Testing Oven Mitts for Kids

Before we let the kids into the kitchen, we performed a variety of tests to make sure the mitts were indeed safe for children. We rigged wire thermometers to the inside of each mitt, at the thumb and middle finger, and squeezed our hands inside. We then used the mitts to carry metal baking sheets and glass baking dishes that we heated to a surface temperature of 350 degrees. We timed how long it took for our hands to get unbearably hot, which we’ve found in previous tests to be when the interior of the mitt reaches about 190 degrees (this may differ for children). Then we repeated the test with sheets at 400 degrees. We also used each set of mitts to grip a hot saucepan while draining boiled pasta, again timing how long our hands stayed comfortably cool. Finally, we stained the mitts with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup, washed and dried each mitt five times according to manufacturer instructions, and repeated the heating tests to make sure washing didn’t affect fit or performance.

With the exception of one cotton mitt, which failed to keep our hands cool for more than 14 seconds, all the products were comfortable for at least 30 seconds when we held a 350-degree baking sheet—long enough to move the sheet from the oven to a cooling rack or to drain pasta from a pot into a colander. The mitts didn’t perform as well when we repeated the test with 400-degree sheets—most averaged only about 12 seconds until they were too hot—but since we’d never ask a child to handle anything that hot alone, we gave much less weight to that test.

The neoprene mitts provided a bit more protection when we held the 400-degree sheet, but they performed on par with cotton mitts when used with the 350-degree sheet. Neoprene was also a bit easier to clean, since the gloves can be washed in the dishwasher as well as the laundry machine, but ultimately we were able to get tomato stains out of all the mitts.

We eliminated the pair that lasted only 14 seconds and gave the remaining three models to a panel of six kids, ages 8 to 11. After a quick lesson about oven safety, we had the kids try on the gloves to assess fit, pick up eight room-temperature pots and pans to evaluate grip and dexterity, and load, rotate, and remove baking sheets from a 350-degree oven to get a read on how safe they felt using the mitts. (Don’t worry-—adults were standing by, ready to grab any wayward sheets.)

While all the kids liked the extra grippiness that the neoprene mitts provided, this pair was far too small for all but the youngest tester. Instead, the kids preferred the two remaining cotton models: a shorter multicolored pair that stopped at the wrist and a longer black pair that covered part of the forearm. All the kids thought the shape and fit of these gloves provided better dexterity (or in their words, “felt better”). Their top pick, the Williams Sonoma Junior Chef Oven Mitt ($7.95 per mitt), was our adult testers’ favorite, too. It was roomy and thick, with a soft lined interior (“Ooh, it’s so fuzzy,” said one kid tester). The shape was great for smaller hands, and the longer length helped keep forearms safe, too.