The Best Oven Mitts and Pot Holders

I’m a Wirecutter contributor focused on kitchen gear, and I have also worked on the guides to the best dry food storage containers and kids lunch boxes. This guide also incorporates research and reporting by writer Anna Perling and senior staff writer Michael Sullivan, both kitchen experts who conducted past rounds of testing.

For this guide:

• We sought experts who work with food outside of professional kitchens (restaurant chefs and line cooks typically use side towels when cooking). We spoke to Kate McDermott, James Beard nominee and author of Art of the Pie, who teaches pie workshops in her home kitchen, and Melissa Clark, food writer, cookbook author, and columnist for the food section of The New York Times.
• We looked at pot holder and oven mitt reviews from a variety of other publications, as well as customer reviews of highly rated models on Amazon.
• We’ve spent dozens of hours testing oven mitts, pot holders, oven gloves, and handle covers. We’ve also collected feedback on our picks from a range of people, including some testers with limited dexterity or mobility, who we paid for their time.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

After researching more than 80 oven mitts, oven gloves, pot holders, and handle covers over the years for this guide, we’ve tested 33 models to-date. Here’s a rundown of the key features we looked for when choosing what to test and recommend:

Heat protection: We looked for models that could protect our hands from high temperatures (400 °F to 450 °F) long enough to carry a heavy dish from the oven across the kitchen or into the dining room. Keep in mind that pot holders and oven mitts can only do so much to safeguard your hands from high heat; the longer you hold a hot pan, the more heat you’ll feel. Anticipate where you’re going to put a hot item before you remove it from the oven or stovetop. As cookbook author Kate McDermott said, “You don’t want to be caught holding a hot pie for 45 seconds.”

Materials: We considered models made from many materials, including cotton, poly-cotton, neoprene, silicone, and aramid fibers (synthetic heat-resistant fibers such as Kevlar and Nomex). Neoprene, we discovered, stinks and can melt at very high temperatures, so we recommend avoiding it. Otherwise, any material can work fine, depending on other factors, like thickness. Most of our picks combine waterproof silicone (to keep you from getting burned on a damp mitt), with an inner layer of comfortable, insulating cotton or poly-cotton.

Comfort and maneuverability: Pot holders and oven mitts need to be comfortable to hold and easy to maneuver, and not so bulky that they get in the way when you try to grab a pot lid. According to McDermott, a grippy exterior is paramount for some cooks—if the material of the mitt or pot holder is too slick, you’re more likely to drop a hot pan. Silicone mitts are particularly grippy, but we found them uncomfortable to use unless they have a fabric liner. We also aimed to find mitts, holders, and gloves that could fit a range of hand sizes and mobility levels.

Functionality and aesthetic: We also looked for oven mitts and pot holders with a loop for hanging, so you can hang them near your stove, always at the ready. Assuming they’ll be hung on display in your kitchen, we also wanted them to be decent looking and available in a variety of colors, though ultimately we favored protection over aesthetics.

In our tests, we timed how long each of our contenders was able to protect our hands from heat while we lifted a 400 °F or 450 °F, 12-inch cast-iron skillet by the handle (we upped the temperature in our 2024 tests). This is a particularly extreme, somewhat subjective test, relying on the tester’s physical strength and heat endurance—because the skillet is so heavy, it presses hard into your hand, and you feel the heat quickly. Although this test helped us evaluate the limits of each item, in real life you’ll usually be lifting lighter things and be able to hold them for even longer.

Over the years, we’ve had a range of people with hands of varying sizes try on our contenders, including a group of paid testers representing a range of needs and experience in the kitchen. Some have limited dexterity or hand strength, some have low vision, and some use a wheelchair or walker. Some are under 5 feet tall or over 6 feet tall. We sought their opinions on appropriate sizing, dexterity, and comfort.

Finally, we put all of the mitts, gloves, and pot holders into the washing machine to see how easy they were to clean and if they shrank or changed after washing.

The Homwe Extra Long Professional Silicone Oven Mitt offers the best combination of heat protection and maneuverability out of the oven mitts we tested. And, compared with everything else we recommend, it gives you the most skin coverage. But it does take more time to slip on than to grab a pot holder or towel.

They provided lengthy heat protection. With the Homwe mitts, we were able to hold a 450 °F cast-iron skillet in the air for longer than most other models we tested (for about 40 seconds with two hands).

And at about 15 inches long, the extra-long Homwe mitts did a great job of protecting our arms from burns when reaching into a hot oven or holding a large pan (Homwe also makes a regular length option that’s about an inch shorter, but we prefer the extra coverage).

The mitts are flexible yet sturdy. While oven mitts are inherently bulky and tend to inhibit dexterity while cooking, we were able to maneuver the Homwe oven mitt with ease. Though it’s made of a sturdy, protective material, testers found that the mitt was still flexible enough for them to bend their hand easily.

Most of our kitchen team agreed that the patterned silicone exterior was surprisingly grippy and provided a secure grasp even when wet. The silicone also prevents burns if water happens to splash on the mitts (wet fabric transfers heat much more quickly than dry material).

Silicone mitts like our pick from Homwe have other bonus uses too; wearing them can help you grip slippery jar lids in a pinch.

The materials make the mitts comfortable. The Homwe mitts are lined with a quilted combination of polyester and cotton, a feature our experts recommended. Melissa Clark said, “I like the silicone [oven mitts] that are lined in soft fabric. They work, they feel good, [and] are washable (or at least wipe-downable).” Compared with the other bulky mitts we tested, the comfy inner lining on the Homwe mitt gave us better control over our tasks.

The mitts are straightforward to clean. For light cleaning, you can wipe down the silicone exterior of the Homwe oven mitt using a sponge, a little dish soap, and hot water. It’s also machine-washable and dryer-safe. (Note: The tag on the inner lining of the mitt recommends air-drying, but we successfully dried our test pair in a dryer several times.)

The inner lining is attached only at the base of the mitt; be sure to pull it inside out before machine washing to get the whole thing clean. It’ll dry faster that way too.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

They retain heat (like any other silicone mitt). In our experience, silicone often retains heat for several seconds after being in contact with something hot. Just be mindful of how you handle the exterior of the Homwe mitt after touching hot items.

They’re not the prettiest. The extra-long Homwe oven mitt doesn’t come in a ton of color options. And the options that are available aren’t as attractive as some other models.

They aren’t very roomy in the cuff. In comparison, a number of the other mitts we tested had a wider cuff. Some cooks might find the fit tight, especially when wearing long sleeves or a bulky sweater. That’s even despite a slit at the top of the cuff that leaves the tops of your arms a little exposed when you’re reaching into an oven. The circumference of the mitt where the silicone sleeve meets the fabric cup is about 12 inches.

While pot holders might not protect the entire back of your hand or your arm like mitts do, they’re easier to grab in a hurry and are less clunky for little tasks like lifting a pot lid or holding a skillet handle. They can also double as trivets. The OXO Good Grips Silicone Pot Holder provided even better heat protection than our oven mitt pick, and its large, oval shape made it a great fit for most testers. We found it easy to handle and clean.

It kept our hands well insulated. The silicone exterior of the OXO pot holder, combined with the cotton and polyester lining, formed a powerful barrier between a screaming-hot skillet and our hands. We were able to lift a 450 °F cast-iron skillet with two hands for about 13 seconds longer than we could with the Homwe mitt (for a total of 53 seconds).

The silicone side is also water-resistant, so the pot holder is less likely to get damp and burn you from heat transfer.

It sports a functional pocket and hanging loop. The OXO pot holder has a silicone ring attached to a cloth loop for hanging and a pocket on the back to slide your hand into.

The backside of the pocket isn’t as heat-resistant as the pot holder’s silicone front (it’s just a layer of fabric), but it at least protects the top of your hand if you accidentally brush against the side of the oven.

It’s generously sized. The OXO pot holder is larger than some of the other pot holders we tested, which means it offers more coverage but a bit less agility. While the layers of material make it a bit stiffer than some terry-cloth pot holders we tested and the larger size can be a little more awkward to use, we were still able to grasp pot lids with ease.

Our testers appreciated that its rounded corners made it less likely to dip an edge into food or a stovetop flame. The silicone also helps provide a secure grip.

It’s sturdy and easy to clean. Like our other picks, the OXO pot holder is machine-washable. According to OXO, it’s heat resistant up to 450 °F, and as with all OXO gear, it’s backed by a satisfaction guarantee.

But it only comes in a few basic colors, which are not as attractive as the wide-ranging shades our other pot-holder pick comes in.

The KitchenAid Ribbed Soft Silicone Pot Holder offers top-tier protection paired with good looks. It outperformed the OXO Good Grips Silicone Pot Holder in terms of heat protection thanks to the thick, ribbed silicone padding on one side. But it’s stiffer than the OXO model, and its corners make it more prone to getting in the way on the stovetop.

A unique hand pocket gives you more control. Where many pot holders have a simple pocket that fits the whole hand, this one sports a small seam stitched part way down the center of the holder. Two of your four longest fingers can go on each side of the seam, which gives your hand an added bit of security.

Some testers said the seam made the pot holder feel a little more restricting if you’re used to the wider pockets that come on models like the OXO pot holder. But overall we liked that the seam made this pot holder feel more fitted and easy to handle. The ribbed silicone also helps you maintain a firm grip, with the grooves helping to keep pans from sliding around.

It’s a sharp-looking mitt with lots of color options. We also really appreciated the aesthetic of this pot holder; its simple squared edges and monochrome color design make it a handsome addition to any kitchen.

It comes in a variety of muted, trendy colors as well as brighter options, many of which match the colors of KitchenAid’s other products. This is especially nice given how affordable these holders are for a pack of two. (KitchenAid also makes a mitt that matches this pot holder, but it didn’t protect our hands from heat as well as our pick.)

Its material and shape could be clunky for some. While this pot holder’s thicker material means you’ll be well insulated from a hot pan, it’s a little less bendy overall than the OXO pot holder.

Also, because the pot holder is rectangular, its corners could get in the way while cooking. Some testers worried that the protruding corners could dip into food or touch a gas flame if you’re not careful. But the corners do add more surface area that can be helpful when you use the pot holder as a trivet.

The Grill Armor Gloves provided the best maneuverability and dexterity compared with the other oven mitts and pot holders we tested. They aren’t as heat-resistant as our other picks, but they still work well for quick tasks like removing pot lids or grabbing something from the microwave.

They offer decent protection, but for a shorter time. According to the manufacturer, these cotton and polyamide gloves are heat-resistant to 932 °F for 12 to 14 seconds. In our tests, we were able to lift a 450 °F cast-iron skillet with two hands for about that long using these gloves (though you should be able to hold lighter items for a bit longer).

The fit is workable, but the gloves are a little large and harder to slip on. Gloves generally take longer to slip on compared with a traditional oven mitt or pot holder, which isn’t ideal if you’re making a mad dash to pull out that bubbling casserole from the oven. But at least the Grill Armor Gloves have grippy silicone lines painted on both sides, so you don’t have to pay attention to which hand you’re putting them on.

The gloves come in three sizes, as well as a long-cuffed option, but the fingers are large across the board. Most of our testers had room to spare around their fingers, even when wearing the size that fit them best. But for the most part it didn’t impede their dexterity.

They leave most of your arms exposed. We like the Grill Armor Gloves because they have a longer cuff than many similar oven gloves, but they still don’t offer as much arm coverage as oven mitts we recommend. Pie expert and cookbook author Kate McDermott told us, “I’ve actually gotten rack burns from [the Grill Armor Gloves] too as I had to get my arms in the oven further to get a good grip with my fingertips on the edges of the pie pan.” She said her solution was to pull the oven rack out slightly before retrieving an item.

The silicone Monkey Business Penne Pan Grip is a great option if you’re looking for a fitted, streamlined model that directly covers a hot pan handle. With a handle cover, you don’t risk bunchy material or drooping corners getting in the way of a good grip (or grazing an open flame).

We were pleasantly surprised by its excellent heat protection. It was one of the best performers in our tests, even when compared with models in other categories; it kept our hands comfortable holding a hot cast iron for well over a minute. This is likely due to the thickness of the silicone, which has ridges on both the interior and exterior, putting more distance between your hand and the heat without adding too much bulk or stiffness.

It fits a wide range of handles. We appreciate the length of the cover (almost 7 inches), which can cover a significant section of even the longest handle.

It’s a straight, not-too-wide cylinder shape with a closed end, which made it easy to slide on and off a handle quickly with one hand. Other holders with a more fitted shape required us to grip the pan with both hands to push the cover onto the handle, which is tricky if the pan is already hot.

The trade-off is that the Penne Pan Grip fits handles a bit loosely. The well-placed inner grooves help you maintain a steady grip, but some testers noticed you do have to squeeze firmly to make sure the cover doesn’t slide around. (If you prefer a more contoured cover that will fit firmly to a curved handle, check out the Other good mitts and handle covers.)

It’s durable and easy to clean. The all-silicone handle is dishwasher-safe. It fared well when we washed it and didn’t show any signs of damage or scarring after being squeezed against a piping hot pan handle.

It doesn’t fit everyone’s taste and needs. While we think its penne-pasta shape is a cute bonus, we know it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. And, of course, a handle cover is less versatile than the other models in this guide. If you need to lift a pan with two hands, the Penne Pan Grip requires you to use a supplementary mitt, holder, or glove.

If you want an extra-thick mitt and are willing to pay for the upgrade: The Williams Sonoma Ultimate Oven Mitt outperformed our top pick in our heat test, allowing us to hold the hot skillet for about 14 seconds longer, and its size fit a wide variety of hands. Its silicone outer layer is a little thicker than other mitts, but it’s the mitt’s inner padding that adds extra protection.

We do think its thick build will help these mitts to last longer than other pricier mitts we’ve tested. But Williams Sonoma sells this mitt individually for $20, the same price for a pair of the Homwe Extra Long Professional Silicone Oven Mitts. So if you’d like a pair, you need to spend $40.

Also, the thick material makes the mitt a little clunkier and more restrictive than our top pick. (Our paid testers with dexterity or mobility limitations preferred the Homwe mitts for their flexibility.) The Williams Sonoma mitt also has a metal grommet in the cuff for hanging, which could get hot.

If you want a tight-fitting handle cover paired with a helper handle grip: The All-Clad Silicone Grips Set offered some of the best heat protection of any model during our tests. This affordable pair of grips includes one cushy cover for a stick handle and another grip that fits over a helper handle or the edge of a pan (or even doubles as a normal pot holder). The handle cover is curved and fits tightly over a handle, so it might feel more secure to grip than the straight, loose, Monkey Business Penne Pan Grip. But it’s slightly shorter than our pick, and it’s difficult to slide on and off handles in a pinch. We also worry that food might catch in its grooved texture easily, requiring frequent washing.

If you want a big pack of cheap terry pot holders: The Choice Square Terry Cloth Pot Holder is big enough to provide ample coverage for large hands. After washing it, we noticed some of the seams were unraveling, but these plain cotton pot holders offer decent heat protection and are a great bargain if you want to stock up on a bunch.

Many cooks, including professional chefs working in fast-paced kitchens, like using a kitchen towel to pick up hot pots and pans. You likely already have these in your kitchen, and they’re a great multipurpose item. In our tests, our top pick for kitchen towels, the Williams Sonoma All Purpose Pantry Towel, allowed us to hold a hot pan for longer than any glove or mitt we tested when folded over three times. (Even generic towels from Amazon tended to offer very solid heat protection if folded into several layers.) If you want protection that’s adaptable or moldable, kitchen towels could be the best choice for you.

Although we appreciate the flexibility of using kitchen towels, they aren’t without flaws. You have to make sure the towel is folded correctly before reaching for a hot item, which can take more time than grabbing a pot holder. An improperly folded towel can lead to burns or may flop onto a heating element or an open flame, posing a fire hazard.

You can also severely burn your hand if the towel is wet—and because you’ll likely also use towels to wipe messes and dry spills when cooking, they’re more likely to be damp than a mitt.

Oven mitts

The Food52 Five Two Silicone Oven Mitts, which are handsome and well padded, used to be a pick in this guide, but long-term testing revealed it was hard for cooks with larger hands to fit inside the gloves. We also heard reports that the thin silicone exterior was prone to developing holes over time.

The KitchenAid Ribbed Soft Silicone Oven Mitt matches the brand’s pot holder that we recommend, and it fits a variety of hand shapes. However, it was middle of the pack in terms of heat protection, its arm cavity was a little short, and it’s not machine-washable.

The Gorilla Grip Oven Mitts offered decent heat protection, but the mitt’s sizing was tight and uncomfortable on a wide range of people. They also aren’t machine-washable.

The Hedley & Bennett Oven Mitts might make a good option if you’re searching for an all-cloth mitt. But they don’t protect your hands from heat for as long as silicone mitts, they’re a little smaller than our picks, and our paid testers found them bulky and stiff.

The KitchenAid Asteroid Mini Oven Mitts are another mostly cloth option, and they protected us from heat for less time than their silicone-covered counterparts. They’re also very small; even smaller-handed testers felt they didn’t fit well.

The San Jamar 17″ BestGrip Oven Mitt enabled us to hold a 400 °F cast-iron skillet for nearly 30 seconds. However, we’ve read reviews that the stitching unravels. We also noticed that the neoprene began to smell and smoke well below its advertised maximum heat-safe temperature of 500 °F.

Though we could hold a hot skillet for 13 to 15 seconds with the San Jamar 15″ Cool Touch Oven Mitt, we found it exceptionally bulky.

Pot holders

Although the Food 52 Five Two Silicone Pot Holders are attractive, they’re not a practical size or shape. They’re smaller than the OXO Good Grips Silicone Pot Holder, and they don’t have a large pocket you can safely slide your hand into. During testing, we felt as if our hands could slip out of their protective pockets at any time, so it was difficult for us to hold anything for long periods.

The San Jamar 7″ × 7″ UltiGrips Hot Pad allowed us to hold the handle of a 400 °F cast-iron skillet for roughly 15 seconds. However, after long-term testing, we noticed that the neoprene-like material smelled terrible when holding hot items. It also melted slightly and began to smoke well below its advertised maximum heat-safe temperature of 500 °F.

Our team unanimously disliked the San Jamar EZ-Kleen Hot Pad, which has a sticky, grippy outer coating that feels similar to flypaper. The wrist strap was also too wide for nearly everyone’s hands.

In our tests, we could hold a 400 °F skillet for about eight to 10 seconds using the Ritz Terry Potholders, which was about half as long as we could stand to hold the pan with the OXO pot holder.

The Ritz Royale Collection Potholders offered decent protection considering they are an all-cloth holder, but their small size and even smaller hand pockets make them suitable only for cooks with small hands.

Oven gloves

The ‘Ove’ Glove (sold here as a single glove, Michael Jackson–style) isn’t as long as some of the other oven gloves we tested, so it offers less forearm protection.

Lanon Liquid Silicone Gloves intrigued us with their sci-fi look and bold marketing that touts a very high heat tolerance, but they were unable to protect hands from heat for long. They’re also not machine-washable, so they’re not worth the higher price.

The G & F Products Dupont Nomex & Kevlar Heat Resistant Gloves (also sold as a single glove) protected our hands from heat for only about 6 seconds. They also have less silicone coating than the Grill Armor Gloves we recommend.

Handle covers

The Lodge Hot Handle Holders were easy to slide on and off and seemed sturdily built, but they didn’t protect our hands from heat for that long since they were made solely from fabric.

This article was edited by Marguerite Preston and Marilyn Ong.