When asked to suggest the perfect house warming gift, I usually answer with an amalgam of oft-overlooked yet indispensable things for the kitchen: magnetic fridge clips, a swivel head vegetable peeler, an ergonomic pizza cutter, a full tang metal ice cream scoop, a full length apron, pot holders, and a quality pair of oven mitts.

As someone who spends too much time in the kitchen, I treasure a good pair of oven mitts. They keep all the hot things from burning my fingers and all the cold things from giving me frostbite. Here's a couple that have caught my fancy of late:

In 2005, the manufacturer behind such products as selectively limbless ginger bread cookie cutters and pink girl chopstick connectors, released Hot Head insulated oven mitts.

Hot Head by Fred
Source: The Just Cool Design blog

Entitled, "Hot Head" by Fred, the food-grade silicone mitts are meant for small one-handed jobs. They resemble copy written Disney characters and double as a napkin holders if placed on their backsides. I adore the frog Hot Head that my dear friends Caro and Richard gave me for my 29th birthday. .

Frog Hot Head

Frog's Backside

Frog as a Napkin Holder
It sits beside my convection toaster when not posing with the 2008 Edition of Cheap Eats Ottawa. I've named it Kermit, for obvious reasons

For those recipients that see the world in pixels, how about a pair of "Clicking Cursor Hand Kitchen Mitts." As Gizmodo's Mark Wilson writes, those of us schooled in using the World Wide Web would love to translate the point, click, copy and paste mentality into kitchen. The mitts from bazardesign.com are as close as we're gonna get!

Clicking Kitchen Mitts
source: bazardesign.com c/o craziestgadgets.com and the mighty gizmodo

Now, there are a few Alton Brown fans who are equally as utilitarian as he is and would prefer to have fingers on their oven mitts. If you have a recipient that fits into this category, may I suggest "Cowhide Driver's Gloves with Keystone Thumb" from e-rags.com?

Welder's Gloves
Source: e-rags.com

They are available in pigskin, deerskin and goatskin. Options include unlined or lined with fleece, thermal, Thinsulate or Kevlar. According to the retailer, they are ideal for construction, masonry, agricultural or iron/steel work, mining or foundry, transportation and electrical work. If so, they can definitely handle a pot or two coming out of the oven.

Eccentricities aside, please choose quality oven mitts for you and yours. Burned hands cannot make good eats!

This just in: Waka waka hot head by Fred released.

Pacman Hot Head by Fred
Source: Perpetual Kid c/o gizmodo

What can I say? It speaks to the hours I spend chasing blue ghosts on my old Atari 500!



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