11 Types Of Kitchen Tongs, Explained

If you were to look in your kitchen cabinets, how many pairs of tongs would you see? One? Maybe two? That's all that you need, right? Sure, you probably know there are more kinds of tongs out there, but maybe you've never actually stopped and thought about it. The fact of the matter is, there are some rather unique tongs out in the kitchen wild that will actually make your culinary experience so much easier.

So instead of one day finding yourself wandering the utensil section at Williams-Sonoma because it's the only thing you can afford with the $50 gift card someone gave you and marveling at the unique tongs you've never imagined before, you'll know exactly what those tongs are for, and how they can improve your life. Because yes, it's true there are countless kinds of kitchen tongs out there, and it's not a marketing gimmick from the tongs people. Much like sitting down for dinner in a royal palace where there are a dozen spoons on one side, each set of tongs has a unique function. Some of these functions might just blow your mind at how much easier they make certain tasks around the kitchen.

To help illustrate just how many kinds of kitchen tongs there are, here are some of the tongs you'll run into, and some you might want to consider adding to your kitchen. However, we can't promise you that they'll be cheap enough to buy with that Williams-Sonoma gift card.

If there is any pair of tongs we can't recommend enough for you to own, it's a pair of pasta tongs. If you're like us, you love yourself some pasta, but that also means you have to try to scoop the spaghetti out of your pot. Ever try to do that with regular tongs? Like trying to grab an oiled pig. Those things just squeeze and flop out of your regular tongs' grasp. But pasta tongs? Those things are pure magic. We probably make more pasta than anything else that requires tongs, which is why we can't get enough of these little helpful utensils.

So what makes pasta tongs so special? It's the little, finger-like extensions on the edges of the tongs. They basically look like a hair clip (especially when it is clamped down around some steaming angel hair pasta). Those finger claws do all the work.

Most pasta tongs are made from stainless steel. The most basic will have the standard "V" design of the tongs, which is rather universal with tongs, regardless of the type. This is better known as a one-piece construction. You can, though, find cheaper plastic options, or even spring-loaded locking pasta tongs. We recommend going with metal tongs over plastic. Yes, plastic will be cheaper, but plastic has a way of wearing down, which can give you limp tongs. Not to mention, they just don't look as pretty as sparkling stainless steel.

These kinds of tongs will also vary in length, although most will usually be around a foot or so in size. You don't need too much material slack when grabbing some pasta.

What comprises salad tongs? One side will be a spoon, while the other will be a fork (or possibly a spork). This way you can toss, grab, and serve up leafy greens, no matter what you have tossed in the bowl.

These tongs are generally made from food-grade plastic, but some nicer ones might be made of wood. This way, they are easy to maintain, and the acidic nature of some salad dressings won't eat away at it, which might be the case with certain metals. There are also different kinds of grips for these salad tongs. As most salad tongs have one-piece construction, there are no additional moving pieces on the tongs, making them very easy to maintain and clean.

On the flip side, if you're looking for something a bit more elaborate, you can also find scissor-handled salad tongs. This handle very much looks like an oversized pair of scissors, only it gives you a better grip and usually comes with a longer handle. This is good if you are serving up a salad to guests in your home and you want to extend your reach. In general, though, you'll probably be just fine with the inexpensive plastic salad tongs, which range anywhere from half a foot to a foot.

Ice tongs are typically made out of stainless steel (or aluminum). They are also some of the smallest tongs on the market. These particular tongs have spike edges, resembling Bart Simpson's head or a chicken's foot more than anything else.

The ice tongs are on the smaller side, ranging from around 5 inches all the way up to 9 or 10 inches. You don't need long ice tongs as you need just enough room to pick up a cube of ice and place it into a glass. If you have long, decorative glasses, opt for the longer ice tongs. If not, something on the smaller end is just fine (and is often easier to handle, as you don't want to accidentally knock over a glass because your ice tongs are too long). Like many of the tongs on this list, ice tongs are made using a one-piece construction. There's no need to go overboard with ice tongs.

Metal tongs tend to work better when dealing with anything hot and cold. Ask yourself, what tastes better: a can of Coke or a plastic bottle of Coke? Chances are, you said the metal can. Metal just handles cold better, not to mention that silver polished pair of ice tongs looks good at your home bar.

These tongs look like they are out of the hospital, or at least the food sanitation lab, but scissor tongs are fantastic if you need to pull something out of a steaming pot. Maybe it's removing corn on the cob or a potato. The handles look like handles, and the ends are made of two, rounded-off prongs, which makes it easier to grab larger individual objects.

Now, it is important to point out that other styles of tongs can have scissor handles. However, scissor-handled tongs are not "scissor tongs." These tongs look entirely like elongated medical scissors, with metal, rounded-off prongs on the end for picking up slippery, hot objects (or slippery, cold objects). The scissor handle is great for giving you extra strength when holding up something heavy (such as a hefty piece of meat). Traditional tongs do require some added forearm strength, but scissor tongs almost completely eliminate the need for Arnold Schwarzenegger forearms.

Scissors tongs are also usually on the longer side. Because they are designed for grabbing items out of boiling pots of water, you want to have additional slack to work with. That is why these tongs will push upward of 15 inches, even up to a foot and a half. However, unlike most other tongs on this list, scissor tongs are a two-piece construction, using a single rivet to hold the two pieces of the "scissors" together.

Unless you're working in fine dining, chances are you won't need plating tongs. These are the needle-nose pliers of the tongs world. The slender, nose end of the tongs makes it easy to place small flowers or tiny objects onto a dish. They're also used for precise placement on baked goods, like decorated cakes.

Now, while you probably won't ever need plating tongs stored inside your kitchen drawer, they are pretty fun to use. These are basically like using tweezers (the construction is remarkably similar), only with your food. They can be helpful if you need to pull out very small bones from seafood and don't want to shred the tender meat of your fish, so if you're eating a lot of seafood and you want that amazing Instagram food photo without the bones, and maybe with some elaborate decorations, plating tongs will be an option. Plating tongs can also work for garnishing elevated cocktails, although in a pinch you can always use tweezers (just not the ones next to the toenail clippers, please). But other than that, you probably won't need to have plating tongs on hand.

Much like the majority of tongs on this list, plating tongs take advantage of a one-piece construction and are made from stainless steel. However, this pair of tongs can range to nearly a foot in length, depending on the amount of space you need to work with. After all, sometimes you need longer needle nose tongs to properly attach that perfect garnish.