
In the culinary world, kitchen towels, pot holders, and oven mitts are some of the most vital accessories you could ever have in your kitchen. Some kitchen owners argue this opinion, but the majority believe in this simple rule as the saving grace of all kitchens.
- Oven mitts offer more protection to your arms when you reach into the oven.
- Pot holders are also smaller in size, but they're easier to grab when you're in a hurry to remove something from the oven
- Mittens the typical mitten was designed to keep hands warm in colder seasons
These items, no matter how you feel, improve your kitchen experience a lot, making it not only more comfortable but safer as well. They're the items that help prevent your skin from peeling off or getting scaled, as you deal with hot food items. There is also this perpetual confusion between these kitchen items and mittens for obvious reasons.
In this article, we look at three items: the oven mitt, pot holder, and an actual mitten. We analyze their differences and similarities, and why you need one or all three in your kitchen.
What is a Pot-Holder?
First, we look at the pot holders. We've all seen these items in our kitchens, either placed there by our mothers or ourselves. You might wonder why they're called pot holders and what they help with when cooking. Well, the pot holder is a simple cloth, padded in nature to help with insulation.

The insulation provided is done to keep your hands protected against hot kitchen pans and dishes, whenever our hands come in contact with them. pot holders come as single, square pieces that are typically placed on countertops and kitchen tables to double as a heating pad.
When used as a heating pad, the pot holder protects your kitchen surfaces from the heat coming from your pots and pans.
Best Pot Holders on the Market today
- QUALITY PRODUCT: Our pot holders and oven mitt sets are 100% cotton, quilted and padded adding durability and are heat resistant; Use to remove hot pots and pans from the oven, a baking dish from the microwave oven and cooking on your stove top
- HANGING LOOP FOR EASY ACCESS: Set of 3 pot holders, each measure 7 x 7 inch square; Use as hot pads for hot dishes, coffee pot, hot pot, cast iron or cooking pot. Protect counter tops from scratches, place mat under heavy cast iron set
- PROTECT YOU FROM HEAT: Heat resistant up to 400 degrees allowing safe removal of baking dishes and cast iron from the oven and hot pots from the stove; Stay safe - Do not use potholders or oven mitts in a hot oven or over an open flame
- GREAT GIFT CHOICE: Pot holders, hot pads and oven mitts are apartment essentials, make great hostess gifts, housewarming gifts and camping accessories; Pair with cooking utensils, kitchen utensil set and dish towels for a fun and thoughtful gift
- CARE TIPS: Pot holders and oven mitts are machine washable, durable and long lasting with daily use; Wash in Cold Water on Gentle Cycle & Tumble Dry Low; So many color options make coordination with kitchen accessories and dish towels easy and fun
- THICKER ENOUGH HOT PADS: Use as hot pads for hot dishes, hot pots and pans, cast iron cooking pots. Protect countertops from scratches, placemat under heavy cast iron set.
- QUILTED AND PADDED - The construction of these potholders/hot pads helps to protect your hands and arms from the heat of the oven. The heat resistant material allows you to safely remove hot dishes pans, and pots from the oven.
- DURABLE AND FIRM GRIP - The flexible material allows for ease of use and firm grip on the hot dish or pot, adding safety to the cooking process.Fashionable, practical and safe to use in the kitchen as potholder or trivets. Perfect for indoor or outdoor usage all year round!
- PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS - Set of 4 Pot Holders. Face - 100% Looped Cotton. Binding - Cotton. Filling - Polyester Fabric. Machine Washable. Loops for hanging. to Hang Holders.
- MULTIPLE COLORS AND SETS AVAILABLE! - Great gifts for Mother's day, wedding day, birthday, holidays, housewarming and hostess gifts.
What is an Oven Mitt?
The oven mitt is slightly different from the pot holder but is equally relevant in every kitchen space. These oven mitts are kitchen items made from a padded cloth similar to those used for pot holders.
The significant difference is that while the holders are square, these oven mitts are designed with a compartment or two, where your fingers can be while you hold hot pots and pans.

For the double spaced oven mitts, one compartment is huge enough to accommodate your first four fingers, while the little compartment is perfect for your thumb. Oven mitts are designed to be worn on either hand and as such, are sold singly.
With these items, you can slip your hands into warm protection before grabbing any hot pan or dish from your cooker or oven. Oven mitts often come in varying and odd shapes, with an extra thickness the pot holder lacks. They also require the functioning of the pot holder, since they can't be as versatile.
Best Oven Mitts in the Market today
- 【STRONG HEAT RESISTANCE】This unique pot holders and oven mitts sets comes with two insulated silicone oven mitts and two silicone potholders for kitchen measure 7" x 7" for better kitchen and grill use. With this oven mitt 500 degree set, you must not worry by working over hot flames, ovens, stoves or grills, especially when pulling out hot pans, serving pizza plates, baking, cooking, and outdoor BBQ party. It will not catch fire or melt when used near a flame.
- 【TEXTURED, NON-SLIP GRIP DESIGN】Silicone oven mittens and pot holders both feature textured surfaces to improve your grip strength, control and stability over hot, heavy, or slick items. when handling a very hot tray, it has a better grip and is not easy to slip, this is unmatched by other styles of mitts.
- 【STEAM RESISTANT AND WATERPROOF】Unlike fabric oven mitts, our silicone oven mitts won’t absorb liquids. The silicone part of the oven mits is entirely waterproof. They helps protect hands while holding hot plates and dishware, you can even use it to retrieve items from hot water. Hot pads for oven can be used to grab a hot pot too.
- 【EASY TO CLEAN 】Unlike other fabric oven mitts for baking, our silicone oven mitts can be rinsed directly under water, and a little detergent is added to make the silicone surface look new. Chean with some warm water & a little soap, hang them up with the conveniently attached loop, air dry. Oven mit won't tear, thin or fray.
- 【WIDE APPLICATIONS】Silicone pot holders for kitchen is not only used for baking and grilling, but also can be used outtdoor camping for a picnic, or BBQ party of your family. That is useful and long-lasting, food-grade safe versatility. Quality guranteed. Money back insurance if you have any doubts with this pot holders for kitchen heat resistant.
- As each mitt is suitable for both left and right hand, you can slip on and off .The soft silicone material makes you feel comfortable. With the design of anti skid, it can handle slippery items firmly. Our gloves are easy to clean by hand and machine-washing either.
- This small mitts are very handy to use and can be easily hung to the handle or put on any convenient places; It makes easy for the quick access;
- This Silicone Cooking Pinch Grips Oven Mitts is good when handling lower temperature items such as a pot handle, a dish from the microwave, or something on the "warm" setting in the oven or toaster oven. But not really suitable for long fingers and/or picking up anything big and hot products.
- An ultimate addition to the home or a great gift idea; eg BBQ or in your RV; with your microwave while cooking pasta; Use handling frozen items and as assistant when removing tight screw top lids from bottles or jars
- Silicone mitts are thick heat resistant potholders which is made from premium food grade material; Mittens can better protect you from heat up to 446℉(230℃) ; High quality mini mitt set helps you to grip hot items safely in the kitchen or outdoor barbecue;
TIPS FOR OVEN MITTS
Protective kitchen gloves should be made from materials such as leather, cloth, or new silicone such that it can resist the heat that comes from your pots and pans. These specific materials can withstand temperatures as high as 500 degrees without deteriorating, which is why they come highly recommended.
Another thing to be mindful of when getting oven mitts is their padding and the sizes available. Your mitts should feel secure and comfortable, not bulky or clumsy when used for cooking. They should feel natural when gripped but must remain sensitive to heat.
What is Mitten?
The last item we look at is the mitten itself. Mittens keep your first four fingers together as one, while there's a separate place for your thumb to feel free and comfortable. Mittens are mainly used as a form of protection from the cold, chemicals, and heat in some cases. They work the way gloves do, with some minor differences that allow them to have different names.

Tips for mittens
Getting mittens, like any of the other kitchen items, comes with a lot of research and consideration to ensure you reap all the benefits offered. When your fingers are together, they tend to generate more heat to keep your hands warmer, precisely what happens with mittens. This is very different from gloves, since those feature individual finger spaces. Compared to gloves, mittens are not very dextrous, but they still allow you to do a lot of things like hiking, holding poles, and many more
Insulation
There are two significant types of insulation used for kittens, namely the synthetic and down insulation. Down padding is very light, durable, and easy to compress. It is also very breathable, which makes users love it for various weather conditions. These characteristics are all organic, so the high price of down insulation comes as no surprise. When down insulation gets wet, it loses its insulation ability; thus, it's not used by many mitten manufacturers. On the other hand, synthetic insulation is cheaper, with the ability to insulate when it's both wet and dry. The only thing people don't like is that with synthetic insulation, regular compression causes a consistent reduction in its insulation power.
Water resistance
Every mitten gets wet, no matter how expensive it is, and no matter who manufactured it. The right side is, just as quickly as it gets wet, it dries too. When you have your mittens on, try as much as possible to limit the production of sweat by your palms, since the warmth is more likely to stay in your hands and dry.
Fit
To ensure your hands remain comfortable and warm, choose a mitten that fits your hands perfectly, but isn't too tight. The snug feel of your mitten will allow it to maintain its dextrous nature and keep you more comfortable. If the mittens are more significant than your hands, they won't make skiing or other tasks any more accessible, neither will they keep your hands warm. On the other hand, a tight mitten will restrict your finger movements and leave the skin exposed at the wrists, which will defeat the warming purpose of the mitten. For the perfect size, work with the manufacturer's size chart as much as possible.
Best Mittens in the Market today
- Knit Patterns
- Mixed Texture Mittens
- Potholder Style Mitten for a Warm and Comfortable feel
- TOASTY WARMTH BLOCKS THE COLD: Thick insultated knit handwear provides warmth through a dense layer of yarn and optional interior layers
- ADDITIONAL WARMTH AND COMFORT: Terry-knit liner provides comfort and an additional layer inside the handwear to insulate
- BENEFIT FROM NATURE'S FINEST INSULATOR: Wool offers great features including thermoregulation to help balance temperature and keep you dry by absorbing as much as 30% of its weight before it feels damp; plus, it's breathable and naturally resists odor
- FORM-FIT: Anatomically knit for left- and right-hand providing specific design and fit, conforms to each hand better
- KNIT IN THE USA of US and Imported Components and finished in Haiti by Fox River Caribe, a wholly-owned subsidiary
Key differences between a Pot holder, Oven Mitt and Mitten?
The oven mitts, mittens, and pot holders may be alike in function, but they come with many differences that distinguish one from the others.
Oven mitts are generally bulky in design, so they offer more protection to your arms when you reach into the oven.
Pot holders, on the other hand, offer less skin coverage when compared to the oven mitts. They are also smaller in size, but they're easier to grab when you're in a hurry to remove something from the oven, pot holders are great for tasks like holding skillet handles and lifting your pot lids.
Mittens are more protective than the pot holders and oven mitts; they are ideal for more delicate tasks like removing your pies from the oven with its crust intact. In spite of this major use in the kitchen, the typical mitten was designed to keep hands warm in colder seasons. they're built to help people who ski, or engage in snow games to keep their fingers warm throughout various activities.

Similarities between Pot holders, Oven Mitts and Mitten?
The significant similarity you'll find running through these three items is the choice of material. They are all made from padded cloth, but they come in different shapes. Besides the material choice, these items work the same way; to protect your hands and arms from getting burned in your kitchen. The pot holder is placed on microwave oven countertops, while the mittens and oven mitts are worn over your hands.
Why Do You Need to Buy the Best Potholder for Your Kitchen?
Ovens are an essential kitchen appliance that many cannot cook without. We use ovens typically for pastries, pies, cakes, and roasts. To enjoy using this appliance, you need the perfect protective clothing for your hands in some of the pot holders, mittens, and oven mitts. The following points explain further why it is necessary to use these three items in your kitchen.
Modernization
When taking out cookware in past times, many people resorted to kitchen towels and hold pots. In recent times, these items can’t be used with many of the appliances we have in our homes. To help make these old items into new user-friendly tools, manufacturers came up with pot holder designs, oven mitts, and mittens, which keep your hands safe from burns.
KITCHEN AESTHETIC
Aesthetic has to do with looks related to your culinary skills. Removing your food with kitchen towels in the clear view of visitors isn't appealing and pretty. It is for this reason oven mitts exist. These items elevate the look of your kitchen and your hands, and also makes you look less like a miser.
SLIP RESISTANCE
Holding pots and pans can be very scary, mainly because we are scared they'd slip from our grasp. This happens a lot with steel kitchen utensils when you don't have a good grip on them. To solve the issue about grip, items like pot holders and mittens were manufactured. These items are made with non-slip materials that allow you to carry them quite easily.
WIDE VARIETY OF SIZES
Typically, pot holders are square, while mittens and oven mitts come in the shape of a hand. Despite their fixed configurations, each of these items comes in a variety of sizes that accommodate different hands perfectly. The dimensions are snug enough to keep your hands protected while offering you the grip you desire, instead of relying on your ability to withstand heat for a short time. Depending on these three items can help you deal with hot meals.