Kitchen Marvels.

Like Sir Walter Raleigh before me, I recently returned from 'the New World' bearing gifts. Yes, yes I know HE didn't actually bring back potatoes or tobacco but I'm sure he brought his Queen a couple of postcards and a t-shirt so go with me on this.

A couple of these gifts were mine (I don't make the rules) and they'd been given to me by Debby/Den at Christmas but not used until I got home. Both are kitchen products and one, the scrubby, I've used many times before but love having my own here and the other.......well I'll start with that one.

First a question. Why are oven mitts, mitts ? I mean seriously. Why have a large mitt as your protection for handling hot food items and containers ? I know they're ok for just removing a pan from the oven but hardly practical for more precise work....like picking out one roast potato for a trial nibble !

And so, with a suitable drum roll please, I introduce the oven glove. Brilliant. Must've taken a lot of thought to design a mitt with fingers. At least we can now stir the gravy in the scalding hot roasting dish without feeling like the elephant man brushing his hair.

But this is no simple insulated oven glove. Oh dear me no. This is........the 'Ove' Glove


I bet the PR men had a great time around the table naming this little beauty. They probably couldn't copyright the name "oven glove" and so the "Ove" Glove came into existence.

I don't care. I just know I love it. I love it so much I want to wear it outside. It would be a sort of Gordon Ramsay meets Michael Jackson sort of deal. As well as making a fashion statement, I'd be able to drag small children out of burning buildings. And yes, it's THAT good.

Why ? Well because it's 86% Nomex, which isn't a word used by immigration authorities along the Texas border but a flame resistant material developed by DuPont in the 60's and long used by fire fighters the world over. But there's more !

The other 14% isn't just some pathetic old cotton or nylon. Hell no. It's Kevlar.

KEVLAR ??? Yes the stuff used to make body armour !

So now when I'm out and about wearing my 'Ove' glove and I happen to come across an armed bank robbery, I can walk into the building without fear as with my gloved hand to protect me, I can stop a speeding bullet like that dude who always wore his underpants on the outside. Weird guy.

What bloody useful gloves and I think they should be provided to every household for free.

And look, it can even be used on either hand !! God, they've thought of everything. I even like the heightened strips which as well as giving extra grip to stop those slippery bullets or get a hot sausage out of the frying pan, are in my favourite colour....blue.

Actually come to think of it, the expression "out of the frying pan and into the fire" was made for this glove !

The second kitchen gift I brought back was handmade by a friend in sunny Buttonwood Bay and something I've used and loved for a few years. Not this particular one of course as it's brand new. I don't know if the name, the scrubby, was thought up by her or if she's just copied the idea from someone else but that's irrelevant.

It's simply a length of material knitted into a sort of ball that you use for scrubbing pots and pans and anything that has bits of baked on food on the surface. It's a scourer but one that doesn't scratch as the material is JUST harsh enough to remove food bits but not harsh enough to even put a mark on the most delicate of surfaces.

I'm sure there are products on the market like it but for me, nothing beats this handmade "scrubby" and it's become my dish cleaning aid of choice.

The reason for the fork in the photo above ? Just for scale.

Anyway I'm off to have shower and I may well wear my 'Ove' Glove as I like the water pretty hot and the soap does get very slippery. And remember, it's good for gripping things !!

But I'll forgo using the scrubby as, with my delicate skin that is mostly free from baked on food bits, I still prefer my sponge.