The relationship of a cook with his/her set of ingredients is certainly a close one because creating meals takes so much more than skills, it involves choosing the ingredients carefully as well as cooking with love to come up with truly tasty meals. Additionally, there’s also the relationship with a set of tools; think about it, even famous chefs like Curtis Stone and Pete Evans have their own favourite kitchen tools!
Needless to say, the list of essentials differs from person to person and it basically comes down to the meals they cook as well as their personalities, whether they’re into minimalism or don’t mind keeping up the pace with each and every utensil that appears on the market. Having this in mind, not every piece is the same as in not all of them are as multi-purpose as the kitchen tongs!
Why is that?
At first glance they may appear as quite simple, used for serving various dishes, from salads and pasta to different meals with meat, however other than this practical use there’s also the aesthetic one, especially if you purchase eye-catching tongs made of quality materials such as nickel and ceramics, with a special handmade touch and in finishes like silver and brass that could make them steal the show during festivities and special occasions.
It’s important to choose such materials not only because they’re durable but also for their non-stick properties, which make for easy maintenance too. Moreover, it’s equally crucial to pick out a design that easily fits in your hands, and doesn’t make it difficult to use them, so look for something ergonomic.
Who needs a spatula when you’ve got the impressive skills of tossing and serving meals with tongs? You might end up treating guests with a show when handling the tongs while also treating their palate to exquisite dishes.
So, what are the multi-uses?
As mentioned, serving salads, pasta and meat dishes is what kitchen tongs are mainly used for but that doesn’t mean you won’t find various other ways to use and reuse them, starting from relying on them to make mouthwatering BBQ and prove how great of a host you are when entertaining outdoors.
Mind you, all this without even spilling out any of the essential juices of the freshly grilled meat, the way you lose it when using a fork. This is also why they’re perfect when trying to carve a piece of meat without spilling the juice along the way puncturing it as you would with forks. Furthermore, you might even find them great for greasing the hot grill or to pan fry foods too.
Need to grab something from the oven but are afraid of burning yourself and you don’t have a glove at reach? Don’t worry, just use the tongs! The same goes for trying to pull out something you’ve just boiled, be it potatoes, other vegetables, or even eggs. Moving on, tongs can be of help when trying to reach out for something light on top shelves as well.
Oh, don’t even get me talking about reaching for items that have accidentally found themselves between counters! Need to pack light for a camping adventure? Instead of packing all the knick knacks from the kitchen, take the kitchen tongs, knowing they’re ideal doubling as bottle openers along with serving as hand juicers placing the fruit between them and twisting them.
In addition, you can find their essence in taking the breakfast toast straight from the toaster without burning yourself first thing in the morning. I’m sure you’d agree spending money on such handy tools means it’s well spent!
Things to Know When Purchasing
Since you’d come across a wide array of options, instead of just going for whatever you find most fancy, it’s important to first consider what you’re going to use the tongs for. Given that there are different sizes (6-12 inches usually), it’s good to have in mind the size you’d find most useful and pay attention to this aspect primarily, knowing there are big, small, and the extra long.
You’d think this narrows down your choices, however, it’s far from the truth because there are also those types specialised for boiled eggs, flat-surface tongs, forked ones, canning ones, and of course there’s the versatility in the materials, colours and finishes. Apart from the metals, you can stumble upon options like bamboo typically found in Japanese restaurants.
The materials are especially important when you’re choosing tongs that are going to be used with non-stick cookware in which case it’s best to buy designs that won’t scratch the surface, like the tongs with silicone tips. Then, there’s also a difference in the form of the tips too, from the particularly thick ones to the notably thin, and the choice comes down to how delicate of ingredients and dishes you need them for.