Product review: The "Ove" Glove
If you have arthritis, neuropathy or other functional problems with your hands, you know that maneuvering hot items while cooking can be difficult if not dangerous. Pot holders can leave your fingers exposed. Oven mitts, while they protect your fingers, can be difficult to maneuver with clumsy hands, making you vulnerable to
losing your grip and dropping whatever you are trying to carry. So what's the solution?
My husband, who had seen me fumble around with pot holders and oven mitts and concerned that I would in time seriously burn myself, had seen a product advertised called an "Ove" Glove. This is a special heat-resistant material (Nomex and Kevlar with a cotton/polyester lining), less slippery than an oven mitt, that looks like a knitted
winter glove. It stretches to fit any size hand. They are said to withstand a maximum sustained temperature of 480 degrees. My husband had the clever idea to purchase not one, but two for me so that I could wear one on each hand.
This enabled me to more securely carry a pot full of just-cooked pasta from the stove burner across the kitchen to drain it in the sink and then return the pasta to the pot. The gloves also made it much easier to hold a hot broiler pan steady on the oven rack while turning meat over with a utensil. I feel safer and more confident wearing these gloves while baking and cooking on the stovetop. I have not burned myself once while using these gloves.
The only caveat for the "Ove" Glove is that the manufacturer says not to get them wet while they are in use. I think this may make them less effective? So use caution when draining pasta or handling pots containing boiling water.
While the "Ove" Glove may not be able to cure hands made clumsy by illness, it can make your cooking experience less awkward and safer for you and those around you.
Review written by Karen Brauer, Butyoudontlooksick.com ©2006
