Tongs for cooking

For basic culinary activities, use food tongs as follows: These are also known as utility tongs, since they may be used for almost any task in the kitchen. These are available in small 9-inch lengths or as long as your arm to keep you away from the heat of a simmering soup pot, deep frying pan, or stir-frying wok.

These tongs often feature claw-like grips on the ends. These can hold almost anything as long as you apply enough pressure to the handles to keep the meal in place. These long tongs, often known as grill tongs, are very handy while grilling.

You may use these tongs alone or in conjunction with another set to securely hold and pull larger items from the roasting pan, such as a complete slab of pork loin or a family-sized entire chicken.

Some tongs also have a variety of characteristics. Some will include locking mechanisms that prevent the tongs from being completely open while not in use, saving storage space. Because some tongs have silicone-coated claws, heat is not instantly transferred through the tongs and up to your hand. Some will also include silicone or heat-resistant handles, making it simple to dip these tongs in boiling liquids without risking burning your hands.

Tongs may have one or more of these characteristics, but one thing is certain: the basic kitchen tongs are the workhorse of the tong kitchen tool family.

For grabbing slick foods, particularly noodles: Tongs for Pasta

These unusual tongs, also known as spaghetti tongs, have multiple grips on the end, giving them another name: comb tongs. These are designed like a spaghetti spoon and are used to scoop spaghetti noodles from boiling hot water. This is the instrument used to transfer spaghetti onto plates.

To pick up delicate food: Tongs for scissors

Tongs require a strong hand grip; thus, these scissor-like tongs are useful for taking up food that regular kitchen tongs cannot grab securely. These, like scissors, give your hands a tighter and more familiar grasp. The flat handles are what distinguish these tongs. The flat grips are ideal for picking up delicate foods like lettuce leaves and herb bunches. It's also perfect for foods like asparagus spears and corn cobs that you don't want to penetrate with the claws of your kitchen tongs.

For serving meals at the table: Serving utensils

Even when you're at the table, a spoon or fork isn't always the best tool. Use these for any dish that you just cannot pick up with either serving utensil. Serving tongs are available in a range of forms, sizes, and features. Some feature flat spatulas instead of claws, commonly known as flat grip tongs or pastry tongs, to facilitate picking up flat foods like sandwiches and cake slices.

Others may feature slotted spoon-like heads to make it easier to pick up soaked food and enable it to drain before plating. These slotted spoon tongs are occasionally used in frying to drain oil from the meal being lifted up.

For ice and tiny food items: Ice picks

Do you happen to have an ice bucket? If you do, this will be quite valuable! These are ice tongs, and the best part about them is that they have little handles. The broad and jagged claws are ideal for holding slick ice, allowing you to place them carefully into your glass. These are also known as bar tongs and are used to pick up citrus slices and other garnishes for your drinks.

These are also useful for catching little pieces of food that would otherwise be too large for the larger kitchen tongs.

Salad tongs are similar to kitchen tongs, except they are generally made of plastic or bamboo since metal causes the leaves to wilt. To efficiently move greens from one dish to another, these identical tongs will typically feature a spoon on one side and a fork on the other.

You only need to start using them in the kitchen to know how useful tongs are for both the cook and the baker.