Tongs, turners and the difference between gripping and lifting
Tongs and turners look like interchangeable ways of moving food and are not. One works by gripping from the sides, the other by supporting from underneath, and each fails badly at the other job. Knowing which is which — and what to look for in each — makes cooking noticeably less irritating.
Tongs grip; use them on anything that holds together
Tongs are ideal for anything with structure: cuts of meat, whole vegetables, pasta, anything being turned in hot oil where you want your hand well away.
They are poor with anything delicate or that flakes, because grip pressure is applied to a small area and will crush or break it.
Turners lift; use them on anything fragile
A turner supports food from underneath across a wide area, which is what fish, eggs and anything that has just formed a crust need.
A thin, slightly flexible front edge is what lets it get under food cleanly. A thick, stiff edge pushes the food along instead of sliding beneath it.
The locking mechanism matters more than the price
Tongs that will not stay closed take up a drawer of space and spring open unexpectedly. A pull-ring or slide lock that actually holds is the difference between useful and infuriating.
Test the lock, and check it can be operated one-handed. Both-hands-required locks defeat the purpose.
Silicone tips protect pans; steel tips grip better
Silicone-tipped tongs will not scratch a coated pan and handle high heat well. Bare steel tips grip more securely, especially on something heavy or slippery.
For most home kitchens with coated pans, silicone tips are the right default, and their grip is entirely adequate.
Length should match the heat
Short tongs are precise and put your hand close to the pan. Long tongs keep you away from spitting oil and are what you want for frying or a grill.
Owning two lengths is more useful than owning two identical pairs, and it is a small extra cost.
Flex is a feature, not a defect
A turner with a little flex conforms to the pan surface and slides under food. A completely rigid one skips over the top of it.
Too much flex, though, and it folds under a heavy item — which is the argument for a silicone head over a steel core rather than silicone alone.
On this shelf
The tongs and turners here are mostly silicone-tipped over steel, which gives pan safety with enough rigidity to lift properly. On our own shelf that range currently runs from $16.99 for the SOUTHREEY 33-Piece Silicone & Wood Cooking Utensil Set with Holder, Light Khaki up to $16.99 for the SOUTHREEY 33-Piece Silicone & Wood Cooking Utensil Set with Holder, Light Khaki.
The list below comes out of Utensil Sets, presently 1 product. The prices here are the ones you will pay, with no late additions at the payment step.
Related reading
Two other pieces on this site cover ground next to this one. All three are safe on nonstick, and they behave completely differently around heat and water. And on a related note, gluey mash is a starch problem caused by over-working, and the tool you use largely determines whether it happens.
- Silicone, nylon or wood: which utensil for which pan
- Getting mashed potatoes smooth without turning them to glue
Mistakes that lead to dropped food
Using tongs on something delicate is the main one. Grip force is concentrated on two small contact points, so fish, eggs and anything with a crust break rather than lift.
The other is approaching food with a turner at too steep an angle, so the edge pushes rather than slides underneath. A shallow angle, and a moment of patience while the crust releases from the pan, does the job cleanly.
Storage and drawer space
Tongs are the worst offender in a utensil drawer because they spring open and jam it. That is the entire reason locking mechanisms exist, and a pair whose lock has failed becomes genuinely annoying.
Hanging tongs by the ring rather than laying them in a drawer sidesteps the problem completely, and it keeps the tips off surfaces they have been resting on.
Length, balance and where the pivot sits
Tongs pivot at one end, so the further from the pivot you grip, the less force reaches the tips. Long tongs held near the ring feel weak, which is why people grip them halfway down and lose the length advantage.
A pair that balances comfortably in the hand at the point where you naturally hold it is doing the job properly. It is worth picking a pair up before deciding, because the specification never conveys this.
Choosing a pair of each
A pair of locking silicone-tipped tongs in a length that keeps your hand clear of the heat, and a turner with a thin flexible front edge over a firm core. Those two cover nearly everything, and neither will damage a coated pan.
Orders are packed in Los Angeles, CA. Shipping is $4.95 and free over $39; unused items may be returned within 30 days. [email protected] is the fastest way to reach us.