Behind the Mitts

Hand protection is a big part of cooking with cast iron, because every piece of cookware eventually becomes too hot to handle—at least without some help. This is why we make Leather Handle Covers and, after the launch of our first Dutch Oven, the new Field Leather Oven Mitts.

Like all of our products, the R&D process behind our oven mitts was uncompromising until we knew we had it right. We wanted our mitts to offer full protection, a guarantee that you’re not going to burn yourself when using them—something potholders and kitchen towels can’t promise. We also wanted to be able to don and doff (our favorite new way of saying “put on and take off”) the mitts with one hand, which is especially helpful when cooking outdoors.

Functionality aside, our design aesthetic always aims to find the simplest, most intuitive form with just enough innovation and sex appeal to keep things interesting. We use materials and construction to elevate our products where distinctiveness is not possible (or preferable). And because our mantra is “own fewer, better things,” we wanted our mitts, like our cookware, to improve with time and use.

Luckily, we found a manufacturing partner who shared our values. I was introduced to Vermont’s Queen City Dry Goods by my friend Sam Hooper, who runs Vermont Glove (our favorite maker of work gloves). When I met Queen City owner Matt Renna, I quickly realized we spoke the same design language, and learned that Matt is both a talented designer and small-scale manufacturer, which is a surprisingly rare combination among makers.

Several months and piles of prototypes later, we landed on materials and a design that we truly love: full-grain leather, suede, and quilted heat-proof insulation combined in a simple profile that offers complete protection without feeling cumbersome. They feel great out of the box and only get better as you break them in, like an old baseball glove—which, coincidentally, they resemble (funny story: I recently sold a pair to an MLB scout during a flight).

I’m biased, sure, but using my Field Mitts brings me joy, as does the fact that they’re going to endure—and improve over—years and years of heavy use, just like our cookware.