Best Oven Mitts? I Tested OXO, KitchenAid, MagMitt, Ove Glove & More

The best oven mitts are easy to store, easy to clean, have a secure grip, and most importantly, protect your hands from burning.

To find out which one is truly the best, I tested the 10 most popular oven mitts on the market, including KitchenAid, OXO, MagMitt, Our Place, Caraway, Ove Glove, Grill Armor, Homwe, and Sungwoo. 

I put each one through a battery of heat tests, grip tests, dexterity tests, waterproofing tests, cleaning tests, and more. 

In this review, I break down the results of every test and the pros and cons of each mitt so you can find the right one for your kitchen.

---

Use the links below to navigate the review:

• Comparison Chart
• How I Tested
• KitchenAid Ribbed
• Sungwoo
• OXO
• Ove Glove
• HOMWE
• Grill Armor
• KitchenAid Gourmet
• MagMitt
• Caraway
• Our Place
• Bottom Line: Which Oven Mitt Is the Best?

---

Comparison Chart

Swipe to view the entire chart on mobile:

	KitchenAid Ribbed	Sungwoo	OXO	Ove Glove	HOMWE	Grill Armor	KitchenAid Gourmet	MagMitt	Caraway	Our Place
Where to Buy	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	TheMagMitt.com	Amazon	Amazon
Included	2 mitts	2 mitts	1 mitt	1 glove	2 mitts	2 gloves	2 mitts	2 mitts + pot holder	2 mitts	2 mitts
Materials	Silicone, cotton cuff, polyester lining	Textured silicone, polyester cotton lining	Silicone, cotton interior	Kevlar & Nomex, silicone detail	Quilted cotton lining, silicone exterior	Aramid fiber	Cotton, polyester fill, silicone grid	Cotton canvas, polyester terry lining, silicone grip	100% organic cotton	Cotton twill (Oeko-Tex), silicone
Rated Temp	500°F	500°F	~450°F	540°F	450°F	932°F	600°F	500°F	Not disclosed	550°F
Machine Washable	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (cold/gentle)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Waterproof	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Partial	No	Partial
Length	13″	13.5″	13″	10.25″	14.75″	12.25″	13.75″	8″	11.75″	14.75″
Weight	190g	151g	157g	121g	193g	117g	154g	109g	115g	167g
Heat Test (seconds)	30 (passed)	25	27	20	30 (passed)	20	20	30 (passed)	19	18
Tournament Result	2nd place	Lost round 1	3rd place	Lost round 1	1st place	Lost round 1	Lost round 1	Lost round 2 (narrowly)	Lost round 1	Lost round 2
Steam Test	Passed (30s)	Passed (30s)	Passed (30s)	Hot at 15-20s	Passed (30s)	Hot at 15-20s	Warm at 17s	Passed (wrist exposed)	Warm at 15s	Passed (30s)
Dexterity	Fair	Fair	Good	Excellent	Poor	Excellent	Poor	Best (mitt-style)	Poor	Fair

How I Tested

I ran the same eight tests on all 10 oven mitts. Here’s what each one involved.

Heat protection (cast iron handle): I preheated a heavy cast iron skillet in a 500°F oven for 30 minutes until the handle reached approximately 440°F, measured with a surface thermometer. Then I rested the helper handle on the stove ledge so the weight would be consistent across tests. I grabbed the handle with each mitt and timed how long I could hold on before the heat became unbearable. Between each test, I placed the skillet back in the oven for 15 minutes to keep the handle temperature consistent.

Heat protection (tournament style): I heated the same skillet on the stovetop until the bottom was over 400°F, then held the pan with a different mitt on each hand. Whichever hand felt cooler in the first 30 seconds won that round. Losers were eliminated and winners advanced until one mitt came out on top. This approach made comparisons less subjective since I could feel the same heat source with both mitts at the same time.

Steam protection: I held each mitt directly over a large pot of boiling water and timed how long I could hold before the heat became uncomfortable, up to 30 seconds.

Heavy pour (grip): I grabbed a 7-pound cast iron skillet with a thick rounded handle wearing each mitt and tilted it at a 45-degree angle to pour water into a bowl. This tested whether any mitts were too slippery for real-world use.

Dexterity: I attempted to pick up a garlic clove, a butter knife, a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, and a quarter while wearing each mitt. I also tried gripping a water glass with one hand and a small 0.75-quart saucepan.

Waterproofing: I ran each mitt under the sink faucet for 10 seconds, then fully submerged it in a pot of water for 10 seconds. I placed a dry paper towel inside beforehand to detect any moisture that leaked through.

Stain and cleaning: I applied ketchup, mustard, and oil to each mitt (on both silicone and fabric surfaces where applicable), let it sit for an hour, then wiped it off with a damp cloth to test how easily stains come off.

Machine wash durability: For the mitts that are machine washable, I ran them through five wash cycles to check whether stains came out and whether the fabric scrunched up, threads unraveled, or any other damage occurred.

Ease of use: I hung each mitt on a kitchen drawer knob by its hanging loop, then timed how quickly I could grab it, put it on, and get to work.

KitchenAid Ribbed

The KitchenAid Ribbed Silicone Oven Mitt is one of the best-selling oven mitts on Amazon. It comes with two mitts and is made of silicone with a cotton cuff and polyester lining. It measures 13 inches long and weighs 190g. It’s rated for temperatures up to 500°F.

This mitt passed all three of my heat tests. It lasted the full 30 seconds on the 440°F cast iron handle without my hand getting hot. In the tournament-style matchups, it beat the Caraway in the first round, beat Our Place in the second round, and only lost narrowly to the HOMWE in the final round, making it the second-best performer overall. It also passed the steam test for the full 30 seconds with no issues.

Water doesn’t leak through the silicone, and ketchup, mustard, and oil stains wiped right off both the silicone and fabric surfaces. The grip is secure enough to lift and tilt a heavy cast iron skillet without slipping.

The biggest issue is dexterity. There’s a lot of excess material around the sides and thumb, which makes it hard to grab smaller objects. It struggled with the butter knife, barely gripped the water glass, and couldn’t pick up the coin or the small saucepan. It also isn’t machine washable, so you’re limited to spot cleaning.

One other thing I noticed is that the ribbed texture on the outside tends to trap crumbs, dust, and other debris. You can rinse it off, but the mitt can look dirty between cleanings.

Sungwoo

The Sungwoo Oven Mitt comes with two mitts and is made of textured silicone on the outside with a polyester cotton lining on the inside. It measures 13.5 inches long, weighs 151g, and is rated for 500°F. It feels noticeably thinner than most of the others, which probably explains why the heat protection was weaker than the top performers.

The cast iron handle felt really warm around 20 seconds, and I had to let go at the 25-second mark. That’s five seconds shorter than the top-performing mitts. It also lost in the first round of the tournament to Our Place, which had clearly better heat protection in the side-by-side comparison. It did pass the steam test for the full 30 seconds with no issues.

The silicone exterior is waterproof, and the ketchup, mustard, and oil stains wiped right off. It’s not machine washable though, so you need to rinse and scrub it by hand.

Dexterity was slightly better than the KitchenAid Ribbed. It picked up the garlic clove, butter knife, and spoon without much trouble, but couldn’t grip the water glass, saucepan, or coin.

OXO

The OXO Silicone Oven Mitt is America’s Test Kitchen’s top pick. Unlike most on this list, it only comes with one mitt. It’s made of silicone with a cotton interior, measures 13 inches long, and weighs 157g. OXO doesn’t disclose the heat rating, but it’s likely around 450°F.

It performed well in my heat tests, though it didn’t quite match the top tier. My hand started getting warm after holding the 440°F cast iron handle for around 20 seconds, and I had to let go at 27 seconds. In the tournament, it beat Grill Armor in the first round and MagMitt in the second round (though that was a very close matchup), before getting knocked out by HOMWE in the third round. It also passed the steam test for the full 30 seconds.

This mitt is waterproof, stains wiped right off, and the grip is secure. Dexterity was good for a mitt-style design. I picked up the garlic clove, butter knife, and spoon easily, but couldn’t grab the water glass, saucepan, or coin.

One thing to be aware of is drying time. 24 hours after running it through the washing machine, the fabric on the wrist and inside was still wet. Every other machine-washable mitt I tested was dry by then. It also fits fairly tight around the mid-hand area.

The rubber hanging loop is stretchy and fits well on knobs, making it easy to grab and hang quickly.

Ove Glove

The Ove Glove (pronounced “of” glove”) is a glove-style design with individual fingers. It feels more like putting on a winter glove than a typical oven mitt. It’s made with Kevlar and Nomex, the same materials used in firefighter gear, and rated for 540°F. It only comes with one glove, measures 10.25 inches (the shortest in this group), and weighs 121g.

Despite the premium materials and high heat rating, the heat protection was actually disappointing. The cast iron handle got too hot to hold after just 20 seconds. It lost in the first round of the tournament to the MagMitt. And in the steam test, I had to pull my hand away at the 15- to 20-second mark.

The Ove Glove is not waterproof. Water leaks right through the fabric. The mustard stain stayed on until I ran it through a wash cycle, so you can’t just wipe it down.

The hanging loop is thin like a shoelace, which makes it twist easily when you pull the glove off a knob. Getting the glove on also takes more effort since you have to work each finger into place.

The upside of the glove-style design is dexterity. It picked up everything except the coin and was one of only two gloves (along with the MagMitt) that could actually grip the small saucepan when pressed into the hand.

HOMWE

The HOMWE Oven Mitt is The New York Times Wirecutter’s top pick. It comes with two mitts and is made of silicone on the outside with a quilted cotton lining. It measures 14.75 inches long (tied for the longest I tested), weighs 193g, and is rated for 450°F.

This mitt aced every heat test. It lasted the full 30 seconds on the 440°F cast iron handle with no discomfort. In the tournament-style matchups, it beat the KitchenAid Gourmet in the first round, beat the OXO in the second round, and edged out the KitchenAid Ribbed in the final round. It was the only mitt to win every single matchup.

It also passed the steam test for the full 30 seconds. At 14.75 inches, the silicone extends further down the wrist than most mitts, so you get more coverage when reaching into the oven.

It’s waterproof, machine washable (with no damage after five cycles), and stains wiped right off. The grip is solid.

My one complaint is stiffness. The thick silicone construction limits hand movement. It could only pick up the garlic clove and spoon; it was one of the few mitts that couldn’t pick up the butter knife. The hanging loop is also smaller than most, which makes it a little harder to get on and off a drawer knob.

Grill Armor

Grill Armor is another glove-style design with individual fingers, similar to the Ove Glove. It’s made of aramid fiber, measures 12.25 inches, weighs 117g, and is marketed as being heat safe up to 932°F.

The heat protection didn’t live up to that marketing. It only lasted 20 seconds on the 440°F cast iron handle and lost in the first round of the tournament to OXO. In the steam test, it got hot after about 15 to 20 seconds.

Like the Ove Glove, water leaks right through it and wiping it with a damp cloth didn’t remove the mustard stain (though it did come out in the washer after five cycles with no damage to the gloves). It also has the same thin hanging loop that twists easily and makes it harder to pull off a knob. Getting your fingers in takes more effort than a mitt-style design.

On the positive side, the individual fingers give it excellent dexterity. It picked up everything except the coin, including the water glass and saucepan. The grip on the heavy pour test was solid.

Overall, it performed almost identically to the Ove Glove in every test. The key difference is that for a bit more money, you get two gloves instead of one.

KitchenAid Gourmet

The KitchenAid Gourmet Oven Mitt comes with two mitts and is made of cotton with a thick polyester fill. It has some silicone for grip, but only in a thin grid pattern rather than covering the entire hand. It measures 13.75 inches long, weighs 154g, and is rated for 600°F. It also has a built-in magnet for sticking to your oven door or fridge.

Despite the high heat rating, this mitt was one of the worst performers in my heat tests. The cast iron handle started getting warm at 15 seconds and I had to let go at 20 seconds. It lost in the first round of the tournament to the HOMWE. And in the steam test, my hand was getting pretty warm after about 17 seconds.

Water leaks right through the cotton fabric. The mustard and oil stains faded after multiple wash cycles but still haven’t fully come out. Dexterity is limited; it could only pick up the garlic clove and spoon, and couldn’t grip the butter knife, glass, coin, or saucepan.

I like the magnet concept for storage, but it’s noticeably smaller than the magnets on the MagMitt and Our Place.

It’s also stitched into the corner of the wrist rather than centered, so you have to be more precise when sticking it to a surface. The large hanging loop does make it easy to get on and off a knob.

MagMitt

The MagMitt is made by the popular food creator TriggTube. I’m a fan of his content, but I’m always a little skeptical when creators launch their own products, so I was curious to see how it would hold up in my tests.

It comes as a three-piece set: two mitts and a magnetic pot holder. The mitts are made of heavyweight cotton canvas on the outside with a plush polyester terry cloth lining and silicone grip on the palm.

All three pieces have a large magnet built into the center, so you can stick the mitts to your oven door or fridge and grab them without messing with the hanging loop. It has a hanging loop too, but the magnet is more convenient.

At 8 inches, it’s the shortest mitt I tested and weighs just 109g (the lightest). It’s rated for 500°F and is machine washable.

Unlike other mitts, the thumb sits in the front, which lets you open your hand up really wide. The compact size makes it easy to store in a drawer without taking up much space.

The pot holder doubles as a trivet, and since it has a magnet too, when you pick a pot up, the holder sticks to the bottom. So you can move a hot pot around your kitchen and set it down anywhere without damaging your countertop. It’s a super clever design.

These mitts performed really well in my heat tests. I held the 440°F cast iron handle for the full 30 seconds without much heat coming through. In the tournament, it beat the Ove Glove in the first round but lost to the OXO in the second. That was a very close matchup though; the difference was minimal. It passed the steam test too, but since there’s less coverage on the wrist, I did feel a little heat there. My hand itself was completely insulated for all 30 seconds.

Where the MagMitt really stands out is dexterity. Of all the mitt-style gloves I tested, this one was the best. I easily picked up the garlic clove, butter knife, and spoon. And since it opens up wide, I was able to grip the water glass with one hand. The only other gloves that could do that were the ones with individual fingers (Ove Glove and Grill Armor). It was also one of only two (along with the Ove Glove) that could grip the small saucepan when pressed into the hand. The grip on the heavy pour test was excellent.

The silicone palm is waterproof, but water can leak through the fabric on the back of the hand. The mustard stain didn’t wipe off with a damp cloth, but it came out after one wash cycle with no damage to the mitt.

The centered magnet design is worth noting. Since the magnet is in the middle of the mitt, it’s easier to stick to a surface without paying much attention to alignment. The KitchenAid Gourmet and Our Place have the magnet near one side, so you can miss if you press the wrong side against the metal.

Caraway

The Caraway Oven Mitt comes with two mitts and is made of 100% organic cotton. It measures 11.75 inches, weighs 115g, and is one of the most expensive mitts I tested. It’s also one of the only ones without any silicone on the outside. Caraway doesn’t disclose a heat rating.

That lack of silicone showed up in my tests. It had the weakest grip of any mitt I tested. I had to squeeze noticeably harder to hold the cast iron skillet.

It struggled to pick up the garlic clove, couldn’t grab the butter knife at all, and had the weakest performance on the heavy pour test. It barely gripped the water glass only with a super wide grip, and the excess fabric kept knocking it over.

Heat protection was also poor. The cast iron handle got too hot to hold after just 19 seconds, and it lost in the first round of the tournament to the KitchenAid Ribbed. In the steam test, my hand was getting pretty warm after about 15 seconds.

It’s not fully waterproof either. It held up surprisingly well under running water, but when I submerged it, water leaked through. Mustard stains stayed on the fabric until washed, and the thick hanging loop is a little annoying to get on and off a knob.

The Caraway mitt is comfortable and good-looking, but the test results don’t justify the price.

Our Place

The Our Place Oven Mitt comes with two mitts and is made of Oeko-Tex certified cotton twill with silicone grip. Like the MagMitt, it has a built-in magnet for storage. It measures 14.75 inches long (tied with the HOMWE for the longest I tested), weighs 167g, and is rated for 550°F. It’s machine washable and one of the nicer-looking mitts in the group, with a darker blue on one side and a lighter blue on the other.

The heat protection wasn’t great though. The cast iron handle got too hot to hold after just 18 seconds, making it one of the shorter times in the group. In the tournament, it beat the Sungwoo in the first round but lost to the KitchenAid Ribbed in the second round.

The silicone exterior blocked the steam with no issues for the full 30 seconds. And that part of the mitt is completely waterproof.

Dexterity was average. It picked up the garlic clove and spoon, struggled with the butter knife but eventually got it, and couldn’t grip the coin, glass, or saucepan. It passed the heavy pour test.

In my cleaning test, the mustard stain wiped right off the silicone but was still visible on the fabric part even after three wash cycles. No damage to the mitt though.

The large hanging loop makes it easy to get on and off a knob, and the magnet is convenient for sticking it to the oven door.

Bottom Line: Which Oven Mitt Is the Best?

After all that testing, three oven mitts stood above the rest.

If heat protection is your top priority, the HOMWE mitt is tough to beat. It won every heat test I ran, including the tournament-style matchups where it beat the OXO, KitchenAid Ribbed, and every other mitt. The silicone extends further down the wrist than most at 14.75 inches, so you get more coverage when reaching into the oven. It’s also waterproof, machine washable, and comes with two mitts.

If I had to pick one mitt overall, it’s the MagMitt. It’s not the cheapest option, but you get two mitts and a pot holder. The heat protection is excellent (full 30 seconds on a 440°F handle), it’s flexible enough to grab a spoon or pick up a knife without taking it off, and the centered magnets are incredibly convenient for storage. It’s the only mitt-style glove that could grip a water glass with one hand, and the pot holder trivet design is genuinely useful.

The KitchenAid Ribbed is also worth mentioning. It came in second in the head-to-head heat tests, it’s waterproof, stains wipe right off, and it’s one of the more affordable options with two mitts included.

The OXO, Sungwoo, and Our Place all performed reasonably well but have enough drawbacks (only one mitt for the OXO, weaker heat protection for Sungwoo and Our Place) that I’d pick one of the top three instead.

The ones I’d avoid are the Caraway (weakest grip, poor heat protection at 19 seconds, and one of the most expensive) and the KitchenAid Gourmet (only 20 seconds of heat protection despite a 600°F rating). Unless you specifically want individual fingers, I’d also skip the Grill Armor and Ove Glove. Both lasted only 20 seconds in the heat test and aren’t waterproof.