Boring Oven Mitts
Zero preciousness.
I’ve spent years adjacent to expressive oven mitts—great jacquard, quilted, woven, printed works; elaborate pieces with an almost folkloric quality to them. There’s a place for that, but remove an oily tray from the oven or underbaked chocolate, and the fine work is tarnished.
I’m more inclined to the plain sort. Stalwart oven mitts with little personality. Thick, washable, slightly institutional. Pure utility, but also decent.
From top left:
Jobu Oven Mitt
A cotton canvas oven mitt from designers Yusuke Hayashi and Yoko Yasunishi for Drill Design. Made of heat-resistant Japanese sailcloth at the thumb and fingers paired with a weighty weave of canvas on the palm. I like this in gray to account for stains, but if you’re casual about it, the natural canvas color is great too.
Kevlar Heat Resistant Gloves
The glove, over the mitt, is highly functional. It takes a second more to put on, but the dexterity of removing trays/tins/pans/loaves is decidedly better. These gloves are made of the same heat-resistant fabric used in fire protection gear (up to 260°C/500°F). Note that cast iron pans should be removed with an additional layer, such as a grabbed kitchen towel, for safety. There’s also the slightly more sturdy Ritz Pyroguard version that can also serve as grilling, fireplace, and automotive protection.
Fog Linen Oven Mitt
I know dozens of people who have this oven mitt and for good reason. It’s so diminutive—you can tuck it into a kitchen drawer with at least 10 other objects or hang it on a hook—and protects just the fingers and palm. You have to be careful with this one though: no casual slinging of trays out of the oven. Made of quilted linen and sold individually.
Jutec Black Cotton Baking Gloves
Love these gloves. They’re made in Germany for professional heat protection of knitted terry cotton that insulates up to 250°C/480°F. They’re woven with an air cushion between the two layers of fabric for insulation, and because they’re essentially black bath towels, fairly resistant to stains. Jutec also makes a potholder in the same fabric.
Veark Heat Mittens
Copenhagen kitchen brand Veark makes these long-sleeved suede bakers gloves. They’re designed for indoor or outdoor cooking. (For indoor use, you can fold them over so they’re not as long.) They’re made of rawhide leather and a canvas lining and meant to gain patina with frequent use. They provide protection up to 300°C/572°F and are sewn with extra padding on the palm. You can also find these here and here.
Farmhouse Pottery Felt Potholders
These are the sweetest of the lot. Made entirely of wool and, like the Fog Linen mitt, half-sized. Surprisingly effective thanks to the felted wool composition and super compact in a kitchen drawer. They come in a host of colors, the undyed option being the most daring of them all.
Redecker Oven Gloves
Another standard pair of oven gloves from German brand Redecker. Made from thick cotton terry with canvas cuffs. They’re the sort of thing you might find in the kitchen of some traditional baker in rural Europe.
Thieffry Linen Oven Mitts
Made of Belgian linen from Thieffry, a linen producer in Roubaix, France since 1837. Made of a strong weave of linen that never pills and air dries well after spot cleaning (I’ve had these oven mitts and can attest to this). You can find them here along with pot holders as well.
Add Ons:
A friend shared this recommendation for a Triple Thick Oven Glove sourced by the inimitable duo at KIOSK. A traditional British cotton glove with a place for the hands at either end.
I was once transfixed with a pair of black leather gloves from the Malle W. Trousseau collection that are no longer available. I haven’t found a suitable replacement since, but these Black Leather Oven Gloves are close, just more pebbled than I would like.
Also curious about these SolvStop Heat-Resistant Gloves that are made for chemical and heat hazards and look like washing up gloves. Strangely appealing.
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