Le Creuset Silicone Cool Tool Handle Sleeve, Black Onyxgood

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... Read more

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.

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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