When grilling, you want to make sure that you have the proper protection. When adjusting coals and moving grates, you need the best quality to make sure that you are not severely injured. There are many factors to consider when looking at grilling gloves, such as sleeve length, material, grip, price and heat resistance.
What are the best grilling gloves, hands down? To decide which gloves are best for you, we are going to have to look at your cooking style to determine what length and material you want. With that being said, a few specific gloves from brands like Ekogrips and Grill Armor are more recognized than other brands.
Before we start looking at what gloves may be right for your cooking style, let’s lay out the top brands. It is important to note that most grill gloves are sold as sets, meaning you get a left hand and a right hand glove.
Pay attention when purchasing to make sure that is the case. Also, make sure to keep your safety in mind. Gloves, though they help protect you, can still fail and can only withstand so much heat. Always be careful when touching hot coals, or when working with hot grease.
The Best Gloves For Grilling (Hands Down)
When the best gloves for grilling are in question, there are a lot of different options to choose from. In fact, there are so many that it can quickly become overwhelming.
Aside from all of the different brands and features that you can pick in a pair of grilling gloves, you can’t miss out on the first site of the decision making process, which is the material that your pair of gloves is made of.
The materials that you use for your grilling gloves will determine the quality as well as what you can do with them while you are working over the grill.
In this section, we will be going over the best types of grilling gloves in relation to each main material that is normally used in these circumstances. Refer to the list down below to get the full details on the best pair of silicone, leather, synthetic, and fabric gloves for all of your grilling needs.
Here are some of the top gloves for grilling (of each material type):
- Silicone – Ekogrips BBQ Oven Gloves
- Leather – Steven Raichlen Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves
- Synthetic – Extreme Heat Resistant Grill Heat Aid Gloves
- Fabric – Grill Armor Gloves
We will start with the best silicone gloves, a popular material choice due to their ease of use and ease of cleaning. Ekogrips BBQ Oven Gloves are entirely silicone, making them waterproof.
This is particularly helpful when working with not only grease on the grill, but for boiling hot liquids. They also come up to mid-forearm, and have reinforced seams making these gloves tear resistant.
They come in a variety of sizes, they are non-slip, easy to clean, and you could theoretically just throw them in the dishwasher! They handle heats up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Extreme Heat Resistant Grill Heat Aid Gloves are made from aramid fiber, a fiber that is used in the military due to how heat resistant and durable it is.
They can easily handle temperatures over 500 degrees Fahrenheit (and up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit) while still being thin and flexible. The added silicone strips add grip, and these gloves are cut resistant.
The one thing to keep in mind is that these are not waterproof, even steam may cause issues with them.
Grill Armor Gloves uses meta-aramid and para-aramid fabric, which will keep them from catching fire or melting.
These gloves have a layer of cotton on the inside for comfort, as well as silicone grips on the outside. These gloves are resistant up to 930 degrees Fahrenheit, and have amazing dexterity.
They also can be machine washed for convenience. These will not protect you when they get wet, so take the same precautions as you did would with the Extreme Heat Resistant Grill Heat Aid Gloves.
The Steven Raichlen Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves are a favorite among those who use leather. These gloves are advertised at an impressive 18 inches long, which gives you plenty of protection from things like grease and flames.
These are rated to withstand up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, but it is important to note that they are not intended for extended heat exposure. They would not protect your hands from things like grates and other extremely hot items as they are not insulated.
With that being said, they have amazing dexterity, and are great for tongs and other general grill use. They are not machine washable, and have to be wiped down with a wet cloth after use.
When looking at these gloves, make sure to consider what it is you usually need protection from when grilling.
Do you want to be able to move hot logs and coals around easily? Do you cook a lot of meat with lots of grease? Make sure to pick a pair that makes sense for your grilling style.
What Makes a Good Pair of Grilling Gloves?
Your ideal pair of gloves is going to be specific to you. While there are better brands with higher quality products, at the end of the day they all have pros and cons. There are a few things to consider when trying to pick out the perfect pair for you.
Depending on what you cook and if you plan on moving hot grates or coals, you will want gloves with high heat resistance.
To protect from flare ups and grease, you may want something with higher forearm protection. You will want a comfortable fit, and sometimes this means you need a specialized glove size.
Some gloves are easy to wash, while others take a bit more work. Also, of course, are you getting your money’s worth.
Important Factors to Consider When Buying Gloves:
- Do you need them to be waterproof?
- How hot are the materials you work with?
- Do you need a special size of glove?
- Is extra grip important to you?
- Are you concerned about forearm protection?
- How easy is it to wash?
- What is the price?
Most important is that they can withstand the heats you need them to, and that they are very durable. The last thing you want is to ruin your grilling experience by getting a bad burn or dropping your meal.
Even if you are an expert at grilling, there are unforeseen accidents that make gloves a necessity.
Pay attention to the fact that many of these gloves can be multi-purpose, such as for baking or cleaning an oven. If you plan on getting the most out of your money, it may be wise to consider what other activities you do that may benefit from a pair of heat-resistant gloves.
The Best Materials for Grilling Gloves
We have already touched on glove materials, but let’s get a bit more in depth with the advantages to each type. This is by far the easiest way to narrow down what kind of glove you need.
Common types of Glove Materials:
- Silicone
- Leather
- Synthetic
- Fabric
Silicone gloves, while they don’t provide as much insulation as other gloves often do, make it really easy to pick up items with their superior grip. They usually do not fit tightly to your hands, but are often the easiest material to clean.
Leather gloves are great for moving hot logs, pans, and fire starters. They are usually very thick and are great at keeping you protected. It is important to note that they aren’t great at handling food since they are usually less dexterous, and much harder to clean.
Fabric gloves often are made from aramid, and have added silicone to help with grip. They are not waterproof, so it is advised that they aren’t used for food, and they also aren’t as easy to clean as silicone gloves. They excel at moving grill grates, hot logs, and pans. Good brands are machine-washable.
Synthetic gloves are usually made with silicone on the exterior, and have cotton or something synthetic on the inside. These aren’t as insulating as something like leather, but they have better maneuverability. Just like fabric, they will not protect you from hot liquid, and cannot be used while wet.
How to Clean and Maintain Grilling Gloves
As we have covered, there are many different materials used to make grilling gloves. Depending on what type of glove you get, you will be given different cleaning instructions. Make sure to pay attention to what the manufacturer suggests, as there are vastly different ways to clean different gloves.
It is also important to think about the material you are using in terms of maintenance. If you get the inside of your cotton lined gloves wet, it is entirely possible that they will mold if you don’t set them out to dry appropriately.
Use common sense in making sure that they don’t get put somewhere extremely hot for a prolonged period of time in order to expand their lifespan.
General Guide to Cleaning Different Glove Materials:
- Silicone – Often dish washable, can easily be rinsed off.
- Leather – One of the harder materials to clean, usually needs to be wiped down with a wet cloth.
- Synthetic – While easier to clean due to the exterior usually being silicone, the cleaning method will vary dramatically from one pair to the next.
- Fabric – Some types of fabric will be machine washable, otherwise they will need to be hand cleaned.
Silicone is almost always going to be the easiest brand to clean, everything should slide right off of them before you even get to the cleaning stage.
Even if there is some stuff on them after a good rinse, many brands just tell you to throw them in the dishwasher!
Leather is often the hardest material to clean, requiring extra care to upkeep. You have to make sure that they are wiped down with a wet cloth, and dry out appropriately. It can be easy to permanently damage leather if you aren’t careful.
In conclusion, there are plenty of different types and brands of grilling gloves that you can choose from, which can all be considered the best through different eyes. All in all, the pari of grilling gloves that you choose for yourself should be based on your individual needs as well as your preferences while you are outside grilling.
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