Black Pocketed Pot Holders, Pair

At under ten dollars this is the least expensive thing in the catalogue, and it is also the most versatile. A pot holder with a pocket is two tools at once: slide your fingers in and it is a glove, lay it flat and it is a trivet. Two come in the set, in black, which is the colour that never looks used.

The pocket is split at the fingertips rather than being one open sleeve. That detail is what makes the difference between gripping and fumbling: a divided pocket lets you pinch a lid knob or a pan handle with actual finger control, where a single open pocket turns your hand into a paddle. The silicone outer carries a raised non-slip pattern over the whole face.

Inside is a terrycloth lining, which is what does the insulating. Terry is looped cotton and the loops are what trap air, and trapped air is the thing standing between your fingers and a hot handle. The silicone shell on the outside is the part that stops steam and spilled liquid ever reaching that cotton.

One thing to know before you buy is that the black pair is listed hand wash only. Care is not uniform across these pot holders — the navy and aqua turquoise pairs are listed machine wash — so this is a per-colour fact rather than a rule about pot holders. In practice hand washing means warm water, dish soap and a cloth, which is enough for what a pot holder collects, but it is not a drawer item to throw in with the tea towels.

The short version

• Lowest-priced item in the catalogue, sold as a pair
• Split fingertip pocket gives real grip on lid knobs and handles
• Lies flat as a counter trivet when you are not wearing it
• Terrycloth lining insulates; silicone shell blocks steam and spills
• This colour is listed hand wash only — the navy and aqua pairs are not

Who it suits

Specification