The new gloves are terrific. They are a thick knit with silicone grips. I had a collection of pot holders also and hid them on a top shelf a year ago to see if the gloves would be adequate and yup- so got rid of many of them and kept a few oft trivets.
I have the standard gloves but now they have BBQ gloves which cover your wrists.
I also have a silicon pot handle cover which is great, especially for vessels are put in the oven. The neoprene pincher grips are OK for my lids and LeCr vessels but want to find something similar in silicone.
The last item I have are some circular silicone "trivets". They come in patterns and plain and are very different than the standard ugly versions from the box stores. I can't remember the brand name but I got them at the Baldwin Brass store in west Reading PA while visiting DM.
As far as storage - I keep the mitts and a couple trivets in a drawer next to the oven
I keep the handle covers in a tip out under the cooktop and a few of the trivet style in a drawer next to the cooktop
I still have my silicone "jaws" style mitten but it so awkward to use and it is there to use when my gloves are in the wash. I am hoping to wear them out to justify the BBQ version but they still look brand new after 2 years.

I have nothing special, nothing new pot holders that sit in the top drawer right next to the cooktop.

I used to use the less expensive, but very good Kitchensmart mitts from BB&B (less expensive than the Calphalon) but I recently got the Calphalon ones -- although they both work in terms of keeping out heat, the Calphalon ones actually move better with my hands, so its easier to grip two sides of a casserole dish. Other than those, I just use some square pot holders. I keep them in a drawer next to the oven which does seem to be a waste of drawer space!

If your pot holders are heirlooms and work better than most new ones, sort them out and keep only a couple in a drawer near your stove. How many do you really use at one time anyway? Who cares if they are ugly if they are kept in a drawer. Unless you want to hang them on the wall on hooks or similar when not in use, then I can see where you'd like newer ones that matched your kitchen decor better. You can find some really pretty ones in specialty shops.

Mine are kept in a basket on a shelf in a lower cupboard by the stove, where the other kitchen linens are stored. Actually if I need the use of a potholder I mostly grab an oven mitt - or a dish towel (the latter not being the safest option).

I got mine at Cost Plus for a bit of color, the usual squares with loops. In my small kitchen, I don't have the luxury of a pot holder drawer so I hang them from a magnetized hook on my fridge, which holds magnets. I realize this isn't a look many embrace, but it's homey and it's the best way I've found to make them easily accessible, for both my stove and MW.

I got some at Kroger that have a finger slot on one end, and a thumb slot on the other, and they are great except for heavy one-handled sauce pans, but I have big hands, and that may be the problem.

They live in my top drawer next to the range.

Nancy

The "Ove Glove" is the best one I have ever used. I have never burned my hand since converting to it. All my kids have one now too. It is not cheap but worth every penny. It is flexible, comfortable and will not catch fire. Can be found everywhere.

Leather/Suede mitts and holders. I have tried all the silicone gloves, ove gloves, etc with limited success. The silicone gloves I bought from William Sonoma melted when I grabbed something very hot out of the oven. The suede leather mitts and holders that I purchased from an online store called Cuvée Kitchen are fabulous. There is no heat transfer to my hands. I also use these mitts outside to grab the super hot grill grates from my grill/smoker. The mitts are also great as sock puppets!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuvée Kitchen

I recently started doing something in the new kitchen that I never thought I'd do⦠keep the potholders out on the counter. I accidentally hit on the idea of tossing them into a large footed colander and they look great. Always quick at hand.
I've got other things out already: crocks on either side of the range for cooking tools; a marble spinner with oils, salt, and peppers and another a colander holding onions. So I guess I don't mind a certain amount of "clutter" as long as its useful clutter!

Now that I've been doing this for a few months, I'll never go back to having them in a drawerâ¦. they're easy to grab and just as easy to chuck back in the colander when I'm done with them!

gbsim: I like your way of thinking! :)

Thanks for the responses and ideas. I guess I'd better go to BB&B and check out some of the options. Those silicon pot holders and the leather/suede ones look interesting and promising. I do have mitts, but unless I'm wrestling with a turkey or something big in the oven, I usually don't like to take the time to put on mitts just to move a pot off the stove, or take a hot dish from the microwave. I guess I'm concerned about my ugly ones, because the habit is also to throw one down on the counter or table and also use the potholder as a trivet, too. While I do have proper trivets, for just the quick meals around the house, it seems like an necessary bother. I did pick up some interesting magnetic trivets at IKEA recently, which seem like a good idea. Since I have induction, they will stick to bottom of all my pans. However, they are only trivets as they are too stiff to use as a potholder. I also like the idea of having a container out that can be used to hold them. Any other ideas? Pictures?

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea magnetic trivets

Huge fan of the silicone holders, to the point that I threw my other big mitts out and just keep a couple of old fashioned square potholders with the tea towels for emergencies.

The silicon half-mitt is by far the best, it gives much better control than the full mitt but I got the set as a gift several years ago and just haven't bothered to get a second half-mitt yet as I usually just use the one. They are washable either with a quick wipe, or can go into the dishwasher if they get really dirty.

I store mine in the drawer beside the range for convenient access (see the blue things at right hand side below). Almost always just use the single half-mitt and pull trays out one-handed, but when I do have heavy lifting like a turkey then of course i use both; but I'll always use the half-mitt on my right hand (since im right-handed) as it gives you more dexterity than the full mitt does.

Just want to add that those flat square silicone pot holders are also excellent in the bathroom for curling and flat irons.

Especially if you have teenage girls.

I have big giant grimy beat up pair of gloves that reeeeaaallly need replacing. I keep them in a drawer next to the range.

A removable Command Strip Hook on the side of the fridge can hold pot holders and keep them within reach.

I never thought I would be excited about a trivet but I bought two of these when I ordered a thermopen from thermoworks , and liked them so much that I ordered six more- two more for myself and two each for my mom and sister. They are pliable enough that you can use them to grab anything, but stiff enough to not flop around. The grid design somehow works better for insulation than just flat silicon, and also works well as a spoon rest since it captures liquids. I just throw them into the dishwasher at the end of the day. I have even used them to help me open cans.

Not sure if they or something like them can be bought anywhere else. They are $5.99 each plus shipping.

trivet/potholder at thermoworks

I'm really old school. I usually have 4 towels out at the same time and I use them for everything: cleaning, pot holding, hand drying, dish drying. I usually have two stacked near the oven when I am cooking, one over my shoulder, and one near the sink for drying vegetables. I need a better system, just haven't found something that interested me.

I have a couple of silicone potholders, but I prefer some homemade ones I made from an old woolen US Navy blanket i bought at a tag sale. Two layers of blanket stitched together with a cotton print covering. Unfortunately, they are wearing out.

I keep them in a small drawer stack next to the range. Top drawer holds utensils, next drawer potholders, trivets etc.

Just made this for my daughter to hang her pot holders on in her kitchen