A Mitt That Fits

By Karen Hammonds Tools and Gadgets

Credit: Kitchen Grips

I've had more than my share of kitchen burns over the years, so I'm pretty interested in oven mitts. The right mitt depends partly on how it fits your hand. I think silicone gloves, like those made by Orka, are too cumbersome for most hands. Oxo's Good Grips mitts are a little more flexible, have a nice fabric lining, and are wonderfully heat-resistant, but they just don't fit all that well. (One Amazon reviewer refers to their "poor flex pattern"). I prefer Euro Design Chef's Mitts, from Duncan Kitchen Grips, Inc. Made of a synthetic rubber called FlXaPrene, these gloves, which come in 11 and 15.5-inch lengths, fit more snugly than most mitts, and they grip better as well. They're also stain-resistant, water repellent, and heat resistant to 500 degrees. Tracking this mitt down is a little tricky—Williams-Sonoma calls it the Euro Mitt, and on Amazon, it's the Duncan Euro Design Mitt—but it's well worth the effort. Duncan also offers hot pads and lid grips made from the same material.