What are the potholders: basic models

Cooking culinary delights is a fun and creative process that is sometimes equated with art. The flight of the cook's imagination is often not limited by any framework: the cook acts exclusively on inspiration and sometimes combines a variety of ingredients that, it would seem, are generally inappropriate in one platter.

But besides a rush of creativity and a rich imagination, the preparation of various culinary masterpieces is a clear order of actions, deviation from which threatens by far not the most pleasant consequences. That is why most chefs have in their arsenal all kinds of tools and devices that help him in his work and are always at hand. One of these accessories is, of course, potholders. Sometimes not a single culinary process can do without them. They, of course, can be very different and differ from each other in parameters.

Types of potholders

Kitchen potholders, although primitive in execution, are distinguished by the following characteristics:

• material of manufacture;
• product shape;
• the size.

By material of manufacture

In this case, there are not so many species. There are only two - textile and silicone.

Textile

Most of the women sewed just such a model in labor lessons. Often it looks standard - like a mitten.

The ideal material from which such a tack can be made is natural. For example, cotton, linen, chintz. It is used for an outdoor base. The layer, which is designed to protect against burns, is often made of batting, felt, drape or flannel in several layers. Recently, a volumetric lining - the “Warmtex” material - has become popular. Products with it will cost a little more, but their quality is much higher.

If the potholder is made of synthetics, then it is worth remembering: it melts on contact with high temperatures, therefore do not be surprised that such a product wears out quickly and does not fulfill its protective functions.

Be careful! Sintepon potholders should not be used when working with hot dishes. The material melts very easily, and therefore the risk of getting burned increases significantly!

Knitted

They look creative and easy to use. It is difficult to find such models on sale, mainly the work of needlewomen. They are crocheted and knitted. The internet is full of diagrams. It can be primitive figures - a circle or a rectangle, and there are creative ones - in the form of a flower, animals.

By the way, it is quite simple to knit an ordinary potholder, but more original models require experience and certain skills.

Silicone

Modern options for potholders, which have long won the love of culinary masters. And the demand for them is only growing. This is not surprising, because it is very simple to use such products, and the material itself has excellent performance characteristics. It is almost impossible to get injured using silicone potholders. Well, if you only try very hard.

In addition, they are much easier to wash, they do not absorb odors, they cannot be stained, they practically do not change even over a long time. And also silicone potholders are very heat-resistant, which allows them to be used even when working with hot dishes. But still, do not forget about safety measures and do not try to put your hand in boiling water in order to appreciate all the benefits of silicone.

By form

Well, there is absolutely no limit to imagination.

If we talk about textile products, then the most common form of a mitten, a circle or a square. However, there are other variants of execution, bizarre and cool: a heart, a butterfly, a cloud, in the form of an apple or lemon, and even scrambled eggs.

There is also an atypical sewing option. This is a potholder for both hands. It looks like a long canvas, at the ends of which there are closed pockets for the palms. The model is very convenient, especially for those cases when you need to drain the hot liquid from the pan. The colors of textile potholders are often bright and catchy, prints, patterns and patterns are possible.

As for the silicone models, the choice here is quite limited. Usually they are made in the form of half a mitten - only for the fingers with which you hold the dishes - such options take up most of the assortment. However, if you look hard, you can find potholders in the shape of a frog's head, a piglet, crab claws and others. Regarding the decor, the products are monochromatic, but the colors are very rich: light green, raspberry, bright yellow, blue and others.

To size

When choosing a potholder, each person is guided by personal preferences. Someone needs a small product (15 * 15 cm), while others prefer larger sizes. However, this parameter is not the most important one when buying. The main thing is that the model fully protects the palm.