I hate clumsy oven mitts....I don't use mitts...I use pot holders....or a towel.
I have used the silicone mitts at my kids' house....and to me they are clumsy!
Linda C

The silicone mitts can be very slippery and hard to hang on to things... I don't like mine at all.

Nancy

I tried on silicone mitts in the store and decided not to buy. I just couldn't get my hands to work in them.

I have traditional mitts, but 99.9% of the time I just use potholders.

Carol

Moisture eliminates the insulating property of fabric potholders. When hot, the moisture turns to hot steam, which can be a surprise. Padded fabric potholders should be faced with a moisture resistant coated fabric. I find mitts clumsy too. I often use a towel, which can be folded and arranged in just the right way. Be careful!

Jim

All of my oven mitts self-combust! The silicone ones are heat resistant, but I feel like I'm about to repair the space shuttle every time I put them on. They are so awkward I'm afraid I'll lose whatever I'm retrieving from the oven. I'm curious about those heat-proof gloves. Can't remember what they're called, but they have five fingers and look to be easy to use.
Annie71

I don't have the silicone mitts but I do have the silicone potholders. They're sort of just a thickish pad. They work pretty good. I also have some nice thick potholders with pockets in them. I use them more than anything. Yes, that moisture thing is a biggie. You do have to be careful not to get them wet, like when dumping pasta. Smiles.. Ouch...

OK, Here's my opportunity to tell you about my favorite potholders, which are not mitts. They're made from leather, washable (air dry), and very supple which makes them easy to use. The price is right, and they've outlasted anything I've had in the past. I have two pair, one for the stove and one for the oven and I highly recommend them!

Here is a link that might be useful: Leather potholders

Here's CI's 2005 report on Mitts... linked below

I use either a towel or oven pads. Hate the silicone

Here is a link that might be useful: CI mitts review

Aha! That's what I use. I originally got them from King Arthur on sale - before they quit stocking them. Mine are the dark forest green.

Carol

My Stepmother buys good, thick terry towels, cuts two layers, stitches up the sides and Voila(!), the best potholders I've ever had. Bigger than the tiny squares they sell in stores, that I inevitably end up setting on the pan handle just awkwardly enough to leave a scrap of my hand unprotected, and more versatile than the mitt kind.

I don't like the mitts because if I should spill a pot of boiling water or sauce, it takes longer to remove a boiling hot mitt from my hand than it does to simply drop a potholder. Don't ask me how I learned this.

The towel-potholders are inexpensive, easy to make, easy to wash and can double for a kitchen rag in the event of a sudden spill of something that must be wiped up as quickly as possible, like liquids that stain.

Enablers! I just bought 2 of those leather ones from amazon!!
And I was going to walMart tomorrow to see if I could find some terry ones....
Linda C

Linda, you will love these. I've had mine ages and I lost the instructions long ago so don't remember how clear they were. If you ordered a dark color, just be careful laundering. Unless something has changed, the colors do run the first few washings.

Carol

When pressed or when I have to do a lot of manipulating of a hot pan,I use the "ove glove". I'm almost completely satisfied. I do have some kitchenaid mitts and pads from BB&B that have a silicone center set in fabric that are my usual go-to's.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchenaid mitt

I got a pair of heat-resistant knitted Kevlar gloves for removing food from my solar ovens. I found gloves much better for use than mits OR hot pads. Greater dexterity - I had all fingers and thumbs to use, which is important when you are opening the ovens. I liked them so much I got a set for the kitchen.

I do have a pair of oval, quilted cotton, hot pads that you can slip your hands into and they have silicon pads. These come in a good second to the Kevlar gloves. They launder nicely. I think I got them at Wal-Mart.

-Grainlady

I really like the leather potholders. I have a big bag of leather to use up too. For $10 though, I don't think it would be worth punching the holes and sewing them up. Can finally bend my fingers again without pain - just tightness so I am seriously considering this oven mitt thing! Oh, the towel thing is an out for me. A couple of times it dangled and caught on fire on the element.

My MIL gave me a heat-resistant glove for Christmas. It was so nice to use, I bought one for the other hand. one is an 'ove glove' the other is a 'super glove'. They work equally well.

Then I started reading this forum and watched a few cooking programs where a towel was always around (over the shoulder, on a belt or apron, on the counter) and tried using a towel. Cookie8, heating elements are tough to avoid with a towel. Ask me how I know :) Another reason induction is a good alternative for the klutzy (ME!) or elderly. I like a good, thick hand towel the best of all. I just need to always be careful not to let it dangle.When it is folded 2-3 times there is not much loose towel to catch fire. Mine just scorch now :)

Judy

I use the original ove glove (the one without the silicone facing which the new ones now have). It works very well. You have full finger dexterity and control of the hot pan. I also use a dish towel folded over. Haven't had any mishaps with either one. NancyLouise

ove-glove lover here! QVC sells a version of them that are really good too. I have both.

Here is a link that might be useful: X Glove Heat Resistant Hand Protectors with Silicone Grips

I crochet my own pot holders and love them...
I don't like the silicone ones to hard to use....

Linda

Any one ever try Rachael Ray "Moppine" Towel/Mitt? It is a towel that has folded over ends.

I find the silicone mitts to be very bulky and hard to use. I have had Ove gloves and they work great for awhile until you wash them. Then they just don't work as well any more.

The ones I like the best were lined with a heat resistant silver material on the inside. They seemed to work the best at being able to hold hot pans from the oven.
Clare

I have a pair of "Ritz" oven mitts that are semi-thick but pliable terry cloth. I bought them over 25 years ago and love them. They not only protect my hands from the heat, they also bend easily so that I can grasp any handle or pot. I sent an email to The Vermont Country Store asking them if they could find out if anyone is still making these mitts but never got a response. they're mauve and white and say Ritz on the back. (think I need to do some serious mending 'cause they've just gotta last me another 25 years :)

For me, one with a nice double thickness of terry cloth which for some reason seems hard to find in my area. They all seem to have one side made of fabric with a "cute" decorative design of some sort. I don't like the ones with pockets either. Aren't we funny about our pot holders!

jude

Shoot, I messed up. I don't like mitts but I didn't qualify my answer as pot holders.

Annova,
If you google "ritz oven mitts" you'll get many links to stores that carry this product.
Good luck.
Jo

Another fan of the plain old potholder here. No gloves, no pockets, no fancy coating, just a thickish terry or quilted pot holder. really dislike the mitts.

I have one strange use for a potholder. I have a tendency to put my left elbow on my desk and rest my chin in my hand. All my suit jackets end up with shiny left elbows. I bought a thin potholder to put on my desk and I rest my elbow on that! Instead of sliding the elbow of my jacket across the desk, I slide the potholder instead. It does fall on the floor a lot.

Hey, dedtired, whatever works.

Judy, I'm one of the "towel over the shoulder" people and I haven't caught a towel on fire yet, but I do have a gas stove and I'm just sure it's gonna happen...

I also don't like the mitts and those silicone mitts are the worst EXCEPT when I'm canning. I can reach right into a boiling water bath and grab the handles of my canning rack to set it on the side of the canner. Booberry taught me that, I miss her...

Here there are mostly cheap potholders too, the silicone potholders make great trivets and David loves them for taking hot radiator caps off trucks, LOL, but they're clumsy and not flexible enough.

Maybe I'll try those leather ones before I DO catch a towel on fire.

Annie

Annie, once you do, you'll never go back to anything else! Really, it's a treat just to pick them up, not to mention use them.

Jo,

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm still going through all the potholder/oven mitts sites :) One thing I've noticed is that the mitts (by mitts I don't mean the ones that look like a big hand...I mean the ones that you can slip your hand inside a square potholder...a pocket I guess) are much larger today. I just measured my old Ritz and it's only 6-1/4" x 7-1/2" and they fit my small hands perfectly (i.e., my hands aren't swimming inside the mitts as they do with other mitts).

Ann

I am surprised by so many non loving mitt people here. I much prefer a thick mitt than a towel or potholder anyday. I buy new mitts every few years and usually get them at kitchen stores or tj maxx.
I look for large, really thick padding and, of course, nice colors. I wash them every once in a while when they get grimy and eventually the padding gets lumpy and I throw them out.
I broil often so they have to handle a broiling pan.

The last ones I bought were at Crate and Barrel and very nice quality.

I like a pair of big oven mitts. I agree with those who found the silicone ones too clumsy. I don't mind using potholders, but I tend to burn my arms on the sides of the oven - I don't even know how I do it!

Mitts for me -

Lori

I have the leather ones too. I got mine from Dean and Deluca many years ago. I have about four of them and they also have a mitt which I use for the barbecue grill!

Good luck!

I have a gripe about Martha Stewart's potholders (slide hand in one side, silicone on the other). I paid $12 for them. They were great until they were washed, they shrunk to the point that they don't feel safe holding a heavy skillet.
Such a good idea but poor execution.

I don't like the silicon and HATE mitts.

I put my vote in for the leather ones for all the reasons already given. I have 6..... 4 red ones in the kitchen and a brown pair for the grill.

Annie, if you are a "shoulder towel" person, as I am....you will never break that habit. Perhaps by conciously thinking about it you may remember to use your new potholders to take a casserole out of the oven....but if you are anything like me, you will reach for that towel first.....and you need a shoulder towel to wipe your hands on!
I have been known to sit down at the table with my guests, wearing my towel.
Linda C

Question for you shoulder towel people - the few times I have tried that (it seems so practical!) I can't stand the feel of that damp towel on my shoulder, it annoys me. Do you just get over it or get used to it or not even feel it or what?