Kool-Tek Oven Mitt (15-in.): Red by KatchAll

I bought a pair of these oven mitts on the strength of the Cooks Illustrated review. They are extraordinarily expensive, but since Cooks Illustrated ratings are skewed toward more affordable kitchen equipment, I thought they must really be worth the price. They are comfortable and long enough, but they are not sufficiently insulated to hold cookware that's been in a hot oven without feeling the heat of the handles through the mitt. It’s not that they are unusable it’s just that whatever other virtues they may have, they provide less heat protection than mitts costing a tiny fraction of what these cost.

As other reviewers have noted, these mitts do transmit heat. They are also slightly slippery, but only slightly. I bought a pair for handling dutch ovens that are in a 500 degree oven. At first I was disappointed, but I have come to appreciate that these mitts do what I bought them for. They protect my hands and forearms, they're not too bulky or heavy. The fact that they're not bulky is an advantage in terms of being able to grip things, but it's also the reason that some heat is being transferred. The bottom line is that after getting used to them, I feel safer handling heavy hot iron. They are a bit overpriced, but what is the alternative? I tried an Ove' Glove recently and it seems okay but it doesn't protect your forearms. It also doesn't protect you from spilled liquids. I thought about welders gloves but bought these instead. Good luck with your decision.

The mitt give good protection against the heat, somewhat better then a regular cotten mitt but not overwhelmingly so. I know some of the silicon mitts give more protection from the heat, but these mitts make it more difficult to grab pots. The seem to be more slippery.

The big advantage to the Kool-Tek is the material they use. I won't catch fire if I get too close to the open flame on a gas burner and it still provides heat protection when it is wet. Cotten mitts lose all protection if they get wet.

I would reccommend this product to others.

This is one of those items that I wish I had tried in a store before buying. I bought it after reading a review that it was one of the better oven mitts that chefs used.

The good points: it is more flexible. And it does stop the heat. But I have 2 complaints...well, 3 if you count the color, which is more irritating that I had imagined. But you can certainly find the oven mitt in a drawer easily with the bright red color.

Problem 1: The texture of the cloth is very rough and not pleasant to touch. Maybe if I wash it with some fabric softener it will help.

Problem 2: The length. I thought that longer gloves would be better but hadn't realized how long 15" in. The longer ones take a second more to put on....not a big deal one would think. But it is. I can't explain why except try putting them on when a pan in the oven in sliding.

Also, the length makes them slightly more difficult to use (somewhat less flexible and it seems more difficult to get the hand part to stay properly on my hand as the glove slides down).

And, longer gloves also take up more room in a drawer.

These are all very subjective issues. The mitt DOES do a great job in shielding the heat--which is its job. But I wish I had never bought them. And, since I took them out of the wrapper and used them once, I feel I can't return them.

After reading about this oven mitt, I thought it would keep my hands cool when getting items out of the oven, but it does not live up to that. I am disappointed that I paid that much and it still does not keep the heat from coming through the mitt.