Customer Reviews

Le Creuset Silicone Cool Tool Handle Sleeve, Cherry

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

An absolute necessity for cast iron cooking. Works great with the Le Creuset, of course, but is also fantastic with Lodge pans (I have 8, 10 & 12"). I've found that it is actually a little tighter on my Le Creuset handles than Lodge. To me, the most practical aspect of a silicone handle sleeve is the fact that I can leave it on without worry while scrubbing the warm pan. I have a Lodge cloth holder, but with that I have to be much more careful to avoid getting it wet. Not that water hurts the cloth holder, but water does 2 things to the cloth - it takes a while to dry, but most importantly it loses all of its insulating capacity. Neither is an issue at all with silicone, and unlike cloth, cleaning this little item is as simple as tossing it into the dishwater (or dishwasher), much easier than having to wash a cloth holder in the laundry. So to me, the silicone has major advantages over the cloth holder; I have two of these. I will note, however, that while on the stove the handle, as another reviewer said, does get pretty warm. It absolutely protects you from accidental burns, and I can certainly move the pan, but I find it a bit uncomfortable (hot) to actually fully pick up a food-filled pan and move it without using an additional pot holder. Someone else said something about leaving it on the pan in the oven. It makes absolutely NO sense to leave it on! If you put any object, silicone or not, into a 400 degree oven, it's going to warm up to 400 degrees!!! Put the pan in the oven, take off the handle sleeve, then when you go back to take it out, slip the (cool) handle sleeve back on. Now it will work as intended - as an INSULATOR! Four stars because of the need for an extra holder after the pan's been on the stove a while, and it's just a bit tight. Otherwise, perfect. Happy cooking!

This is a must have for on-the-stove Le Creuset cast iron pans. It fits perfectly and works most of the time. However, it can get too hot to handle at times. Still, it's much better than accidentally grabbing a bare handle and burning yourself. I had to knock 1 star off because where mine meets the edge of the cooking area, it turned white and started tearing.

Maybe the heat that escapes the sides of the pan is doing this. I have a gas viking range with tons of BTU output. But it still seems like it should have held up better.

That said, the fit and function is such that I will be buying replacements as needed.

If this review helps you please vote.

Pros
- Rarely need oven mitts
- Easy to clean (dishwasher etc)

Cons
- Still melts a little (please see note below)
- Still gets a little hot when using very high temps (searing steaks etc)


Please Note:
I use this on a Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron 8-Inch Skillet and a Lodge Logic 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet

I purchased these to use with my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. They fit over the handle easy. Not an overly tight fit, they slide on and off easily. You can still feel the heat through the silicone, but it is not over whelming and you can still pick up the skillet. Much better than accidently touching a cast iron pan with nothing covering the handle. Good product, I am not aware of better products out there, I would recommend this to someone using cast iron, as it helps you from accidently burning yourself and makes the pans more manageable.

I think the rising peripheral heat from a gas stove top is too much for this handle cover. Mine is splitting in half after only a couple of weeks of use. I like the added safety of using the handle, but it's too expensive to replace every couple of weeks.

We have Lodge cast iron pans of different sizes, and having to move them around when they were recently used always required grabbing a pot holder or oven mitt as they were too hot to touch.

I got this to cover the handle and make it more friendly to deal with. We just leave it on the pan handle at all times, and it is not not showing any wear or melting from this (note, we have an electric stove, not gas, so that might make a difference).

It is a little long for the handle on the smaller pan (about and inch), but with the grips inside, it's not really a problem.

Recommended.

I was using it with my small wrought iron skillet and it was only on medium heat. When I put the sleeve on the handle I guess the sleeve touched a part of the pan and it partially melted. I thought it would be able to tollerate medium heat. It has an ugly burn mark now but is still functional.

This is a must have when cooking with pots that go from the oven to the stove-top. I purchased this after a friend burned his hand badly after grasping a hot pot handle that had been out of the oven long enough to forget that it was still very hot. Good design, fit and grip.

I use this on a Emeril Lagasse series cast iron skillet. It fits tightly enough to stay on the handle, but not so tight that it is impossible to slide on and off. It is not a complete insulator. It can get warm enough to be uncomfortable to someone that isn't used to handling hot cookware. However, it is a preferable alternative to a burn.

The color is nice, the design is cute. You still will need to wrap the handle because it will conduct heat. The intended purpose will not be served with this sleeve alone.