What types of potholders are there?

Cooking culinary delights is a fascinating and creative process, which is sometimes equated to art. A chef's flight of fancy is often not limited by any boundaries: the cook acts solely on inspiration and sometimes combines a variety of ingredients that would seem to be completely inappropriate in one dish.

But besides a burst of creativity and rich imagination, the preparation of various culinary masterpieces is a clear procedure, deviation from which threatens far from the most pleasant consequences. That is why most chefs have in their arsenal all kinds of tools and devices that help him in his work and are always at hand. One of these accessories includes, of course, potholders. Sometimes not a single culinary process can do without them. Naturally, they can be very different and differ from each other in parameters.

Types of oven mitts

Kitchen oven mitts, although primitive in design, are distinguished by the following characteristics:

• material of manufacture;
• product shape;
• size.

According to the material of manufacture

In this case there are not so many species. There are only two - textile and silicone.

Textile

Most of the women sewed just such a model during labor lessons. Often it looks standard - like a mitten.

The ideal material from which such a potholder can be made is natural. For example, cotton, linen, chintz.It is used for the outer base. The layer, which is designed to protect against burns, is often made of batting, felt, drape or flannel in several layers. Lately, voluminous lining—Warmtex material—has become popular. Products with it will cost a little more, but their quality is much higher.

If the potholder is made of synthetics, then it is worth remembering: it melts when in contact with high temperatures, so do not be surprised that such a product wears out quickly and does not fulfill its protective functions.

Be careful! Potholders made from padding polyester should absolutely not be used when working with hot cookware. The material melts very easily, and therefore the risk of getting burned increases significantly!

Knitted

They look creative and are easy to use. It is difficult to find such models on sale; they are mainly the work of handicraftsmen. They are crocheted and knitted. The Internet is full of schemes. These can be primitive figures - a circle or a rectangle, and there are creative ones - in the form of a flower, animals.

By the way, tying a regular potholder is quite simple, but more original models require experience and certain skills.

Silicone

Modern versions of potholders that have long won the love of culinary masters. And the demand for them is only growing. This is not surprising, because using such products is very simple, and the material itself has excellent performance characteristics. It is almost impossible to get injured using silicone potholders. Well, if you just try really hard.

In addition, they are much easier to wash, they do not absorb odors, they cannot be stained, and they practically do not change even over a long time.Silicone potholders are also very heat-resistant, which allows them to be used even when working with hot dishes. But still, do not forget about safety precautions and do not try to put your hand in boiling water to appreciate all the benefits of silicone.

By shape

Well, there is absolutely no limit to imagination here.

If we talk about textile products, the most common shape is a mitten, a circle or a square. However, there are other designs that are whimsical and cool: a heart, a butterfly, a cloud, in the form of an apple or lemon, and even scrambled eggs.

There is also an atypical tailoring option. This is a potholder for both hands. It looks like a long canvas, at the ends of which there are closed pockets for the palms. The model is very convenient, especially for those cases when you need to drain hot liquid from a pan. The colors of textile potholders are often bright and catchy; prints, patterns and designs are possible.

As for silicone models, the choice here is quite limited. Usually they are made in the form of half a mitt - only for the fingers with which you hold the utensils - such options occupy most of the assortment. However, if you search hard, you can find potholders in the shape of a frog’s head, a pig’s head, a crab’s claw, and others. Regarding the decor, the products are monochromatic, but the colors are very rich: light green, crimson, bright yellow, blue and others.

To size

When choosing a potholder, each person is guided by personal preferences. For some, a small product (15*15 cm) is enough, while others prefer larger sizes. However, this parameter is not the most important when purchasing. The main thing is that the model completely protects the palm.