Yes, You Need Grilling Gloves (2024)

In the wide world of grilling, there are things you absolutely need, like a grill, a fuel source (whether it be charcoal or gas), and a grate or spit to hold your food over the fire. Then there are the things that are nice to have, like a charcoal chimney starter, grill lights, and a giant spatula. I would argue that grilling gloves fit somewhere in between those two categories. Sure, you can grill without them, but if you don’t want to melt the skin off of your hands while attempting to save a bone-in Berkshire pork chop from falling to its fiery death, you probably shouldn’t.

Grilling gloves are heat-safe gloves that protect your hands (and, preferably, at least part of your forearms) from flames, sparks, and hot surfaces while cooking. They can be made from (or coated in) a variety of materials including suede, neoprene, and heat-safe synthetic fibers. Some of those fibers, called aramid fibers, are capable of withstanding incredibly high temperatures, with some brands boasting heat resistance beyond 1400ºF! A good pair of grilling gloves should also have a slip-resistant texture or coating for grabbing a hot grill grate or a slippery piece of meat when necessary—and if you grill often enough, at some point it will be necessary.

While grilling gloves definitely make lifting the lid off of a hot grill more comfortable—and they make moving a hot grate to manipulate smoldering coals possible at all—they really come in handy when you’re on the brink of a culinary crisis. If you’re thinking, Why would I need grilling gloves when I have super-long tongs? Well, the answer is actually those super-long tongs. If you’ve ever tried to pick up a pork butt—or even a two-pound pork chop—with long tongs, you know it’s a precarious process that challenges not only the strength of your tongs, but of your wrist and forearm as well. Trying to balance anything heavy on a spatula can be just as risky. A flare-up, a hungry dog, or even a text alert could throw you off in an instant, sending part of your dinner between the grates, or worse, onto the ground. But if you’re wearing grilling gloves, you can safely and confidently rescue your meal without fear of ending up in the emergency room.

The type of grilling gloves you need is a matter of preference and really depends on what you tend to cook. If you want the ability to handle a hot pork shoulder, easy-to-clean neoprene-coated gloves may be your best bet. If you like to move the grate to meticulously rearrange hot coals by hand, leather or aramid fiber gloves will offer you the most protection. I happen to prefer heat-safe fiber gloves to more structured silicone or leather because they allow for more dexterity—especially because nearly all grilling gloves are, frustratingly, made to fit big man hands, which I certainly do not have. But no matter the size of your hands, here are seven sets of grilling gloves to protect them while you cook outdoors this summer.