Casabella Silicone Pot Holder/Trivet

Short version: These are soft, flexible, yet because of their design they don't get too hot like many silicon hot pads and also can curl around small objects easily. Longer Version: Soft: The silicone is a soft silicone so it easily conforms and molds to surfaces or shapes even when used in cold environments (-25F). Surface friction: The silicon used is not a high-friction silicone, but neither is it the slippery silicone you see in cheap hot pads. I can easily grip and hold onto any items I desire but with a minor effort I can still allow pots or handles to slip along them if I need to adjust my grip or similar. Design: Both sides are covered with criss-crossed silicone ridges. These ridges are rather high (1/8" or 3.2mm roughly) and serve several purposes.The first is that they reduce surface contact with whatever you are applying them to thereby limiting the speed at which hot/cold transfer out of your object and also into your hand. The second is that they handily catch small drips or crumbs should such things occur (they do or you're inhuman in a kitchen). The third being they offer an ability to grab onto textured surfaces that would normally prevent other hot pads from grabbing onto items in regular use. Personally: I can be a persnickety person, I almost exclusively prefer function over form in my kitchen implements and I spent time looking through all the hot pads on amazon. (Yes, all of them.) I bought four of these after deciding they were likely to be the best for quality and design thinking that would be all I would want as I already have several other silicone hot pads having been gifted them by others. Quite frankly, I'm taking my others to goodwill and buying more of these. They're that much better than anything I've ever used. (60+ kitchens, 30 years of cooking/baking)