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High-quality tongs that are comfortable to use make just about every meal easier to prepare. My first pair of kitchen tongs was the stuff of nightmares: The hinge would stick shut, food would refuse to be lifted, and they became wobbly after a few months until eventually the hinge completely broke apart while I was in the middle of cooking dinner. Good tongs should be durable and easy to use, of course, and the best tongs, according to chef Jamie Kline of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, are “like a natural extension of your hand, better than most kitchen utensils for various tasks like tossing pasta and turning large cuts of meats on a grill.”
There is a great variety in lengths and styles of tongs. Besides multipurpose cooking and serving tongs, there are tongs for specific tasks (like serving salad) or specific ingredients (like ice and sugar). The best tongs for you depend on the kind of cooking you’re doing. I spoke to chefs, food writers, and other culinary experts to find out what they look for in tongs and which are their favorites. Kline says to check if the tension on the tongs is loose or tight: Opening and closing them a couple times should tell you, and stronger tension spring gives you more control during use. “You want to stay away from low-grade, thinner stainless steel and plastic because they can melt,” says chef Laura Calderone. “And make sure the head of the tongs when closed has a solid grip. If only the tip touches, it will be harder to grip heavier food items.” Chef Sam Gorenstein told me to make sure the tip aligns perfectly: “This is crucial for successfully grabbing smaller, more delicate food items without causing any damage.” Kathy Gold, owner of the Kitchen Cooking School and president of Les Dames d’Escoffier, always checks for full contact along the edges. “Delicate food is less likely to tear if you can use the side edges to move or lift food.”
I tested over a dozen pairs myself, looking for tongs that are built well from sturdy materials, and with a spring that stays strong while flipping, tossing, and lifting everything from chicken breasts to fish to salad to find the best options for a variety of tasks. Some tongs come with features like silicone tips to prevent scratching nonstick pans or rubber-coated handles to keep them cool while cooking. If you’re shopping for other cooking tools, we also have guides to the best spatulas and the best kitchen utensil sets.
What we’re looking for
Length
“Longer tongs, ranging from 16 to 18 inches, are suitable for grilling,” says chef Ashley Keyes, “while shorter ones, around six inches, work well for tasks like salad preparation and arranging charcuterie platters.” She prefers nine-inch tongs for everyday tasks, while I find 12-inch tongs the most versatile.
Locking
Many tongs have a locking mechanism. This helps keep the tongs closed between uses so they’re easier to store in a drawer.
Best tongs overall
Length: 12” | Locking: Yes
Of the tongs I tried, these fit the most comfortably in my hand and didn’t slip around, even when I was cooking greasy food. They’re well made and comfortable to use, and many chefs I spoke to agree. They come in a few different lengths: shorter tongs for precision tasks, and longer tongs for grabbing food off the grill or out of the oven. I find the 12-inch tongs the most versatile option and reach for them most often.
“I have had mine for years,” says Jason Goldstein, founder of ChopHappy. “They are incredibly durable, dishwasher-safe, and can be used for so many different tasks.” The rubber handles stay cool during cooking (stainless without rubber can get hot, making your tongs hard to hold) and help you keep a stronger grip on your tongs without slipping. Chef Tolu Eros also loves those stay-cool handles: “The spring is not too stiff, either, it is just right.” He adds that “the stainless top is good for spaghetti. Its scalloped edges allow it to hold on to things better.”
Chef Cristina Topham is smitten with a design feature that is easy to overlook: “That little tab at the top that you pull to keep them closed, as opposed to other brands that have a loop over the top, which seems to always get in the way when you’re cooking.”
Best (less-expensive) tongs overall
Length: 9”, 12”, 16” | Locking: Yes
Plain old stainless-steel tongs have long been a staple in my kitchen as well as in commercial kitchens. They do what they’re meant to do, and do it well. Every chef I spoke with insisted that stainless steel is the best choice of materials. These 12-inch tongs are the best pick for versatility, but you can also use the shorter tongs for smaller jobs and the 16-inch-long version for grilling.
Gold relies on these in her kitchen and has for decades: “They don’t lock by accident when you’re using them; they have a solid heft but are not too heavy; and they’ve lasted for over two decades of constant use and misuse in a cooking school.” They’re also easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher. And Gold uses them to reach items on high shelves, a tip any of my fellow short folks will also appreciate.
Best for nonstick cookware
Length: 9”, 12” | Locking: Yes
I was a longtime skeptic of silicone-tipped tongs, worrying they’d melt or crack into my food over time, but these tongs have made me a convert. They have a silicone coating on their tips and handle. In my tests, I found that they held food firmly, while some other silicone-tipped tongs were less secure or were damaged by high heat. The silicone coating also keeps the metal tips from scratching nonstick cookware. Chef Maggie Glaser loves silicone tips, which give you “a stronger, more precise grip” for everything from transferring pasta to a serving dish to transferring a roast chicken from pan to plate. Tea4Tea founder Jae Riley says quality silicone is key. You always want food-grade silicone that can withstand 600 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent melting or warping over time.
Best serving tongs
Length: 9.25” | Locking: No
We’ve all had the experience of serving food to dinner guests and having heavy tongs slip or, at best, feel unwieldy to use at the table. Most serving tongs make me feel like I’m at a 1990s hotel breakfast buffet, but this pair is sleek and functional. These are lighter weight than many cooking tongs, making them easier to handle at the table. The single-piece stainless-steel construction is also incredibly durable and dishwasher-safe.
Best design
Length: 12” | Locking: Yes
These are statement tongs. They’re stylish and functional, and their gravity-locking mechanism means you can secure them one-handed, which is useful when you’re in the middle of a flurry of cooking. Locking tongs are key if you’re storing them in a drawer; if they don’t lock, you’ll risk jamming the drawer when you try to open it, says chef Gabriel Lewis. Most locking tongs have a pull tab or other visible mechanism, while on these tongs the locking mechanism is hidden inside, giving them a sleek look.
These particular tongs are loved for more than their looks. In addition to the gravity-locking mechanism, food writer Khushbu Shah appreciates the curved tips, which grip even heavy and slippery food well. “Flat tips can look nice but don’t offer much functionality,” she says.
Best grill tongs
Length: 16” | Locking: No
I always associated grilling tongs with the ones my dad had: wooden handles and giant dinosaur-teeth business ends that would tear your meat to bits if you weren’t careful. These tongs are different — long enough to keep your hands out of the heat, sturdy enough to get a firm grip, but not so aggressive that they’ll damage your food in the process. Your regular, shorter kitchen tongs may not hold up on the grill. Every chef I spoke to recommended 16-inch tongs made out of durable stainless steel for grilling to keep your hands away from the heat and the tongs from melting. For Brandi Key, the culinary director for Dish Society and Daily Gather, these 16-inch Vollrath tongs are a staple in her kitchen: “I really like the simplicity and price of the Vollrath brand,” she says. This pair is also particularly easy to clean.
Best wooden tongs
Length: 7” | Locking: No
My past experience with wooden tongs was the opposite of my grilling tongs experience: Nearly every pair of wooden tongs I’ve tried couldn’t even grip a couple leaves of lettuce, let alone a tomato. But these are different: Their hinging action allows them to close more securely than others I’ve tried. Plus, like silicone tongs, wooden tongs won’t scratch pans and dishes. “They are my go-to everyday kitchen tongs,” says chef Art Smith, who relies on them for cooking and serving. Like all wooden utensils, they’re not dishwasher-safe. But they’re great for delicate tasks and very aesthetically pleasing.
A unique advantage to wood over metal: These tongs are ideal for pulling toast out of the toaster without risking an electric shock.
Best tweezer tongs
Length: 8.75”, 12” | Locking: No
Not all tweezer tongs are created equal: These are the best I’ve tried, with ridges on the inside tips and on the outside grip to keep your food and the tongs firmly in place. “Tweezer tongs seem like a ‘chef’ move,” says Key, “but the compact size and simple design are great for home cooking, and something I reach for more times than not for cooking, and less so for plating, like you see chefs do all the time.” These 12-inch-long tweezers strike a balance between keeping my hands away from heat while giving me precise control. Calderone relies on this pair and says it’s perfect for grabbing smaller items like a scallop or delicate foods like pasta. These tongs are also easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher, and small enough to store in a drawer or next to the stove for when you need to flip food in a hurry.
Our experts
• Laura Calderone, chef-owner of Relish Catering
• Tolu Eros, chef and owner of ILÉ
• Maggie Glaser, private chef and owner of Sky High Chef
• Kathy Gold, chef and president of Les Dames d’Escoffier International and owner of the Kitchen Cooking School
• Jason Goldstein, chef and founder of Chop Happy
• Sam Gorenstein, executive chef at Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen
• Brandi Key, culinary director at Dish Society and Daily Gather
• Ashley Keyes, chef and CEO of Keyes in the Kitchen
• Jamie Kline, corporate chef at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants
• Gabriel Lewis, chef and cookbook author
• Jae Riley, founder of Tea4Tea pop-up
• Khushbu Shah, food writer and cookbook author
• Art Smith, executive chef and co-owner of six restaurants and two nonprofits
• Cristina Topham, chef and owner of Spread Kitchen
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