Heat Resistant Gloves & Kitchenwear for Commercial Kitchens: How to Choose: The Complete UK Guide (2026)
Heat-resistant kitchenwear — oven gloves, mitts, gauntlets, pot cloths and the utensils that touch hot pans — is the cheapest personal protective equipment in a commercial kitchen and the most casually chosen. A burn is one of the most common injuries in professional catering, and most of them come down to the wrong glove for the temperature, a damp cloth grabbed off the pass, or a spatula that melts into the food. This guide sizes heat protection to the job: the temperature ratings that actually matter, why aramid and silicone beat terry-cotton, the wet-steam trap that turns a folded tea towel into a scald, the double-cloth technique, and how to pick heat-resistant spatulas and turners by their melting point. Craven Cooling does not sell burns kit as a token add-on — we stock or source it to specification, from baker mitts to silicone spatulas, matched to what your line actually handles.
- Buy by temperature rating, not appearance. A quilted glove that looks protective may be rated for far less than a combi oven at 250°C. The rating — the temperature the glove withstands and for how long (the contact time) — is the number that decides whether it protects.
- Aramid (Kevlar/Nomex-type) fibres hold up to roughly 250°C+ for short contact and don’t melt, which makes them the default for oven and salamander work. They stay flexible and give good grip.
- Silicone gloves and mitts typically rate to around 230–260°C, are fully waterproof, and wipe clean — the key advantage being that steam and spills can’t soak through to the skin.
- Terry-cotton (a folded tea towel or cheap cloth) is the danger option. It has a much lower safe limit and, critically, conducts heat straight to the skin the moment it gets damp — a wet cloth on a hot pan causes a scald in seconds.
- The wet-steam trap: a damp or wet cloth is not a mild version of a dry one — water conducts heat many times faster than air, so a wet cloth transmits a burn almost instantly. Never lift hot with a damp cloth.
- The double-cloth technique — two dry, folded cloths, never one — is the traditional safe method where cloths are used at all, giving thickness and a buffer, but purpose-made mitts are safer still.
- Heat-resistant spatulas split by material: silicone spatulas and spoonulas typically tolerate around 230–260°C, while nylon turners are usually limited to about 200°C and will scorch, warp or shed on a hot pan above that.
- PPE is an employer duty and needs laundering. Oven cloths and gloves must be provided, kept clean and replaced when worn — a scorched, thinning or greasy glove no longer protects, and a hot-washed cloth is a hygiene item as much as a safety one.
Heat protection is the equipment nobody specs and everybody uses forty times a shift. Chefs pull trays from a 250°C combi, lift bubbling pans off the range and reach into salamanders and pizza ovens — and the thing between their skin and a burn is usually whatever glove or cloth was nearest. That is exactly why burns are among the most frequent kitchen injuries: the protective item is chosen by habit, not by the temperature it has to survive. This guide treats heat-resistant kitchenwear as a deliberate purchase, matching material and rating to the task, explaining why a wet cloth is so dangerous, and covering the utensils — spatulas and turners — that also have to survive heat without melting into the food.
This guide is for the trade buyer and kitchen manager kitting out a working commercial kitchen — head chefs, catering managers, pub and hotel operators, contract caterers, bakeries, care homes and dark kitchens. The job here is to choose the burns protection and heat-resistant tools that match your line, and to build the laundering and replacement routine that keeps them working. Browse the oven gloves and mitts range, the kitchen utensils range, or the full Craven Cooling catalogue when ready.
Table of Contents
- Decision 1: Material — Aramid vs Silicone vs Terry-Cotton
- Decision 2: Temperature Rating & the Wet-Steam Trap
- Decision 3: Glove vs Mitt vs Gauntlet vs Cloth
- Decision 4: Heat-Resistant Utensils — Spatulas & Turners
- Decision 5: PPE Duty, Laundering & Replacement
- UK Price Tiers
- Heat-Resistant Kitchenwear We Stock or Source
- Burns-Prevention Checklist
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Buying Guides
The rating aramid oven gloves reach for short contact — the oven-work default
A damp cloth conducts heat straight to skin — the single biggest cause of grab-and-lift scalds
Typical silicone spatula limit — nylon turners give out around 200°C
A pair of proper oven mitts costs a fraction of any piece of catering equipment, yet the wrong choice — or a damp cloth grabbed in a rush — causes a disproportionate share of kitchen injuries. Burns are painful, they take staff off the line, and a serious one is reportable. The fix is not expensive: match the glove material and rating to the hottest thing it lifts, ban the damp-cloth grab, run heat-resistant utensils rated above your pan temperatures, and launder and replace on a schedule. Heat protection is where a few pounds of the right kit prevents days of lost shifts.
A single wet-cloth lift is all it takes to scald a hand
Decision 1: Material — Aramid vs Silicone vs Terry-Cotton
The material of a glove, mitt or cloth decides almost everything about how it protects: the temperature it survives, whether it melts, whether steam gets through, and how long it lasts. Three materials dominate commercial heat protection, and they are not interchangeable. Get the material right first, then the format.
| Material | Typical heat limit | Steam / wet | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aramid (Kevlar / Nomex-type) | ~250°C+ short contact | Insulates dry; less so when soaked | Oven, salamander, hot-pan and tray work | Keep dry — soaked fibres conduct more heat |
| Silicone | ~230–260°C | Fully waterproof — steam can’t soak through | Wet, steamy and spill-prone stations; wipe-clean hygiene | Can be less dextrous; grip varies by design |
| Terry-cotton (cloth / tea towel) | Much lower — scorches and chars | Dangerous when damp — conducts heat straight through | Wiping and drying only — not lifting hot | Never use damp; only ever as a doubled, dry cloth |
| Blended / quilted cotton mitt | Moderate — depends on fill | Insulation collapses if it gets wet | General light oven-to-pass duty | Check the actual rating, not the padding look |
The practical rule most kitchens land on: aramid gloves or mitts for the oven and hot-pan line, silicone for anywhere wet, steamy or where wipe-clean hygiene matters, and terry-cotton cloths strictly for wiping and drying — never for lifting hot. The single most dangerous habit is treating a folded tea towel as an oven glove: it works right up until the cloth is damp, then fails instantly. A station that relies on cloths to move hot pans is under-equipped; give it purpose-made mitts.
A thick, quilted glove can feel reassuring and still be rated well below the temperature of a busy combi oven or a salamander. Padding is not the same as certified heat resistance, and a mitt that has been through the wash a hundred times has thinner, flatter insulation than the day it arrived. Always buy on the stated temperature rating and contact time, check that rating against the hottest thing the glove actually lifts, and replace mitts when the insulation has compressed or scorched — not when they finally fall apart.
Decision 2: Temperature Rating & the Wet-Steam Trap
A heat rating is two numbers, not one: the temperature the item withstands, and the contact time it withstands it for. A glove rated “to 250°C” usually means it protects against brief contact at that temperature — a few seconds to grab a tray — not indefinite holding. Match the rating to the hottest thing you handle and to how long you actually hold it, and add a margin. Then account for the single factor that overrides every rating on the label: moisture.
| Task | Typical surface temp | Minimum protection | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrying warm plates / hot-hold gastronorms | ~60–90°C | Light mitt or cloth (dry) | Short carries; watch steam from covered pans |
| Lifting pans off the range / stockpots | ~150–220°C | Aramid or silicone glove | Beware boil-over and steam under the lid |
| Trays from a combi / convection oven | ~180–250°C | Aramid mitt/gauntlet, ~250°C rated | The default oven job — rate above your set temp |
| Salamander / grill / pizza-oven work | ~250°C+ | Aramid gauntlet — forearm protection | Reaching in exposes the wrist and forearm |
| Wet, steamy, spill-prone stations | Varies | Silicone (waterproof) | Steam and spills defeat fabric — use silicone |
This is the most important safety point in this guide. A dry cloth protects because the air trapped in the fabric is a poor conductor of heat. The moment that cloth is damp — from a wipe-down, a spill, a bit of steam, or sitting on a wet bench — water fills those air gaps, and water conducts heat many times faster than air. A wet cloth pressed onto a hot pan or tray transmits that heat to the hand almost instantly, causing a scald in seconds rather than the gradual warmth of a dry cloth. Staff are burned this way constantly: they grab the nearest cloth off the pass, not realising it’s damp, and lift a hot handle. Never lift anything hot with a damp or wet cloth. If a cloth is your only option, it must be dry, folded double, and swapped the instant it feels damp — but the real answer is a proper waterproof silicone mitt or a dry aramid glove for anything genuinely hot.
The wet-steam trap is also why silicone earns its place on any steamy station. Because it is a solid waterproof barrier, steam and spills cannot soak through to the skin the way they wick through fabric. On a station lifting lids off boiling stockpots or working around a steamer, a fabric glove slowly absorbs moisture through the shift and loses protection without anyone noticing — whereas silicone stays exactly as protective wet as dry. Rate for the temperature, but choose the material for the moisture.
Decision 3: Glove vs Mitt vs Gauntlet vs Cloth
Format decides how much of the hand and arm is protected and how much dexterity you keep. The right format is the one that covers what actually gets exposed on the task — a pizza chef reaching into a deck oven needs forearm cover a short mitt can’t give, while a pastry section handling warm trays wants dexterity a bulky gauntlet loses.
Single Oven Glove
Dexterity, one hand
- Fitted glove, individual fingers
- Best grip and control
- Good for precise tray and pan work
- Less forearm protection
Double / Baker Mitt
Two-hand, tray-width
- Long mitt covering both hands or a pair
- Spans a full oven tray or GN pan
- The bakery and oven workhorse
- Less finger dexterity than a glove
Gauntlet
Forearm protection
- Extends up the forearm
- For reaching into deck / pizza ovens
- Protects the wrist and lower arm
- Essential for salamander work
Pot Holder / Cloth
Wipe & dry only
- Doubled, dry cloth or square pad
- Never for lifting if damp
- Best kept for wiping and drying
- Use the double-cloth method if lifting
Match the format to the reach. Pastry and general oven work is well served by a baker mitt that spans a tray; a busy line lifting individual pans wants a fitted glove; anyone reaching into an oven — pizza, deck, salamander — needs a gauntlet, because a short mitt leaves the wrist and forearm bare against the oven mouth. Cloths are for wiping and drying, with the double-cloth method as an emergency lift only. A well-equipped kitchen has the right format for each station, not one universal glove that half-fits every job.
Most kitchen burns to the arm happen at the oven mouth: a chef reaches in with a short glove, and the bare wrist or forearm brushes the top of the oven opening or a hot shelf edge. A fitted glove protects the hand and leaves everything above it exposed. If your team reaches into deck ovens, pizza ovens or salamanders regularly, a gauntlet that covers the forearm is not a luxury — it’s the difference between a near-miss and a hospital trip. Spec the format to how far into the heat the hand actually goes.
Decision 4: Heat-Resistant Utensils — Spatulas & Turners
Heat protection isn’t only what you wear — it’s also what you cook with. A spatula, turner or spoon resting against a hot pan has to survive the pan temperature without melting, warping or shedding material into the food. Material rating matters here just as much as it does for gloves, and this is where the cheap tool costs the most: a nylon turner that melts on a hot pan ruins the dish and contaminates it.
| Material | Typical heat limit | Best for | Fails by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicone spatula / spoonula | ~230–260°C | Non-stick pans, folding, scraping, sauces | Only degrades well above its rating; won’t scratch non-stick |
| Nylon turner / spatula | ~200°C | Light non-stick use at moderate heat | Scorches, warps and can shed above ~200°C |
| Stainless steel | Effectively unlimited | High-heat searing, cast iron, deglazing | Scratches non-stick coatings — not for coated pans |
| Wood / bamboo | High, but chars | Stirring, non-stick safe, traditional | Absorbs, can crack and harbour bacteria if unsealed |
The two you actually choose between for non-stick and general hot-pan work are silicone and nylon, and the gap matters. A quality silicone spatula tolerates roughly 230–260°C — comfortably above most non-stick pan temperatures — and won’t scratch a coating or melt into a sauce. Nylon is cheaper but usually limited to around 200°C, and above that it scorches, warps and can shed fragments into the food. On a genuinely hot pan, nylon is the false economy: the tool that melts costs you the dish and is a physical-contamination incident. For searing and cast-iron work, stainless steel is the answer — but keep steel well away from coated pans.
When a nylon spatula or turner is used above its temperature limit — pressed against a hot pan for searing, or left resting in a pan on the heat — it doesn’t just deform. It can scorch and shed small fragments of melted plastic into the food, which is a physical contamination hazard you have to bin the dish over. In a commercial kitchen that is a food-safety failure, not just a spoiled service. Spec silicone (rated ~230–260°C) or stainless for anything that meets real heat, keep nylon to light, moderate-heat non-stick tasks only, and replace any utensil that shows melting, scorching or a rough, shedding edge.
The same principle runs through the whole utensil rack: match the material’s rating to the pan. Silicone-headed tools with a solid core give high-heat tolerance and non-stick safety in one; stainless is for the hottest, coating-free work; nylon has a place only for light, cooler non-stick jobs. Craven Cooling stocks or sources heat-resistant utensils to specification — including named-to-spec items such as Matfer heat-resistant spatulas — so you can build the rack around the pans and temperatures your line actually runs.
Decision 5: PPE Duty, Laundering & Replacement
Heat-resistant gloves and cloths are personal protective equipment, and providing suitable PPE for a task that risks burns falls under the employer’s general health-and-safety duty. But PPE only protects if it’s kept in working condition — a scorched, thinning, greasy or damp glove has effectively stopped being PPE. So the buying decision doesn’t end at purchase: it includes the laundering and replacement routine that keeps the kit protective.
The legal backdrop is straightforward. Employers have a general duty to protect staff from foreseeable harm, and burns from hot ovens, pans and surfaces are exactly that. Workplace and welfare requirements sit under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and a kitchen must also have adequate first-aid provision — including for burns — under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. Providing appropriate heat-resistant gloves and cloths, keeping them serviceable, and having a burns-ready first-aid kit is how a kitchen meets those duties in practice. For the first-aid side, see the compliance guide below.
Match the glove, mitt or gauntlet to the hottest job on each station, and provide enough so a damp or soiled one can be swapped out rather than pressed on in use. Under the general H&S duty and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, protection against foreseeable burns is the employer’s responsibility, not the chef’s own kit.
Oven cloths and fabric mitts pick up grease, food and bacteria as well as heat. Wash them hot on a regular cycle, dry them fully, and keep clean stock available — a greasy cloth is both a hygiene risk and a fire risk near flame. Silicone gloves and utensils wipe clean or go through the warewasher, which is part of why they suit high-hygiene stations.
Because water conducts heat far faster than dry fabric, a damp cloth or a fabric glove that has absorbed steam transmits a burn almost instantly. Train the team to check dryness before every hot lift, keep dry stock within reach, and reserve silicone for genuinely wet and steamy work where fabric can’t stay dry.
A glove with compressed insulation, scorch marks, holes or a hardened greasy patch no longer protects to its rating. Inspect regularly and replace before it fails on a hot tray — the cost of a new mitt is trivial against a burn and lost shifts. Bin, don’t demote, worn heat protection.
Under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, the kitchen needs adequate first-aid provision and someone able to use it. Cool a burn under running water immediately, and keep the first-aid kit stocked for burns. Pair good PPE with a proper burns response — prevention and treatment together.
The most common failure isn’t buying the wrong glove — it’s keeping the right one long after it stopped protecting. A mitt that’s been hot-washed fifty times, scorched at the fingertips and flattened at the palm looks like protection and isn’t. Build a simple routine: launder fabric heat-wear hot and regularly, inspect on a schedule, and replace on condition. Keep enough stock that a damp or worn item is swapped, not tolerated. That routine is cheaper than a single serious burn.
UK Price Tiers — July 2026
£3–£20
Terry oven cloths, pads and holders — wipe/dry use, per item or pack, + VAT
£8–£40
Silicone and aramid single gloves & double baker mitts, + VAT
£20–£60
Forearm-length aramid gauntlets for deck & pizza ovens, + VAT
£5–£30
Silicone & steel spatulas and turners, per item or set, + VAT
Market guide ranges for planning. This category is stocked or sourced to specification — exact item and price confirmed on quotation to your stations and pan temperatures.
Heat-Resistant Kitchenwear We Stock or Source
Craven Cooling stocks or sources heat-resistant kitchenwear to specification across every format — oven gloves, double baker mitts, forearm gauntlets, pot holders and cloths, and heat-resistant utensils including named-to-spec items such as Matfer baker mitts and Matfer heat-resistant spatulas. Because the right protection depends on the hottest thing each station handles and how wet or steamy it is, we spec the kit to the job rather than quote a single line. Prices confirmed on quotation, + VAT.
Craven Cooling stocks and sources heat-resistant gloves, mitts, gauntlets, cloths and utensils to specification — aramid for the oven line, silicone for wet and steamy stations, gauntlets for deck and pizza ovens, and silicone or steel utensils rated above your pan temperatures. Because the wet-steam trap and the temperature rating decide what actually protects, the right kit is a match to your real line. Call 01792 732702 or email [email protected] with your stations, oven set temperatures and where steam is a problem — or visit the Swansea showroom. 2-year parts warranty.
| Item | Material options | Best for | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single oven gloves | Aramid or silicone | Dexterous pan and tray work on the line | Stocked / sourced to spec |
| Double / baker mitts | Aramid, quilted cotton | Full-tray and GN-pan oven work, bakery | Stocked / sourced to spec |
| Forearm gauntlets | Aramid | Reaching into deck, pizza & salamander ovens | Sourced to spec |
| Pot holders & oven cloths | Terry-cotton, silicone pads | Wiping, drying & double-cloth lifts (dry only) | Stocked / sourced to spec |
| Heat-resistant spatulas & spoonulas | Silicone (~230–260°C) | Non-stick, folding, scraping, sauces | Stocked / sourced to spec |
| Turners & fish slices | Silicone, nylon, stainless | Turning — match material to pan temperature | Sourced to spec |
Worked Example: Annual Laundering & Replacement Budget
A mid-size restaurant kitchen wants to know what it actually costs to keep heat protection serviceable across a year — the laundering and replacement that keeps PPE working, not just the one-off purchase.
The figure is small on purpose — that’s the point. Heat protection is among the cheapest running costs in the kitchen, yet the injury it prevents is one of the most common and disruptive. A few hundred pounds a year to replace mitts on condition, hot-wash and renew cloths, and swap out scorched utensils is not an overhead to trim; it’s the routine that keeps PPE protecting. The kitchens that get burned are the ones that stretch a scorched mitt “one more month” or keep a damp cloth in circulation.
Burns-Prevention Checklist
Choosing the right kit is half the job; using it right is the other half. Here is the routine an EHO-aware, safety-conscious kitchen follows to keep burns off the accident book.
The single biggest cause of grab-and-lift scalds. A wet cloth conducts heat straight to the skin. Check dryness before every hot lift, keep dry stock within reach of the oven and range, and use a purpose-made mitt or gauntlet rather than a cloth wherever you can.
Match the temperature rating and contact time to the task, then add a margin. A ~250°C aramid mitt for combi trays, a gauntlet for reaching into deck and pizza ovens, silicone for wet and steamy stations. Don’t rely on padding — rely on the stated rating.
Most arm burns happen reaching in with a short glove. If the team reaches into deck, pizza or salamander ovens, use forearm-length gauntlets so the wrist and lower arm are covered against the oven opening and hot shelf edges.
Silicone spatulas (~230–260°C) or steel for hot work; keep nylon (~200°C) to light, cooler non-stick tasks. Replace any utensil that shows melting, scorching or a shedding edge — a melted turner is a contamination incident, not just a spoiled dish.
Hot-wash fabric heat-wear regularly and dry it fully; inspect gloves and mitts for compressed insulation, scorching and holes; replace on condition, not on failure. Keep enough stock that a damp or worn item is swapped out, never pressed on.
Maintain adequate first-aid provision under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, with staff able to use it. Cool any burn under cool running water immediately and keep the kit stocked for burns. Good PPE plus a fast burns response is the complete answer.
Pre-Shift PPE Check — Checklist
A thirty-second check at the start of service keeps heat protection working. Run this before the line goes hot.
-
Dry oven mitts and gloves at every hot station
Check each station has the right format — aramid mitt or glove for the oven, gauntlet where the arm reaches in — and that all of it is bone dry. A damp glove is not protection. -
Dry cloths for wiping only — not for lifting hot
Fresh, dry cloths within reach for wiping and drying. If a cloth must ever lift, it’s the double-cloth method with two dry cloths — but a mitt is safer. -
No scorched, holed or flattened heat-wear in circulation
Pull any glove with compressed insulation, scorch marks or holes. A mitt that looks tired has stopped protecting to its rating — swap it for fresh stock. -
Silicone or steel utensils on the hot pans
Confirm the turners and spatulas on hot and non-stick pans are rated above the pan temperature. No nylon on anything that gets genuinely hot. -
Silicone protection on the steamy and wet stations
Where steam and spills are constant, make sure waterproof silicone gloves are in place — fabric absorbs moisture through the shift and quietly loses its protection. -
Burns first-aid kit stocked and accessible
Check the first-aid kit is stocked for burns and within reach of the hot line, and that someone on shift knows to cool a burn under running water at once.
Heat-resistant kitchenwear is the cheapest PPE in a commercial kitchen and the most casually chosen, which is why burns are among the most common catering injuries. Buy by temperature rating and contact time, not by how padded a glove looks. Aramid (Kevlar/Nomex-type) fibres hold up to roughly 250°C+ and don't melt, making them the oven and hot-pan default; silicone rates to about 230–260°C and is fully waterproof, which is why it wins on wet, steamy stations; terry-cotton is the danger material — low-rated and, critically, a damp cloth conducts heat straight to the skin and causes a scald in seconds, so a wet cloth must never lift anything hot. Where cloths are used at all, the double-cloth technique (two dry, folded cloths) is the safe fallback, but a purpose-made mitt or gauntlet is better; use gauntlets wherever the arm reaches into deck, pizza or salamander ovens. On the utensil side, silicone spatulas tolerate ~230–260°C while nylon turners give out around 200°C and can melt and shed into food above that — a contamination incident — so match the material to the pan temperature. PPE is an employer duty under the general health-and-safety obligation and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, with burns first aid under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981; it must be laundered hot, inspected and replaced on condition. This is a category-only guide — Craven Cooling does not list priced burns kit as a token line but stocks or sources it to specification, including named-to-spec items such as Matfer baker mitts and heat-resistant spatulas, matched to your stations and pan temperatures. Call 01792 732702 or email [email protected] with your line and we'll spec it; 2-year parts warranty.
Frequently Asked Questions
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