system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is it that if we wet our fingers before putting out a candle, we don't get burned, but if we grab a hot pan out of the oven with a wet oven mitt, we get burned?
gpt
A thin layer of water can *very* briefly protect you from hot temperatures by absorbing the energy and evaporating before the heat transfer reaches your skin.  For an object with very little residual heat like a candle wick, this is sufficient.

A much more massive metal pan has vastly more heat to give, and the large volume of water only serves to conduct it to your hands more efficiently.