Pictured above, right. Photo: Crystal Cook

As much as I love working with cast iron skillets, their handles can become difficult to...well, handle as they heat up while cooking. Wearing an oven mitt will do the trick, but it's cumbersome. A better solution is a little "handle mitt" like the one Lodge makes. Just slip it onto the skillet handle and boom, you can now comfortably cook with cast iron without fear of burns. It even has a scorch-proof coating to protect itself against steam burns.

Comes in black, resists temperatures up to 450°F. $8 on Amazon.