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Out of all the myriad cooking devices in my kitchen, garage, and backyard that I’ve accumulated over the years — from nearly 15-year-old wedding gifts that covered the basics to more recent contraptions like the smoker, air fryer, spiralizer, pellet-fired pizza oven, sous vide wand, yakitori grill, and griddle for my gas barbecue — my go-to for almost every meal I cook is a cheap pair of medium-sized metal tongs, origin unknown. They’re light, easy to use, and work for boiling pasta, tending a raging-hot grill, tossing salads, handling extremely spicy peppers, scalding jars for canning, and everything in between.
I’ve even asked for new pairs of tongs in recent years, presuming that the technology progressed. It certainly has, but the seemingly ubiquitous automatic locking mechanisms can be a pain to deal with — especially in high-heat, must-grab-that-now situations — and the lengthier ones remove a bit of control that’s required for the light touch needed on more delicate foods.
