You know how when you get the perfect pair of winter gloves—not too soft, not too stiff, but cozy, comforting and capable—you want to wear them all the time?
That’s what our new oven mitt is for cooks. The Ultimate Oven Mitt is the result of some profoundly nerdy tinkering and lots of test kitchen cook opinions. We wanted something comfortable and durable, really durable. It had to go high enough up our arms that we wouldn’t burn ourselves on the darn racks while making cookies. And it had to tolerate a ton of heat while keeping us cool.
Mission accomplished. Heat-resistant and grippy, comfy and cozy, and flexible enough that even three-meals-a-day cooks won’t tire of them, these are the oven mitts you want. Here’s why they rule:
1. The Problem: Can’t Take the Heat
We’ve all been there: You’ve got an oven mitt and a good-looking chicken pot pie. You reach for the pot pie. You’re carefully balancing it, your body, and the oven door, when suddenly, “Yowza!” Your hands are burning up. Maybe your beloved mitt from the ’90s has finally burned through, or perhaps it’s sturdy but basic construction simply isn’t up to the task.
The Solution: Safe up to 650 degrees!
The outside of these babies are tolerant up to 650 degrees. That’s hotter than a pizza, hotter than no-knead bread, and much hotter than a braise. Our testers scrupulously tested them up to 30 seconds and beyond (which is a lot of time to comfortably hold something piping-hot). Pulling something out of a 650 degree oven? You’re golden. We even tested them against an open flame, and as one fan found out (and we don’t recommend this), they didn’t catch fire even though they were right on the burner for several minutes. They just darkened. That’s by design!
2. The Problem: Burned Forearms
Cooks who work in professional restaurant and test kitchens know the drill: You roll up your sleeves at the bar after work, comparing grate stripes. Home cooks might be familiar with the stripe, too, from fetching hot cookies too quickly, or trying to wrangle a 15-pound turkey perched on a searing roasting pan. Most oven mitts are short, like catchers’ mitts. This is not baseball.
The Solution: A Long Mitt with a Slit
These mitts are really long! They’re almost up to the elbow on a lot of people. But they don’t wrinkle, bend bizarrely or get in your way, thanks to a slit that makes things extra maneuverable. Protection: You’ve got it.
3. The Problem: Oven Mitts Get Filthy
It’s a little romantic when a cookbook gets splattered thanks to your favorite recipes. It’s less so when your oven mitts conjure chickens, short ribs and gratins of meals past.
The Solution: Machine Washable and Dryable
Not only can you easily wash these suckers down, but you can throw them into the laundry machine and dryer when you’re done with them. BOOM.
4. The Problem: Not Big Enough, Too Big, or Too Clunky
The traditional oven mitt is not designed for the shape of the average hand. There’s way too much room around the thumb, or you have four inches to spare at your fingertips. You feel like you may as well ask the cat to fetch that mac ‘n cheese.
The Solution: The Perfect, Grippy Fit
We tested (and tested, and tested) these things. No concern was too minor. We wanted a bigger, softer, more durable, more heat resistant, more attractive mitt. These are so soft they feel like wearing the best potholders you own, or your grandma’s old knit scarf. They’re big enough that you have room around your fingertips, but they have true grip, thanks to that silicone exterior. You can wrestle the trickiest casserole out of the oven in these.
5. The Problem: They Fall Apart.
Who among us doesn’t have a potholder or oven mitt with such a bad scar from an open flame it looks like it was in a Scorsese movie?
The Solution: Durability to the Max
We designed the mitts to be comfortable and durable: 100% cotton, dipped in silicone. (Just read the reviews!) We bypassed the traditional loop, which always gets stuck, dirty, or torn, in favor of a neat metal grommet. It’s so streamlined it soothes your soul even in the face of a sink full of dishes. Ahh.
These things are just one of those kitchen must-haves. And they’re a steal.
BUY WILLIAMS-SONOMA ULTIMATE OVEN MITTS RIGHT NOW!
1 comment
This glove pattern is very nice and functional. It helps me a lot in cooking.