# Hot pads vs. oven mitts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357 "2011-12-16T01:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/21 "2011-12-16T16:38:50Z")
I have a pair of oven mitts that go practically to my elbows because of what others have cited: previous bad reactions where skin met 400[sup]o[/sup] metal. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/22 "2011-12-16T16:54:51Z")
I use kitchen towels or this folded blue-jean leg we keep around for that purpose. Also, I call those square things _pot holders_. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/23 "2011-12-16T17:07:12Z")
The few times I’ve been in the presence of oven mitts I just used them like hot pads. Didn’t actually put my hands in them. Hot pads also have the advantage of being better suited to use as a half-assed trivet than gloves. Yes, it does leave the rest of the hand exposed but I really haven’t burnt myself very often due to that and when it does happen, after the initial pain passes I kind of like the super smooth patch of skin you get from such burns. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/24 "2011-12-16T23:10:04Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Also, I call those square things _pot holders_. Yeah…are the rest of you too polite to say anything, or does the term “hot pad” actually get used by you all? I figured out what was meant, but have never heard anyone call them that before. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/25 "2011-12-16T23:19:17Z")
See, I’ve burned myself with old oven mitts that had holes worn through the lining, unbeknownst to me. So, I go with hot pads. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/26 "2011-12-16T23:31:34Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > I use kitchen towels or this folded blue-jean leg we keep around for that purpose. Also, I call those square things _pot holders_. > [@elfkin477](#): > > Yeah…are the rest of you too polite to say anything, or does the term “hot pad” actually get used by you all? I figured out what was meant, but have never heard anyone call them that before. Uh, yeah, oops. Brain fart. Yes, “pot holders” is way more common. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/27 "2011-12-16T23:58:28Z")
I never use oven mits to much of a hassle. I have cloth pot holders and silicone potholders and generally use what is on top when I reach to get one. I like the silicone ones more because they seem more non slip than cloth ones. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/28 "2011-12-17T00:17:45Z")
I prefer pot holders, which is a pain, because they’re damn hard to find in stores compared with oven mitts. Even Bed, Bath, and Beyond is hard-pressed to cough up the pot holders. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/29 "2011-12-17T00:44:15Z")
In the camp with oven mitt on one hand, pot holder in the other. Would like to try Ove Gloves, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/30 "2011-12-17T01:15:04Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yeah…are the rest of you too polite to say anything, or does the term “hot pad” actually get used by you all? I figured out what was meant, but have never heard anyone call them that before. We use the terms interchangeable here at our house. My dad always said hot pad, and I think my mom said pot holder. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/31 "2011-12-17T01:19:33Z")
I’m far too clumsy to depend on anything that doesn’t cover my whole hand and forearm, so I have big oven mitts. If I use towels or hot pads, I’m terrified that my hands will slip and I’ll drop the hot stuff all over. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/32 "2011-12-17T02:31:43Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I pretty much just use side-towels or the ove-gloves. The ove-gloves win more often because I’m clumsy and it’s too easy to drop the side-towel. Exactly. If you broil a lot or really crank the oven, the ove-gloves are a godsend. I like that I can hold somethying and carry it a distance; with towels or mitts you have to stop and re-adjust often. ---
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/33 "2011-12-17T02:38:44Z")
Hot pads/pot holders\* all the way. Oven mitts are always nasty pilly fabric on the inside that squeaks like cotton balls and catches on my rough cuticles. \*one item, two names! Hot pads when taking something out of the oven, pot holder when being used as a trivet. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/34 "2011-12-17T03:00:31Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > I prefer pot holders, which is a pain, because they’re damn hard to find in stores compared with oven mitts. > > Even Bed, Bath, and Beyond is hard-pressed to cough up the pot holders. Really, even at Walmart? I’ve seen pot holders at Dollar Tree just recently. If all else fails, you can get one of those looms and some loops and weave your own! > [@RoniaBorkason](#): > > \*one item, two names! Hot pads when taking something out of the oven, pot holder when being used as a trivet. Funny, it’s the opposite for me! My mom had cloth things called “hot pads” for casserole dishes right out of the oven, so they wouldn’t leave a mark on the table. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/35 "2011-12-17T03:22:41Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Other: [Ove-gloves](https://www.asseenontv.com/the-ove-glove/detail.php?p=295536) > > Since I got mine a few years ago, I’ve never used anything else. Ha! Ove-gloves are great, but I never use them for cooking. We use them in the lab all the time for grabbing hot flasks and whatnot. Interesting sidenote - most of our chemistry is at traditional oven temperatures. 300 - 500 F. I don’t think I could use them at home. They are too associated, in my mind, with the lab, and lots of nasty toxic chemicals. But I bet they are great for cooking. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/36 "2011-12-17T03:36:26Z")
I used to use red welding gloves, because I’m a dork. Lately, I use an Ove Glove for most things I’m removing from an oven, and kitchen towels for most other cooking tasks (skillets with hot handles, my bread maker tray, lifting out a steamer basket, etc). The biggest advantage of gloves is that you don’t risk bumping the back of your hand. I have a very cramped kitchen, and it happens too too much. I actually have a pair of wonderful hot pads made by my grandmother-in-law that have a hole you can slip your hand into to use 'em like a glove. Clever as sin, but I never use 'em except as trivets. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/37 "2011-12-17T03:48:26Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > See, I’ve burned myself with old oven mitts that had holes worn through the lining, unbeknownst to me. So, I go with hot pads. Ugh, I burnt the space between my thumb and index finger when I was 5 that way. Been scared of ovens every since. Around my house we have both pot holders and mitts, so I use both, but prefer the Ove Glove when I need to pull one out of the drawer. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/38 "2011-12-17T05:26:04Z")
Towels. I don’t like the idea of a mitt getting wet, touching a blazing hot pan and getting a nasty burn while having trouble removing the mitt quickly. I guess those pot holders are OK, but they seem to get gross and dirty, where as a stack of regular old clean towels are always ready to go. In a pinch a sleeve of a shirt or the tails of a shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/39 "2011-12-17T05:26:08Z")
Not just any oven mitt, it has to have the thumb under the palm (not on the side.) They’re harder to find and usually more pricey. I have small hands and they help me get a more secure grip on heavy things. I got one of these [mitt/pad/cat toy](http://www.enasco.com/product/WA25003H) to have handy (when I don’t have time to dig the ‘welder’s mitts’ out). It’s pretty nifty - basically a hot pad with silicone on one side and a pocket for your hand on the other. It also has a magnet. The little silicone ring is so your cat can reach up and slide it down to his/her gnawing level. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357/40 "2011-12-17T05:57:09Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yeah…are the rest of you too polite to say anything, or does the term “hot pad” actually get used by you all? I figured out what was meant, but have never heard anyone call them that before. I used “hot pad” because that was what was being used in the thread. I have always said pot holder but was thinking maybe that is a regionalism and just went with the flow of the thread. To me, a “hot pad” is a little personal electric burner of the type not allowed in dorm rooms. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pads-vs-oven-mitts/606357.md?page=3)