” pattern that helps you maintain a firm grip on food items as they are being removed from your oven or grill. These unique patterns are located on the finger and palm areas for safe gripping and on the wrist to provide a superior grip when carrying large items. In addition, the exterior shell is both oil and waterproof to help prevent any burns that can occur. With this mitt users are protected from oil splashing from pans or from soggy cloth-based materials causing heated water burns. For further cooking convenience, a hooking loop is also included in the Super Flex’s exterior design.

Available colors for this oven mitt include variations such as dark red, black, royal blue, canary yellow, royal purple, and lime green. Each color is fairly unique and Triumphant Chef certainly created enough colors for any cook to accessorize their oven mitts with their existing kitchen décor. The color combos are all very pretty and really help add a sense of uniqueness to the overall aesthetic of the gloves; not to mention, being adjustable to the cook’s own sense of style.

In addition to the exterior color customizations, these mitts are also designed to ensure comfortable wear while providing protection from temperatures up to 450 degrees for a longer period of time than many of the oven mitts available on the market today. Though considered unofficial, Triumphant Chef has tested these mitts on a pizza stone that was heated in excess of 500 degrees. There was no damage to the mitts, and only minor discomfort was experienced by the tester when lifting the stone for an extended period. Other users have also reported that holding even some of the hottest items only delivers a mild sense of warmth through the material of the mitts.

The interior lining of the Super Flex oven mitt is made from a quilted cotton fabric that is filled with polyester. This makes this oven mitt one of the more comfortable to use oven mitts on the market today. As an added bonus, the liner can be pulled out for easy cleaning. Though it’s not completely removable, this design makes maintaining the inside liner much easier than is typical for silicone oven mitts.

This oven mitt is also long enough to provide more than adequate protection for the user’s wrists. From the tip of the mitt itself to the cuff this mitt is about 11 5/8 inches in length, which means that the cuff extends more than two and a half inches up the typical user’s wrist. The Super Flex is also 4 ¾ inches wide to accommodate some of the largest hands. The mitt is designed to be one size fits most, so hands larger than this width may have difficulty fitting into the mitt and smaller hands may feel that the mitt is somewhat unwieldy and cumbersome. Because of the additional length, which is not typically present in other oven mitts, the Super Flex is a superlative grilling accessory.

The Super Flex is sold in a set of two, so this will be quite a pleasant surprise to those who are used to the mitt and potholder combos that oven mitt manufacturers sometimes provide. Also included with the purchase of the Super Flex is a silicone pastry brush, that is great for basting food items in the oven or adding barbecue to grill items and can withstand temperatures comparative to the mitts themselves. You will also receive a downloadable bonus cookbook with new and interesting recipes to try out.

Currently, this mitt can be purchased on Amazon for $21.97, which is a great price especially considering the quality of the mitts themselves.

#2. Kitchen Elements Ultra Flex Silicone Cooking Mitt

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Our runner up oven mitt also features a silicone styled exterior. The Kitchen Elements Ultra Flex Cooking Mitt has many of the features that amateur and professional chefs seek to ensure optimal protection against burnt fingers and hands. The mitt is slightly thicker but doesn’t sacrifice flexibility for other features. Included in the design is a cloth loop that will allow for storage on nearly any kitchen hook or grill side.

The physical shape resembles a traditional cloth oven mitt and upon first glance, you might not notice the rubbery, silicone texture. Even the grips, which are raised in a diamond shaped pattern, are reminiscent of the pleated cloth grips from oven mitts of yesteryear. The pattern itself is aligned in a great skid proof pattern, placed strategically where the fingers and palms would be. Like the previous mitt, there is also a grip area with the same diamond pattern extending along the wrist area.

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The inside of this mitt is 100 percent cotton and feels comfortable on the palm and fingers when placed on the hand. The entire mitt is washable by either a washing machine or on the top rack of a dishwasher. Also, spot washing is a cinch when using a wet rag or sponge or simply rinsing with warm or hot water. Another great feature, is the raised grip area which comes up slightly above the body of the mitt; this adds an extra layer of cushion when holding hot items and greatly adds to the overall comfort.

Kitchen Elements provides a set of two oven mitts with each purchase, and each is fully reversible, providing an ambidextrous experience for chefs. Also, the silicone is well constructed; these oven mitts are guaranteed to last for years without showing any of the daily wear and tear that other oven mitts might display with the same usage. They are heat resistant in temperatures up to 425 degrees; however, various Amazon reviewers have successfully tested these mitts on a stone pizza pan exceeding temperatures of 450 degrees. These mitts work exceptionally well when removing items from an oven or similarly hot surface, but if you plan to carry a hot item for more than a minute, you might begin to feel warmth through the surface of the mitts.

Insofar as size, these mitts are one size fits most with a length extending to 12 inches long and a width of 7 inches. As mentioned before, these mitts are exceedingly flexible. The points of articulation are all perfectly aligned with the fingers, and as a result chefs are provided with better movement and gripping power than many of the oven mitts that are available today.

The color choices for these mitts are fairly limited, with red and blue being the only two options available as of this writing, but the two colors are vibrant and go easily with a similarly hued décor. These mitts are also decently priced for the overall value they provide. You can order and receive these mitts on Amazon for around $19, which is a steal considering that they’ll last, even with extensive use, for many years.

#3. Homwe Professional Silicone Oven Mitt

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This oven mitt is slightly different from the others on our list. Whereas the exterior of the others are entirely comprised of heat resistant silicone, the Homwe oven mitt incorporates some cotton heat resistant quilting into the forearm area. This is to provide a soft, protective layer to the forearms and the result is more upper arm protection than any other oven mitt on this list. This section of the mitt is so useful that the Homwe Professional has some of the best heat protection available in oven mitts today. The Homwe Professional is great for safely reaching across a stove, avoiding steam burns from draining pasta, or even reaching into the back of a heated oven.

The inside liner of this mitt is also quilted similarly to the cuff, providing an extra layer of protection and comfort for chefs. The silicone itself is a flexible blend that makes moving hot items, while maintaining a good grip, an easy proposition. In addition, the “O” and “Y” design found on the Triumphant Chef Super Flex is also found on these, ensuring a strong slip free grip when carrying heavy cooking items.

The silicone section of the mitt is waterproof and is thusly easily wiped clean with a wet or damp cloth. If the quilted liner needs cleaning, the entire mitt can be put in the gentle cycle of a washing machine and left to air dry, or they can even be placed on the top shelf of a dishwasher. This level of versatility is really a positive feature, especially considering that this mitt is comprised to two very different materials.

The Homwe Professional oven mitts span a full 14.7 inches in length from the finger tips to the cuff, and as a result, are the longest oven mitts on our list. They are also very roomy in the finger area, and are perfect for people with larger hands. A potentially unfortunate result of this is that chefs with smaller hands might find the mitts to be a little too spacious. Despite this, due to their length and their ability to protect almost the entire lower arm from heat, these are the perfect mitts for children who are assisting their parents in the kitchen.

The mitts are heat resistant up to 450 degrees, but amateur reviewers have found that the mitts are perfectly capable of handling even higher temperatures than has been indicated by company tests. One reviewer on Amazon even claimed that she accidentally touched a heating element in her oven and didn’t notice any heat from the contact at all. It was when she saw a small burn mark on the exterior of the mitt that she realized how well she had protected from the intense heat.

These mitts also come in pairs and are only available in fire engine red. A unique aspect about this mitt is that the silicone itself is red and the liner which extends onto the chef’s arm is jet black, which gives the overall mitt a unique multi-toned look. Finally, the price is also very reasonable for such reliable mitts, these will only set a chef back about $15.

#4. Lodge HHMT Max Temp Handle Mitt

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All of the mitts on this list are of superb quality, but what if you need heat protection on a budget? Imagine that you are going camping and forget your old standby oven mitt at home, this Lodge handle mitt is a great, low cost solution that works perfectly for outdoor cooking or even in the kitchen.

The outer fabric, while not silicone like the rest of the mitts on our list, is comprised of a durable, heat resistant pyrotex that is designed to protect the chef from scorches and burns. The mitt’s heavy cotton batting, the steam barrier, and the thick terry lining all work together to provide an extra layer of protection that also grants excellent comfort during use.

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The mitts have a heat protection of 450 degrees that competes with the other mitts on our list. The mitt is relatively small at 5.7 inches long and 3 inches wide, so using this as a traditional oven mitt is only great for those with smaller hands. For those whose hands do not fit in the mitt, the mitt can still be placed directly onto the handles of a pot to protect the hands. The only precaution that users need to be aware of is not having the base of the mitt sit on the side of the pot for an extended period as this can cause minor wear and tear.

The versatility of being able to place your hand in the mitt, or applying the mitt directly to the handles of a pot makes the Lodge HHMT a unique option that some chefs might prefer over a traditional mitt. Because of the ability to place the mitt directly on the handle, this mitt is a great cooking accessory when using cast iron cookware or stainless steel bodied pots that may retain heat around the grips. The lining of the mitt also has a protective layer that allows the mitt to touch the hot pot without sticking to the handle, which is particularly useful for this type of protective wear.

This mitt only comes in black, but fortunately that accommodates most kitchen décor. It’s also machine washable so cleanup is a cinch. This mitt is sold individually at a price that is a nearly unbeatable, which is about $5 on Amazon. For the price, the Lodge HHMT is one of the most adaptable items on our list.

Pre-purchase considerations

Material

When searching for a quality oven mitt, the material in which it is comprised is intrinsically important. Many have had the experience of having a moist cloth oven mitt burn them when coming in contact with the heat of a hot pot. To avoid this, a prospective chef can simply buy a waterproof, oil-proof silicone oven mitt. These are excellently heat resistant and there’s no chance of having hot water burns when using them.

This is not to say that cloth or pyrotex material oven mitts don’t have their uses. These types of mitt can be really comfortable and supply a very similar heat threshold and resistance. Typically, these types are lighter, and thusly more transportable and are easier to store.

Before choosing the material for your prospective oven mitt, consider where you’ll be using your oven mitt most. Do you typically need to reach the back of an oven? Then maybe you want a mitt comprised of silicone with a longer cuff to protect your forearms. Maybe you need more protection from the heat because you cook out a lot. In this case, a mitt that has a higher level of fire resistance might be the mitt for you.

Grip and Flexibility

For many, having a strong, gripping oven mitt is important, especially when hefting large hot objects like roasts and turkeys. So being sure that your new oven mitt won’t cause these hot items to slide out of the grip is an important consideration to make when purchasing one.

Also, dexterity is important when manipulating pans and dishes that are too hot to be managed barehanded. When searching for an excellent oven mitt, consider how much you can move your hands around in it and how the points of articulation work with your grip, as these will help you tackle nearly any cooking job.

Protective Lining

The lining of an oven mitt is one of the most important considerations for prospective chefs to make when purchasing one. Of course, protecting the hands is of tantamount value when buying one of these, but so is comfort. Many oven mitts include a cloth lining that not only provides an extra layer of protection from the heat, but also feels nice on the fingers as well. Those mitts that mesh the cloth and silicone materials into one unit are some of the best when it comes to both comfort and safety, so you should definitely consider these as a potential option when buying a new mitt.

Cleanability

Just about every mitt on our list is easy to clean. When purchasing one, it’s good practice to know exactly how to clean the mitt between uses. Some only need running warm water, some are even dishwasher safe, and others can simply be washed on the gentle cycle with your other clothes.

One note of caution, when cleaning your oven mitts; be sure that any cloth varieties are dry when used again, as even the slightest moisture can cause serious burns while cooking.

Size and Versatility

Oven mitts can range greatly in size, even on our list one of the mitts is over15 inches in length, and another is roughly 5 inches; with many options on the market in between. When considering the size, be sure to take into account the hand size of all of the potential users. Some families may have small children that they want to protect from the high heat of cooking, so they choose larger, more protective mitts that almost entirely cover their children’s arms. Others have smaller hands and consider larger mitts unwieldy, especially when cooking things that require manual dexterity.

On the versatility front, also consider reversibility. Some chefs are left-handed, and if a mitt isn’t designed to be ambidextrous, then you potentially lose any benefits that the mitt grants when providing grip, hand protection, or even comfort.

Conclusion (Wrapping it up)

Selecting an adequate oven mitt for your cooking needs isn’t necessarily an easy decision. This list contains some of the best oven mitts on the market right now. Each possesses features that are desirable for the professional or even amateur cook. Each item accommodates nearly any user and is made to last for years of continuous use. When selecting an oven mitt, know that each has unique pros and cons that you should consider when making a selection.

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