7 Smart Ways to Use Exam Gloves in the Kitchen
Sneak Preview: Exam gloves are an indispensable tool for mess-free, hassle-free cooking. Whether you’re handling raw meat, peeling beets, or kneading sticky dough, these gloves make the job easier and cleaner. Here are seven creative ways to use exam gloves in your kitchen.
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Exam gloves are right up there with hot pads and paper towels in my kitchen essentials list. These disposable gloves make messy or challenging tasks simple, clean, and more enjoyable. Plus, they’re inexpensive and easy to find.
Happy Cooks Speak Up
“I have arthritis in my hands and handling cold hamburger meat really makes my hands ache. So when I am making out hamburger patties, or mixing & shaping a meatloaf, I pu on a pair of the “dr. gloves”. They keep my hands from getting cold & achy, & make for really easy clean-up.”–SHERRI
1. Open Stubborn Lids
Gloves improve your grip on tight jar lids, making them easier to open. Especially handy as we age and hand strength diminishes!
2. Prevent Burned Fingers
Gloves provide insulation for tasks like handling hot meat, turning out muffins, or peeling freshly cooked potatoes. While not a replacement for oven mitts, they’re great for quick, precise tasks.
The corn on the cob you see below was cooked in the microwave per the instructions seen here, so that cob is HOT! You could use hot pads to hang on to the shucks, but they are awkward. Exam gloves make the job easy.
The little tart shells in the picture have just come out of the oven and without gloves, they would be difficult to handle.
3. Shield Pastries or Candy From Body Heat
When working with pastries that tend to be difficult as they get warm, put on gloves to protect the food. Perfect for rolling cookie dough into balls, making candy, pie crust, or making ice cream balls.
4. Protect Hands from Odors
Avoid lingering smells from garlic, onions, or fish by wearing gloves. Simply toss them when you’re done for fresh, clean hands.
5. Provide a Barrier Against Natural Toxins
Handle hot peppers without risking burns or irritation by using gloves. A must when chopping jalapeños or other spicy peppers. You need them for these Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno and Cream Cheese Chicken Bites.
6. Avoid Staining Fingers
Tasks like peeling beets, squeezing citrus, or polishing silver can stain your fingers. Gloves keep your hands clean and stain-free.
7. Good for Sticky, Slimy, or Gooey Tasks
From mixing meatloaf to stuffing pasta shells, gloves make sticky tasks less messy and more tolerable. Hands-on tasks have never been easier!
FAQ About Exam Gloves for Cooking Uses
I prefer exam gloves over food-handler gloves (the clear, one-size-fits-all kind you see in restaurants and schools). They fit more snugly and allow better tactile manipulation.
Look for food-safe, powder-free gloves made of nitrile or latex.
Exam gloves are available at Costco, Amazon (paid link), or any local pharmacy. Be sure to check the packaging for food-safe labeling.
📌Bonus Tip:
Kids love playing with gloves! My grandson insists on wearing them every time he visits. For extra fun, fill gloves with water, freeze them, and use them as creepy decorations for Halloween punch.
More Ideas from Readers
“So glad you confirmed that I’m not a crazy person like my family thinks…they make fun of my gloves but I’m the one who doesn’t have raw meat, bits of dough or rotisserie chicken under my fingernails! Another fun use at Halloween…fill with water, add red food coloring (or whatever color matches your decor), close it up and freeze it. Create a Halloween punch, remove the glove from the frozen “hand” and let it float in the punch bowl..creepy!”–DENISE
“I like the gloves’ protection when I’m skinning tomatoes for canning. They really do protect somewhat from the heat of the water the tomatoes are sitting in and when using them for other foods in the kitchen, I also wash my “hands”, gloves and all with soap and water.”–GEORGIE
“Your picture of Kent with the gloves reminded me of a cute trick my grandkids really liked when they were pre-school age. I had a macaroni box with the cellophane window in half of the box. When I had used about 2/3 of the contents, I discovered that when I turned the box upside down, the remaining macaroni “disappeared” in that little window. I called it the “magic box”, and they loved to get in the drawer pull it out. (Of course I did have to tape the box shut.) That macaroni was about 2 years old when I finally threw it away.” SIS
Final Thoughts
Exam gloves are an inexpensive yet invaluable tool for tackling messy, smelly, or tricky kitchen tasks. Try them out, and you might wonder how you ever cooked without them.
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Have a creative use for exam gloves? Share your tips in the comments below!
Questions? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon!
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.