Ovens and stoves will cause a serious burn if the skin comes in contact with the hot metal surfaces, for instance, the oven rack s front edge. Devices to protect the hands, such as oven gloves, have been developed, but need to be used consistently, to be effective, so people still get burned.
Recently, a device has been invented by Burt Shulman of Wappingers Falls, NY, called the Cool Touch Oven Rack Guard, which is a fabric strip that attaches along the front edge of the oven rack and stays in the oven. If a person touches it, even at 500 deg. F., they will not be burned.
The fabric is made from a modern synthetic fiber called Nomex which can withstand 500 deg. F. temperatures and has both low thermal conductivity and thermal mass. These material properties reduce the heat transferred to the skin, during the touch , so no burn results.