Tongs

Tongs are a hinged pair of arms that you squeeze together to grab food. Kitchen tongs work like an extension of your fingers: they turn steaks and sausages, toss pasta, lift corn out of boiling water, pull trays out of the oven and serve salad. Unlike a fork, they do not pierce the meat, so no juice is lost through holes.

How to use it

• Hold them near the hinge end for more control, and toward the middle for more reach.
• To turn meat while you sear it, grip it gently from the side and roll it over. Do not squeeze hard, which can tear the crust.
• To toss pasta in sauce, lift and turn it in the pan from the bottom.
• Use the tips to rearrange food on a hot grill and to move charcoal or vegetables.
• To lift something heavy, such as a whole chicken, use tongs at one end and a spatula underneath.

Types:

• Locking stainless steel tongs, 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in). The all-purpose choice. The lock keeps them closed in a drawer.
• Silicone or nylon-tipped tongs. Safe for nonstick pans. Not for very high heat on a grill.
• Long grill tongs, 40 cm (16 in) or more. Keep your hands away from the heat.
• Small serving tongs. For salads and pastries at the table.

Substitutes

A fish spatula is better for delicate fish and eggs. A pair of chopsticks turns food in a wok or a pan of hot oil, as in many Asian kitchens.

Common mistakes

• Using the same tongs for raw and cooked meat. Raw juices on the tips can spread bacteria to cooked food. This is a common source of cross-contamination. Wash them or use a second pair.
• Using metal tongs on nonstick pans. They scratch the coating.
• Choosing tongs with a weak spring or thin arms. They twist and drop heavy food.
• Pressing burgers down with the tongs. Juice runs out and they dry.
• Leaving them resting in the pan or on the grill. They get too hot to hold.

In recipes

"Using tongs, turn the chicken" means turn it without piercing it, usually to keep the skin and crust intact.