As a tourist guide in Vietnam, a chopstick using country, i’ve had countless tourists ask me why we use chopsticks instead of spatulas, forks, tongs and whatnot. Well…. our chopsticks might not be the best tool for many jobs but they are good for a lot of things.
What silly about the question is that they asked it because they saw people doing things that they would do with spatulas, for, and tongs. And since they see people doing those things, they had the answer before they asked the question.
I watched a video on TH-cam explaining the origin of chopsticks. It’s mostly due to economical reasons, back then metal is very rare and expensive while wood and bamboo are abundant. Chopping food in smaller pieces cooks faster and saves fuel, and you don’t need a knife on a dinning table. I eat potato chips with chopsticks, keep my hands clean.
Cooking chopsticks can pretty much do everything tweezers can without looking like a snob, and they don't scratch nonstick pans. And there really isn't anything too large or small to flip with chopsticks. I have flipped an entire rack of ribs with chopsticks on a grill. The downside is that you have to build up dexterity to do that. If you don't have that yet, you can just use the 'rubberband trick' to turn them into tweezers.
I have a slew of chopsticks that I use in the kitchen. These aren't the same although I do agree that between them there is a lot of cross-over. Chopsticks are straight and leverage to a point. These curve inward and have a longer parallel section and that is a big difference when picking up 20 strands of pasta vs 1.
I've had a pair of these for ages, but I originally used them when qualifying autoclaves (to get the bio indicators from the far recesses without searing myself). Now I mostly use them to rescue fallen objects from behind furniture. Perhaps I'll get a new pair specifically for the kitchen...
Such tweezers were amongst my first kitchen utensils. I studied chemistry and had to get all the personal lab equipment. The unused surplus, including the tweezers and several borosilicate beakers ended up in my kitchen and I still use them 25 years later.
You can use those tweezers for glassblowing too! I usually use a non-serrated version to avoid marking the glass, but for handling hot (but solid) glass the serrated ones are useful too.
Fascinating how similar our thoughts on this are. I would almost say I'm snobby about not being too snobby. Functionality and practicality, is what I try to focus on. And now you went and inspired me to consider buying yet another kitchen tool. I'll comfort myself with the thought that it isn't the tool that makes the snob. It's about what's done with the tool.
Love that you are using them! I have been using wooden chopsticks in my cooking for a long time now. They're great! They're flipping tools and stirring tools for both delicate and heavy duty stuff.
Been using tongs for years in my kitchen, simple fully metal ones that are pretty narrow, close to these kitchen tweezers in the video. So much better and more useful than almost anything else. I've even brought them with me a few times when I've cooked at friend's homes. It's been weirdly hard to convince people about how great of a tool they are. Really happy to see this video, it'll surely help bring this tool to more kitchens around the world 😄
This made me happy! I’ve been telling anyone who will listen how amazing those are to have in the kitchen. I even keep a pair in my knife roll for when I travel.
Bamboo (perhaps wooden) tweezers seem to be the sweet spot here. Far too many billions of people have little or no experience with the manifold advantages of chopsticks. Alex just demonstrated some of the advantages of kitchen tweezers, and he implied no judgement over other utensils, other than tweezers were preferable to him in some applications. It seems many people are (quite hilariously) taking this simple fact personally. Alex shared his discovery with us. This knowledge has led both him and me to improve our skills as cooks. We all strive to be better. Bottom line: I believe this is one of Alex's best videos, if only because he explains and demonstrates what he has learned as he endeavors to improve his cooking skills.
Yeah there's this weird knee-jerk reaction from asia fanboys (& fangirls?) like both things are as equally good and thats OK. LIke guys tone down the angst please lol.
I bought a kitchen set a few years back and got one of these made of hard plastic, maybe a little bigger than these in the video, or even the same size. I love them, they have a use all the time
Everyone’s taking about chopsticks, but after watching an about to eat video about kitchen tools I bought a set of yakitori tongs. They’re essentially tweezers, except more ergonomic and shaped in a way that when you set them down, the tips don’t touch the countertop. Highly recommended, and very cheap. (Also called yakiniku or Korean bbq tongs)
@@feedbackzaloop Good shout! Though mainly Korean ones come up when I search that. Mine are specifically Japanese yakiniku tongs, so those are the only ones I can comment on for quality.
yeah i prefer to use wood because i don't even fully trust plastic to not harden to the point of potentially dmaging the teflon over a long time of prolonged heat using them but yeah, if you don't use them all the time, what's the harm really, the teflon itself could also be a problem to begin with if that's a concern :D
You can use Silicone Caps to not ruin your Non-Stick Pans (unless you cook at a higher temp then 226ish Celcius/440 Fahrenheit) if you use Metal Tweezers. But Wooden Tweezers just work as well (can even use a rubberband to transform your chopsticks to makeshift tweezers hehe).
When you assess something as useful not because of its rep, or despite its rep, but because of actual usefulness.....that is a true chef attitude. Go forth unafraid of ignorant opinions of the uninformed....you are on a true path.
I've used kitchen tweezers for years and I am a lowly bachelor meat and potatoes cook. I keep them by the stove right next to the chopsticks. Glad to have my little quirk validaded by the admirably competent. There is no snobbery at all in using a simple tool providing precision and selectivity in food manupulation.
Might sound hipstery, but I've had tweezers from my days as a biology student and I've used them for cooking for a long time. They are not as long, but they are really practical. Didn't know they were high end kitchen tools until I saw them in a couple of videos. Made me think I had the right mind hehe
Same. I bought another pair because no matter how well they've been cleaned, I still remember where and when I've used them. If you need longer tweezers and don't want to pay for the medical/surgical grade, Korean and Japanese restaurants use extra long ones for grilling and they are not that expensive. Also the finger pads are shaped so the tongs stay off the table when you set them down. They are great when the food you are cooking is too delicate for tongs.
I'm a physicist, and I use a bit of lab equipment in my kitchen, without pretense. They're just simple, well designed tools. Long tweezers are probably the my desert-island kitchen tool from the lab.
It always amazes me how easy and often they pretty much skip when the chef is plating in pasta videos with these tweezers, that's a huge part of how to make the dish look amazing!!
I had the same revelation when I got a pair in a cookware set. They are a bit bulkier but plastic, so they're usable on non-stick pans as well. Second most used utensil in the kitchen after the knife.
For those of us who’ve grown up with chopsticks and have good dexterity with them, tweezers are like a restrictive version of the tool we always use. I can’t see myself using a pair of tweezers but they’re certainly much easier to use for people who haven’t been using chopsticks all their lives!
The benefit is picking up the tool itself in my opinion. If you’re cooking something that doesn’t require much attention like bacon, it’s nice to just be able to grab the tool quickly and use it quickly without positioning it
With larger tool, I think I prefer tweezers being prepositioned, over control. It takes more effort and focus with larger chopsticks and I find it not worth it. They also are better for mixing using "fist grab" - they are like fork then, and easier one to maintain in hold.
@@costillero2189 yes I have a pair that were given to me. I sometimes use them when barbecuing but haven’t really found them replacing chopsticks in the kitchen.
Thats also the beauty of them, they're always ready to go faster because you just gravitate to the join, they can be tossed into a washer basket without falling through and stopping the wash. but unless your doing some werid stuff they're as agile as chop sticks and I can hold in any orientation or fingers. Bandage your dominant fingers for example or burn them or what have you, I can hang tweezers on a pocket or in
I was given a pair of these early in my cooking journey, and I found them to be a valuable tool for fine manipulation where regular kitchen tongs fail to provide sufficient dexterity. Then I got a pair of long stainless-steel chopsticks. Thanks for this informative and fun video, Alex!! Salut!
the german brand rösle makes fantastic tongs/tweezers even with silicon tips. i got mine 2 months ago and im using them pretty much all the time. maybe i get metal tweezers too, because they are worse at gripping really soft delicate stuff like the egg in the video but they are so handy
To improve the kitchen hygiene aspect, I like having two pairs of tweezers in different colors. That way you can dedicate one to handling raw ingredients and one for cooked. This color-coded system is especially useful when grilling on my konro.
I'm so happy to see you got some kitchen tweasers! I think when you were looking for kitchen utensils for your hidden cabinet of commented about how great a set of them would look in there.
A similar tool that I prefer are yakiniku tongs, they're very similar in size and use to cooking tweezers but they have a little handle bit that allows them to be placed on a flat surface while keeping the tips in the air.
Oh Alex, as a professional chef saying, these tweezers will be your LIFE. You Will never use tongs again, they will feel too big and less grippy. Trust me my friend you will prefer them over a lot of stuff.
I've been watching "Pasta Grammar" and they too use the tweezers for plating pasta and was intrigued, so I used your link and bought 2!!! Great video by the way!!
XD I love that you are using your Tweezers. The big tweezers that you are using are fantastic! being a chef (lol in Denmark) I have been using them for almost 20 years now - they are not hipster gear -but very functional work tools. Every home should own a par, as they can be used in a bunch of ways other than just in the hot kitchen - ex. i have often used they to make roses out of smoked salmon - fast - very good when your making many. Just grab your slice of smoked salmon at one end, and flick the tweezers - not unlike a magic wand XD - and the salmon slice will wrap around the tweezers and Voilà a nice tight salmon rose. Also when I am making a sirup, that has to be boild to a specific temp. i flip the tweezers around and slid my themometor to the end, and can now hold it into the boiling sirup without burning my hand in the hot steam. love your videos - i was hooked when you made ommelets - fantastic dedication. best regards Christoffer
Much of the world already does use them. They're called cooking chopsticks and since the majority of those are made of wood, they don't scratch your non-stick pans. They're also much cheaper. That is why Tweezers are considered "hipster gear" and completely unnecessary in any kitchen.
@@blackkat101 i really wish people didn't think any good tool that works is snobbery. For instance unitaskers (which tweezers/chopsticks aren't) are still really worthwhile if you do that one single task frequently enough to warrant a specialized tool.
@@blackkat101 except non-East Asians don’t use chopsticks regularly and saying that they should instead of whatever comes from their own culture because the former are less “hipster” is racist.
@@Astavyastataa It also comes down to price, where you could get the brand one from this video at 12" in length for $12 on amazon, you could get a pack of 6 sets of 16.5" ones for the same price. If you don't know how to use chopsticks, you can cheat your way and put a rubberband on the back side and it works just like tweezers. Do note that the population of Asia 63% of the world and even more than just Asians use chopsticks nowadays all over the world. Myself, I'm only half Asian and have one full Asian friend, while the other dozen or so people I hang out with are all Caucasian (we live in MN, USA). There isn't a single person in said group that doesn't know how to use chopsticks though (though 2 of those people won't use chopsticks just because they don't like to and we respect that). It is believed that at least a third of the world regularly uses chopsticks (just as many people use forks and spoons). Using chopsticks is also healthy for you, since it uses about 30 joints and 50 muscles in your fingers, wrist, arm and shoulders, exercising while you eat (and cook). The cooking chopsticks, while long, can also double down and still be used as an acceptable eating utensil, unlike the specialized metal tweezers. Thus saving kitchen space and money for buying such a specialized product as said tweezers.
@@blackkat101 Bruh my people eat with our hands and we're "Asian". Stop generalizing with this noble savage esoteric woowoo. I use chopsticks and they're great, but holy shit they're not for everyone-and they don't need to be. It's fine for different cultures to do the same thing differently, even if one way is "more efficient". Also, it's great that you have such a cosmopolitan friend group and all but it doesn't make you any better than a random hick who doesn't.
For realz. My name isn’t Björn (my brothers is), I’m not from Norway (I’m from Denmark) and I have no tattoos. But. I’ve had tweezers for years and I can’t cook without them. All these examples plus flipping steaks, mixing salads, handling freshly toasted slices of bread… the list goes on - Welcome to the club!
Hilarious, I have one of those "posh" Tweezers for some time and I'm by far not as dedicated as Alex but it is very handy and I use it all the time specially for pasta.
Wooden chopsticks is the OG kitchentool when it comes to multilevel-usage. Stiring, flipping, positioning, poking, transferring, lifting and even feeling... all in one tool. After cooking, you can eat with them. Washing up is easy as well. Heatresistent because there made out of wood. And pro thing for me, I mostly use non-stick so its save. All in all, best kitchen utensil. And yes, you can snobbly place microgreens with them as well...
I like using tongs a lot, so I think I would really like these too. Chopsticks are ok, I use them a lot for eating, sometimes for cooking. But still, tongs are better, thus I think tweezers would also be better. Nothing wrong with chopsticks, but tongs and tweezers are both more sturdy, stable and you can get firmer grip easier, which is really good for cooking.
Very practical kitchen tools indeed! I have had three of them for ages, and just tonight I used one for flipping over bread on a buttered pan for a couple of toasts. The back story of mine is quite interesting, since they were used to literally dig through cow dung some 40 years ago. During that time I did field studies as a biologist at the University of Copenhagen. These were lab equipment, and I bought them in our campus lab supply shop for the purpose. I don't tell anybody, that they were actually used to go through cow dung in the search for beetles and grubs! They were very handy tools for that purpose too... We always ran them through the industrial washer in the lab when done, and I have been using them for cooking ever since I finished my studies. No fancy (and expensive) chef's brand here - just plain, cheap lab equipment. I'll bet you that the ones you buy in high end kitchen shops come from the same factory. They just get laser engraved with some smart kitchen brand name ... and are most likely kept away from cow dung 😂
These actually look really useful. I really relate to resisting purchasing tools like this. There have been many times when I would never purchase certain nail art tools until I did and I have never looked back!
About 18 months maybe 2 years ago, thinking I was buying smaller garnishing tweezers, I accidentally ended up with a 30 cm pair just like these. They have absolutely grown on me in the way you describe. I don't use them for everything, but I do use them a lot!
Wooden chopstick guide. I can pick ONE grain of rice with my chopstick skill. But ultimately, I think this tweezers also serve some purposes and lessen the amount of effort to control a chopstick. Even with my chopstick skill, I can make a twirled spaghetti plate but that will take a lot of efforts to just a simply thong or tweezers.
I have one but I hardly use it. I usually use wooden chopsticks because I have a Teflon pan. But when I move out and have my own kitchen, perhaps I'll use these much more.
Reminds me of all the times I've flipped whole chickens/roasts with a pair of chopsticks, my tongs sitting on the sidelines shaking their heads as I splash hot water/oil on myself
I initially couldn't find scallop tongs, so I bought the tweezers instead, maybe 6-7 years ago. I've just been using them as described, never even considering they could be fancy.
My mum has a pair of tongs, made of plastic, very similar to your fancy metal tweezers. The tip is wider, a bit over one centimeter. They are very good for flipping i.e. bacon, when bigger tongs are too clumsy. When I moved to my first own apartment, I bought a pair of my own. Since they're plastic, they're good for using on non-stick pans too. Next time I make spaghetti, I'll try twirling it with my beloved plastic tongs.
I cook with non coated stainless steel pans. I avoid using metal tweezers for an aesthetic reason: they would scratch the surface of the pan and I am kind of paranoid about it, even if it's safe for the health it's not safe for my mind. I use the metal tweezers just to compose the plate at the end. Before that point, I only use large silicone tongs (and in general only silicone tools).
Since my Hands are constantly shacking after a few accidents in the past (damaged my muscles and nerves irreparably) i use a pair of smaller Kitchen Tweezers as Chopstick substitutes :D They are amazing. Also always fun if i go to a Japense Restaurant and pull these babys out xD They Staff always comes to my table asking me about it. Also you can buy Sillicone caps for these to use them in Non stick pans without ruining them. I love the Tweezers.
Bonjour Alex, I use chop sticks in much the same way. They are made of wood and will not scratch my non-stick pans. I bought a pack of 100 for a smile.
These are the best tools for retrieving pickles from big jars. As someone who pickles a lot of veggies, from green beans to asparagus and so much more, these are the best thing for retrieving your work to consume it.
I broke my dominant wrist last year and still don’t have full mobility of my fingers, so I haven’t been able to cook with my chopsticks. I think I’ll give these tweezers a try!
Dear Alex, I really like your videos and have learned a lot. The tweezers do seem snobby, but you make a good point. I feel like I have to say though... You don't have to be a chef or Italian(or both) to be able to "feel" whether pasta is done. In fact, I can see that your Pasta (2:36) still needs some time.
It almost looks like this video was sponsored by Kitchen Tweezers :D Thanks for sharing your thoughts. My main pan is a teflon one, so I couldn't use these anyway. BUT, thanks to you (a long time ago) I often use normal chopsticks during cooking process!
its like learning that tongs are the best tool for most line work. like seriously, you can scoop, grab, toss, stir. but as others have said, chopsticks are also great (the longer "cooking" chopsticks for sure) Edit: Upon watching more, yeah, Alex gets it. Tongs for fast work, tweezers for control. Like holding a hammer in different ways for power versus control.
It’s exactly like chop sticks, but remove the skill requirement (if you didn’t grow up using them) and add teeth for more grip. As someone who uses chop sticks all the time, I highly recommend these if you can’t use chop sticks or are just average with them.
You do know that the Chinese have had this tool for a millenia right? It's called "chopsticks". The best tool in my kitchen by far! Probably cost a tiny fraction of those stainless steel specialty tweezers.
We're so close to realizing chop sticks are the master kitchen tool.
They even work with non-stick pans. :D
I was about to say, “So, basically like chopsticks?” I keep saying this over and over: the Asians figured sh*t out long ago
These are far superior to chop sticks.
@@isoslow sounds like a skill issue to me.
@@isoslow seems to be a skill issue
As a Chef with tattooed arms. From
Norway, this really hit home. I also hated kitchen tweezers. But yeah.. they grew on me
yeah because you are a chef with tatooed arms hipster hahaha
Björn Norwegian Guy Cooking is that you?
Chopsticks are cheaper
You missed “named Bjorn”
@@greymatters14 look at his name (btw Bjørn is the Norwegian way of spelling Björn)
Thanks Björn now I need to get some hipster kitchen tweezers.
And a fork tattoo.
There's a barbershop in Oslo that sells kitchen tweezers. You can pick some up while you're getting your head shaved.
@@-_James_- which one is that. Sounds like a fun place 😊
"I'm not a tweezers chef, what's next in store for me?"
Becoming a chopstick chef.
I was going to say, aren't those just a big pair of tweezers...
oOps, I mean ChopSticks. 👀😂
Funny thing is I've been using chopsticks to do all the things Alex mentions in this video for a while and here I thought I was being weird.
It turns out making tons and tons of pasta kind of makes you a pasta master Alex
only if you succeed. If you fail even after making tons of pasta, makes you even bigger looser.
As a tourist guide in Vietnam, a chopstick using country, i’ve had countless tourists ask me why we use chopsticks instead of spatulas, forks, tongs and whatnot. Well…. our chopsticks might not be the best tool for many jobs but they are good for a lot of things.
What silly about the question is that they asked it because they saw people doing things that they would do with spatulas, for, and tongs.
And since they see people doing those things, they had the answer before they asked the question.
I ask westerners why the hell they eat rice with a fork.
I'm German. Wife is Chinese. I now use big chopsticks cooking in the kitchen. She converted me. LOL They're super handy!!!
Eating a salad with chopsticks is far easier than with a fork.
I watched a video on TH-cam explaining the origin of chopsticks. It’s mostly due to economical reasons, back then metal is very rare and expensive while wood and bamboo are abundant. Chopping food in smaller pieces cooks faster and saves fuel, and you don’t need a knife on a dinning table.
I eat potato chips with chopsticks, keep my hands clean.
Cooking chopsticks can pretty much do everything tweezers can without looking like a snob, and they don't scratch nonstick pans. And there really isn't anything too large or small to flip with chopsticks. I have flipped an entire rack of ribs with chopsticks on a grill. The downside is that you have to build up dexterity to do that. If you don't have that yet, you can just use the 'rubberband trick' to turn them into tweezers.
Yeah. I worry about scratching my one perfect little non stick pan. I have a drawer FULL of take out bamboo chopsticks. I couldn't justify these.
I have a slew of chopsticks that I use in the kitchen. These aren't the same although I do agree that between them there is a lot of cross-over. Chopsticks are straight and leverage to a point. These curve inward and have a longer parallel section and that is a big difference when picking up 20 strands of pasta vs 1.
Chopsticks can do more, like checking the temperature of frying oil. It takes some practice but is good enough for a home kitchen
you don’t have nearly as much strength with chopsticks though + scratching a stainless steel/cast iron/carbon steel pan is not a problem
If you choose chopsticks over tweezers because you don't want to "look like a snob" then you are, in fact, a snob
Alex truly is a master storyteller. 8.5 minutes of giant tweezer-talk.I love it
true
@@william6171 I stayed for all of it.
I've had a pair of these for ages, but I originally used them when qualifying autoclaves (to get the bio indicators from the far recesses without searing myself). Now I mostly use them to rescue fallen objects from behind furniture. Perhaps I'll get a new pair specifically for the kitchen...
Get pair of tweezers laced with e coli , from ur lab
You could have a used a hemostat.
Who asked
@@hsvr
No one needs to for people to make reasoned comments.
No one asked you either but your comment was not reasoned.
@@hsvr I mean… that applies to you too lmao. Do you really need the concept of a “comment section” explained to you? 😂
Such tweezers were amongst my first kitchen utensils. I studied chemistry and had to get all the personal lab equipment. The unused surplus, including the tweezers and several borosilicate beakers ended up in my kitchen and I still use them 25 years later.
I'm not a chemist but I find out that using beakers is the cheapest way to mesure things. I have from 50ml to 600ml
@@alec0065 I mean cooking is the artistic version of chemistry.
Now I need a Bunsen burner in my kitchen. Not sure what I'm going to with it, but my biochemistry education seems to demand it.
@@StrixyN make hot chocolate in a beaker
@@StrixyN And vacuum and air ports to go with the water faucet.
You can use those tweezers for glassblowing too! I usually use a non-serrated version to avoid marking the glass, but for handling hot (but solid) glass the serrated ones are useful too.
I would, however, recommend keeping separate pairs for glass and kitchen use...
Fascinating how similar our thoughts on this are.
I would almost say I'm snobby about not being too snobby. Functionality and practicality, is what I try to focus on.
And now you went and inspired me to consider buying yet another kitchen tool.
I'll comfort myself with the thought that it isn't the tool that makes the snob. It's about what's done with the tool.
Your wanna write a book about your experience?
Love that you are using them! I have been using wooden chopsticks in my cooking for a long time now. They're great! They're flipping tools and stirring tools for both delicate and heavy duty stuff.
exactly what i was thinking! AND they won't scratch the pan
Yes! So much more versatile than those fancy pants kitchen tweezers lol
Been using tongs for years in my kitchen, simple fully metal ones that are pretty narrow, close to these kitchen tweezers in the video. So much better and more useful than almost anything else. I've even brought them with me a few times when I've cooked at friend's homes. It's been weirdly hard to convince people about how great of a tool they are. Really happy to see this video, it'll surely help bring this tool to more kitchens around the world 😄
ha, I started using chopsticks at some point and now trying to cook without them is a pain
they're so useful for basically everything.
I love how after using the tongs to place the pasta you specifically showed using your hands to place the greens
I love how he plates the pasta with the tweezers BUT still puts the greenery on top with his hands haha
This made me happy! I’ve been telling anyone who will listen how amazing those are to have in the kitchen. I even keep a pair in my knife roll for when I travel.
Bamboo (perhaps wooden) tweezers seem to be the sweet spot here. Far too many billions of people have little or no experience with the manifold advantages of chopsticks. Alex just demonstrated some of the advantages of kitchen tweezers, and he implied no judgement over other utensils, other than tweezers were preferable to him in some applications. It seems many people are (quite hilariously) taking this simple fact personally. Alex shared his discovery with us. This knowledge has led both him and me to improve our skills as cooks. We all strive to be better. Bottom line: I believe this is one of Alex's best videos, if only because he explains and demonstrates what he has learned as he endeavors to improve his cooking skills.
Yeah there's this weird knee-jerk reaction from asia fanboys (& fangirls?) like both things are as equally good and thats OK. LIke guys tone down the angst please lol.
I bought a kitchen set a few years back and got one of these made of hard plastic, maybe a little bigger than these in the video, or even the same size. I love them, they have a use all the time
Everyone’s taking about chopsticks, but after watching an about to eat video about kitchen tools I bought a set of yakitori tongs. They’re essentially tweezers, except more ergonomic and shaped in a way that when you set them down, the tips don’t touch the countertop. Highly recommended, and very cheap. (Also called yakiniku or Korean bbq tongs)
Yakitori is a Japanese word for grilled chicken, yakiniku is grilled meat respectively... Better just call them self-standing tongs
Never heard of these before, but I just looked them up and will prob be getting some now lol. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@feedbackzaloop Good shout! Though mainly Korean ones come up when I search that. Mine are specifically Japanese yakiniku tongs, so those are the only ones I can comment on for quality.
Nice info, its like 3$ here too for japanese style that have point-ish end instead of korean big round end
Just saw your video ... ordered a set for myself and one for my daughter ... seeing how well they work just opened my eyes .... thank you
I usually keep a plastic pair of tweezers in my kitchen, simply due to use them in non stick pans as well.
yeah i prefer to use wood because i don't even fully trust plastic to not harden to the point of potentially dmaging the teflon over a long time of prolonged heat using them
but yeah, if you don't use them all the time, what's the harm really, the teflon itself could also be a problem to begin with if that's a concern :D
Imagine using nonstick 😬😐💀
cooking chopsticks in nonstick works
Tho wood tweezers might be a thing.
You can use Silicone Caps to not ruin your Non-Stick Pans (unless you cook at a higher temp then 226ish Celcius/440 Fahrenheit) if you use Metal Tweezers. But Wooden Tweezers just work as well (can even use a rubberband to transform your chopsticks to makeshift tweezers hehe).
@@Y0G0FU
lol ye that works 😆
I love mine. They are worth it. Work very well and always get questions on why I use them and love them.
When you assess something as useful not because of its rep, or despite its rep, but because of actual usefulness.....that is a true chef attitude. Go forth unafraid of ignorant opinions of the uninformed....you are on a true path.
I ordered tweezers...and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!
....and I've found that when I saute scallops in browned butter, the tweezers are just the thing....
I've used kitchen tweezers for years and I am a lowly bachelor meat and potatoes cook. I keep them by the stove right next to the chopsticks. Glad to have my little quirk validaded by the admirably competent.
There is no snobbery at all in using a simple tool providing precision and selectivity in food manupulation.
chinese wok cooking sticks grew on me way more.
The original tweezers that require skill. Chinese ancestors are proud of this comment.
The fact that he still uses his hands at 3:23 is hilarious
Might sound hipstery, but I've had tweezers from my days as a biology student and I've used them for cooking for a long time. They are not as long, but they are really practical. Didn't know they were high end kitchen tools until I saw them in a couple of videos. Made me think I had the right mind hehe
Same. I bought another pair because no matter how well they've been cleaned, I still remember where and when I've used them. If you need longer tweezers and don't want to pay for the medical/surgical grade, Korean and Japanese restaurants use extra long ones for grilling and they are not that expensive. Also the finger pads are shaped so the tongs stay off the table when you set them down. They are great when the food you are cooking is too delicate for tongs.
It's dirty
my gf and i watch these videos and just smile the whole time. this channel is awesome
I'm a physicist, and I use a bit of lab equipment in my kitchen, without pretense. They're just simple, well designed tools. Long tweezers are probably the my desert-island kitchen tool from the lab.
It always amazes me how easy and often they pretty much skip when the chef is plating in pasta videos with these tweezers, that's a huge part of how to make the dish look amazing!!
been using them for over 8 years, honestly one of the best kitchen tools for home cook
I had the same revelation when I got a pair in a cookware set. They are a bit bulkier but plastic, so they're usable on non-stick pans as well. Second most used utensil in the kitchen after the knife.
For those of us who’ve grown up with chopsticks and have good dexterity with them, tweezers are like a restrictive version of the tool we always use. I can’t see myself using a pair of tweezers but they’re certainly much easier to use for people who haven’t been using chopsticks all their lives!
The benefit is picking up the tool itself in my opinion. If you’re cooking something that doesn’t require much attention like bacon, it’s nice to just be able to grab the tool quickly and use it quickly without positioning it
With larger tool, I think I prefer tweezers being prepositioned, over control. It takes more effort and focus with larger chopsticks and I find it not worth it. They also are better for mixing using "fist grab" - they are like fork then, and easier one to maintain in hold.
@@costillero2189 yes I have a pair that were given to me. I sometimes use them when barbecuing but haven’t really found them replacing chopsticks in the kitchen.
Chopsticks are great but less so for heavy foods
Thats also the beauty of them, they're always ready to go faster because you just gravitate to the join, they can be tossed into a washer basket without falling through and stopping the wash. but unless your doing some werid stuff they're as agile as chop sticks and I can hold in any orientation or fingers. Bandage your dominant fingers for example or burn them or what have you, I can hang tweezers on a pocket or in
I was given a pair of these early in my cooking journey, and I found them to be a valuable tool for fine manipulation where regular kitchen tongs fail to provide sufficient dexterity.
Then I got a pair of long stainless-steel chopsticks.
Thanks for this informative and fun video, Alex!! Salut!
the german brand rösle makes fantastic tongs/tweezers even with silicon tips. i got mine 2 months ago and im using them pretty much all the time. maybe i get metal tweezers too, because they are worse at gripping really soft delicate stuff like the egg in the video but they are so handy
Enjoy your videos! I’m all for learning with a smile… you are special. Don’t change your spots…. Thank you.
To improve the kitchen hygiene aspect, I like having two pairs of tweezers in different colors. That way you can dedicate one to handling raw ingredients and one for cooked. This color-coded system is especially useful when grilling on my konro.
I'm so happy to see you got some kitchen tweasers! I think when you were looking for kitchen utensils for your hidden cabinet of commented about how great a set of them would look in there.
This was the most exhilarating video about tweezers I've ever watched.
A similar tool that I prefer are yakiniku tongs, they're very similar in size and use to cooking tweezers but they have a little handle bit that allows them to be placed on a flat surface while keeping the tips in the air.
We used this type of tweezer in the lab for various tasks like grabbing toxic stuff or dunking eppendorf tubes(look them up) in liquid nitrogen!
Oh Alex, as a professional chef saying, these tweezers will be your LIFE. You Will never use tongs again, they will feel too big and less grippy. Trust me my friend you will prefer them over a lot of stuff.
I've got some fairly similar plastic tweezers, and they're fantastic. They don't damage non-stick, so I use them for virtually everything.
I love my kitchen tweezers - I also own a second pair with bent ends. And: They are pretty cheap if you look fur surgical instruments.
I've been watching "Pasta Grammar" and they too use the tweezers for plating pasta and was intrigued, so I used your link and bought 2!!! Great video by the way!!
XD I love that you are using your Tweezers. The big tweezers that you are using are fantastic! being a chef (lol in Denmark) I have been using them for almost 20 years now - they are not hipster gear -but very functional work tools. Every home should own a par, as they can be used in a bunch of ways other than just in the hot kitchen - ex. i have often used they to make roses out of smoked salmon - fast - very good when your making many. Just grab your slice of smoked salmon at one end, and flick the tweezers - not unlike a magic wand XD - and the salmon slice will wrap around the tweezers and Voilà a nice tight salmon rose.
Also when I am making a sirup, that has to be boild to a specific temp. i flip the tweezers around and slid my themometor to the end, and can now hold it into the boiling sirup without burning my hand in the hot steam.
love your videos - i was hooked when you made ommelets - fantastic dedication.
best regards
Christoffer
Much of the world already does use them. They're called cooking chopsticks and since the majority of those are made of wood, they don't scratch your non-stick pans.
They're also much cheaper.
That is why Tweezers are considered "hipster gear" and completely unnecessary in any kitchen.
@@blackkat101 i really wish people didn't think any good tool that works is snobbery. For instance unitaskers (which tweezers/chopsticks aren't) are still really worthwhile if you do that one single task frequently enough to warrant a specialized tool.
@@blackkat101 except non-East Asians don’t use chopsticks regularly and saying that they should instead of whatever comes from their own culture because the former are less “hipster” is racist.
@@Astavyastataa It also comes down to price, where you could get the brand one from this video at 12" in length for $12 on amazon, you could get a pack of 6 sets of 16.5" ones for the same price. If you don't know how to use chopsticks, you can cheat your way and put a rubberband on the back side and it works just like tweezers. Do note that the population of Asia 63% of the world and even more than just Asians use chopsticks nowadays all over the world. Myself, I'm only half Asian and have one full Asian friend, while the other dozen or so people I hang out with are all Caucasian (we live in MN, USA). There isn't a single person in said group that doesn't know how to use chopsticks though (though 2 of those people won't use chopsticks just because they don't like to and we respect that).
It is believed that at least a third of the world regularly uses chopsticks (just as many people use forks and spoons).
Using chopsticks is also healthy for you, since it uses about 30 joints and 50 muscles in your fingers, wrist, arm and shoulders, exercising while you eat (and cook).
The cooking chopsticks, while long, can also double down and still be used as an acceptable eating utensil, unlike the specialized metal tweezers. Thus saving kitchen space and money for buying such a specialized product as said tweezers.
@@blackkat101 Bruh my people eat with our hands and we're "Asian". Stop generalizing with this noble savage esoteric woowoo. I use chopsticks and they're great, but holy shit they're not for everyone-and they don't need to be. It's fine for different cultures to do the same thing differently, even if one way is "more efficient". Also, it's great that you have such a cosmopolitan friend group and all but it doesn't make you any better than a random hick who doesn't.
I've debated getting these over the last couple of years and you have convinced me to buy some.
I used salade tongs once on a bbq and now it's like a second hand that's also fire proof
I like the big metal "line cook" tongs for flipping saucy or super hot things ,to set them down without splashing.
@@Neenerella333 eggs in pans whitout splatter or crack
Ive seen a lot of people use chopsticks for cooking. But im to clumsy with them to even try it myself. Wish I could tho 😂
Been using kitchen tweezers for 15 years, one of the most versatile tool in the kitchen.
They economy version is using the slightly thicker plastic version from Ikea. They also work on teflon as an advantage.
As most women can attest… tweezers, of any size, are one of the most useful tools ever invented. 😂
do barbecue tongs constitute as tweezers though?
Yas !
Sewing, hygiene, cooking... yep, pretty useful
@@dutchdykefinger I would call them the "Brute Force" kind of tweezers.
For realz. My name isn’t Björn (my brothers is), I’m not from Norway (I’m from Denmark) and I have no tattoos. But. I’ve had tweezers for years and I can’t cook without them. All these examples plus flipping steaks, mixing salads, handling freshly toasted slices of bread… the list goes on - Welcome to the club!
Maybe cause I’m asian, but I just do everything you do with chopsticks 😂
I have some of these and use them most often to pluck bits of food that have fallen out of the pan from between the grates of my gas stove.
Hilarious, I have one of those "posh" Tweezers for some time and I'm by far not as dedicated as Alex but it is very handy and I use it all the time specially for pasta.
Wooden chopsticks is the OG kitchentool when it comes to multilevel-usage.
Stiring, flipping, positioning, poking, transferring, lifting and even feeling... all in one tool.
After cooking, you can eat with them. Washing up is easy as well. Heatresistent because there made out of wood. And pro thing for me, I mostly use non-stick so its save.
All in all, best kitchen utensil.
And yes, you can snobbly place microgreens with them as well...
Chopsticks (cough
your hand will hurt if you use chopstick on heavy stuff
Chopstick use is much more versatile.
@@ericmarcelino4381 That's what tongs are for. This tool is that middle ground between chopsticks and tongs.
Alex, you're hysterical! Your videos are full of great tips and information and ... they're fun to watch. Good work. Excellente!
I like using tongs a lot, so I think I would really like these too. Chopsticks are ok, I use them a lot for eating, sometimes for cooking. But still, tongs are better, thus I think tweezers would also be better. Nothing wrong with chopsticks, but tongs and tweezers are both more sturdy, stable and you can get firmer grip easier, which is really good for cooking.
Very practical kitchen tools indeed!
I have had three of them for ages, and just tonight I used one for flipping over bread on a buttered pan for a couple of toasts.
The back story of mine is quite interesting, since they were used to literally dig through cow dung some 40 years ago. During that time I did field studies as a biologist at the University of Copenhagen. These were lab equipment, and I bought them in our campus lab supply shop for the purpose.
I don't tell anybody, that they were actually used to go through cow dung in the search for beetles and grubs! They were very handy tools for that purpose too...
We always ran them through the industrial washer in the lab when done, and I have been using them for cooking ever since I finished my studies.
No fancy (and expensive) chef's brand here - just plain, cheap lab equipment.
I'll bet you that the ones you buy in high end kitchen shops come from the same factory. They just get laser engraved with some smart kitchen brand name ... and are most likely kept away from cow dung 😂
These actually look really useful. I really relate to resisting purchasing tools like this. There have been many times when I would never purchase certain nail art tools until I did and I have never looked back!
I'm a entremetier and after my nakiri my second most used kitchen tool is my tweezers. No day goes by without me using them.
About 18 months maybe 2 years ago, thinking I was buying smaller garnishing tweezers, I accidentally ended up with a 30 cm pair just like these. They have absolutely grown on me in the way you describe. I don't use them for everything, but I do use them a lot!
Wooden chopstick guide. I can pick ONE grain of rice with my chopstick skill. But ultimately, I think this tweezers also serve some purposes and lessen the amount of effort to control a chopstick. Even with my chopstick skill, I can make a twirled spaghetti plate but that will take a lot of efforts to just a simply thong or tweezers.
I have one but I hardly use it. I usually use wooden chopsticks because I have a Teflon pan. But when I move out and have my own kitchen, perhaps I'll use these much more.
Thanks Alex. I've been contemplating them for a while, you sold me, they're now on my wishlist and soon to be part of my home cook arsenal :)
Reminds me of all the times I've flipped whole chickens/roasts with a pair of chopsticks, my tongs sitting on the sidelines shaking their heads as I splash hot water/oil on myself
Welcome to Norway. We are here for you, when you are ready Bjørn.
Nothing more delightful than a man with a french accent saying tweezer chef
Adding to kitchen play tools. Home cooks rock
These also exist for a non stick pan. They simply have silicon tips to avoid scratching.
I initially couldn't find scallop tongs, so I bought the tweezers instead, maybe 6-7 years ago. I've just been using them as described, never even considering they could be fancy.
I keep long tweezers like these as well as chopsticks I use them daily on shellfish and crustaceans
My mum has a pair of tongs, made of plastic, very similar to your fancy metal tweezers. The tip is wider, a bit over one centimeter. They are very good for flipping i.e. bacon, when bigger tongs are too clumsy. When I moved to my first own apartment, I bought a pair of my own. Since they're plastic, they're good for using on non-stick pans too. Next time I make spaghetti, I'll try twirling it with my beloved plastic tongs.
I cook with non coated stainless steel pans. I avoid using metal tweezers for an aesthetic reason: they would scratch the surface of the pan and I am kind of paranoid about it, even if it's safe for the health it's not safe for my mind. I use the metal tweezers just to compose the plate at the end. Before that point, I only use large silicone tongs (and in general only silicone tools).
Since my Hands are constantly shacking after a few accidents in the past (damaged my muscles and nerves irreparably) i use a pair of smaller Kitchen Tweezers as Chopstick substitutes :D They are amazing. Also always fun if i go to a Japense Restaurant and pull these babys out xD They Staff always comes to my table asking me about it. Also you can buy Sillicone caps for these to use them in Non stick pans without ruining them. I love the Tweezers.
12 inch version for cooking. 10 inch version for fishing pickled goods out of jars… and a second set of 10 inch tweezers for eating potato chips.
Once I got a pair, I used them all the time. Highly recommended.
Bonjour Alex, I use chop sticks in much the same way. They are made of wood and will not scratch my non-stick pans. I bought a pack of 100 for a smile.
Pentole Agnelli is 1 km from here, where I live, glad to see their products in your vids!
These are the best tools for retrieving pickles from big jars. As someone who pickles a lot of veggies, from green beans to asparagus and so much more, these are the best thing for retrieving your work to consume it.
You are very welcome to Norway if you want to!
I broke my dominant wrist last year and still don’t have full mobility of my fingers, so I haven’t been able to cook with my chopsticks. I think I’ll give these tweezers a try!
Hahaha that 'Shiiiieeettt' at 1:42 had me laughing
Definitely buying these now. Going to help me a lot when I cook on the cast iron.
They might be cheaper if you order them from the Aquarium store. Those are for placing plants in your tank ;)
Dear Alex,
I really like your videos and have learned a lot. The tweezers do seem snobby, but you make a good point. I feel like I have to say though... You don't have to be a chef or Italian(or both) to be able to "feel" whether pasta is done. In fact, I can see that your Pasta (2:36) still needs some time.
It almost looks like this video was sponsored by Kitchen Tweezers :D
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. My main pan is a teflon one, so I couldn't use these anyway. BUT, thanks to you (a long time ago) I often use normal chopsticks during cooking process!
ikea has similar ones but plastic, great for nonstick pans
Damn you, now I need to get some, just to try them. Since our cooking styles are pretty similar, I probably won't regret it.
its like learning that tongs are the best tool for most line work. like seriously, you can scoop, grab, toss, stir. but as others have said, chopsticks are also great (the longer "cooking" chopsticks for sure) Edit: Upon watching more, yeah, Alex gets it. Tongs for fast work, tweezers for control. Like holding a hammer in different ways for power versus control.
Make sure you click them together before you use them to make sure they still work.
It's sauce in pasta if you want to save some sauce for another day but with freshly cooked pasta.
Alex, you've made me buy one. I don't regret it.
I am using more and more chop sticks. They do same as the tweezers, but yet they a more versatile tool.
It’s exactly like chop sticks, but remove the skill requirement (if you didn’t grow up using them) and add teeth for more grip. As someone who uses chop sticks all the time, I highly recommend these if you can’t use chop sticks or are just average with them.
You do know that the Chinese have had this tool for a millenia right? It's called "chopsticks". The best tool in my kitchen by far! Probably cost a tiny fraction of those stainless steel specialty tweezers.