359365 Thu Jan 11 20:56:30 -0800 2007 22 41 Cookware 0 2178693 I keep several pairs of long plastic chopsticks together with all my cooking paraphernalia. They're so useful! I use them to pick up olives, pickles and other things in tall jars. They can be used to mix small amounts of sauces and batters. They can be used for flipping things in the oven. Basically, for almost anything I use tongs for, I can use chopsticks. And they take up so little space and are so easy to clean. I even have the japanese cooking ones for deep frying purposes. Anyone else do this? Thu Jan 11 20:56:30 -0800 2007 46140 ctl98 1 2178712 I have a Japanese tempura pot that came with a pair of long cooking chop sticks. I find I use them many times when deep frying. Never thought about using them to get items out of a jar however. Thu Jan 11 20:59:45 -0800 2007 2178693 10925 rtmonty 1 2178713 I've never tried this (though I have a million pairs)--what a fantastic idea! Thanks for the tip! Thu Jan 11 20:59:51 -0800 2007 2178693 31992 HAF 1 2178746 I'm good with chopsticks at a sushi or Asian restaurant, but I'm hesitant to say that I'm as proficient with them as I am with tongs - especially when flipping over hot items in an oven. Good for you though, I wish I had the ability! Thu Jan 11 21:06:19 -0800 2007 2178693 42270 HaagenDazs 1 2178984 In my family, we used chopsticks for a lot of cooking tasks. They're particularly good for turning delicate things like frying bacon strips. Used them to scramble eggs, and to stir them around in the frying pan, too. There's a type of Japanese tongs made of bamboo that are also good for more delicate tasks: http://www.fantes.com/images/4482tongs.jpg Thu Jan 11 21:52:28 -0800 2007 2178693 62998 DebL 1 2178996 Aeons ago I recall Julia Child (who once lived in China) extolling the uses of chopsticks in the kitchen. IIRC, she specifically talked about retrieving a string bean from its blanching water to test its degree of doneness.... Thu Jan 11 21:55:03 -0800 2007 2178693 11069 fauchon 2 2179030 ... and spaghetti and noodles as well! Thu Jan 11 22:04:25 -0800 2007 2178996 11583 ipsedixit 1 2179032 I couldn't get along in the kitchen without chopsticks, and have pairs in lengths from about 5" (originally my kids' training chopsticks) to some that are almost two feet long. Varying thicknesses, too...I have a pair that are practically like drumsticks (musical, not chicken legs). The cooking chopsticks are all wood (mostly bamboo), tho...no plastic. Thu Jan 11 22:05:26 -0800 2007 2178693 13700 ricepad 2 2179157 Wood has a better grip than plastic. I don't own any plastic chopsticks. ricepad, how do you use those big chopsticks? And what for? Thu Jan 11 22:32:03 -0800 2007 2179032 62998 DebL 3 2179319 Both the long ones and the fat ones are for making tempura (which I almost NEVER do these days). The fat ones are for drizzling extra batter on items already frying, which makes the delicate lacy patterns. The long ones are to turn and retrieve items from the oil. Thu Jan 11 23:12:21 -0800 2007 2179157 13700 ricepad 4 2179905 LOL! They may have been made for tempura, but they work for lots of other things, too! Only don't put them in the dishwasher--the glue they use at the top is eventually water soluble (ask me how I know!). Fri Jan 12 01:52:16 -0800 2007 2179319 62998 DebL 5 2180609 Glue? What glue? Ain't no glue on my chopsticks. Just wood. Well, the long ones have a cotton string, too. Fri Jan 12 07:12:16 -0800 2007 2179905 13700 ricepad 6 2180819 Mine has a cotton string too. Well, I sould say had because that string is gone now... Fri Jan 12 13:08:15 -0800 2007 2180609 46140 ctl98 6 2181278 Glue on the tongs. It's two pieces of bamboo, glued at the top. I lost the cotton strings on the chopsticks a looong time ago. I don't even know what the purpose of it all was. Fri Jan 12 15:40:44 -0800 2007 2180609 62998 DebL 7 2182125 Ah...I see. I don't have any of those. Never mind. Fri Jan 12 18:26:44 -0800 2007 2181278 13700 ricepad 3 2180965 Many years ago, I took some cooking classes at the China Institute in NYC. The instructor used wooden chopsticks for stir-frying. I have a pair with slightly burned tips that I use for that purpose too. Thanks for reminding me of all their other uses. I've gotten away from that. Fri Jan 12 14:15:46 -0800 2007 2179157 54833 ClaireWalter 1 2179376 for stirring coffee and tea so we don't use every spoon in the house. actually stirring anything on the stove grabbing small amounts of condiments out of jars grabbing one thing out of a pot when it's hot - better than tongs poking through foil and plastic seals in packaging they make great back scratchers right here by my computer... great for eating anything when you are on a diet because you eat more slowly great for working in the garden, planting seeds held tulips upright in a vase yesterday keep a jar full on the kitchen counter and grab them for a new use every day Thu Jan 11 23:27:02 -0800 2007 2178693 32444 MakingSense 2 2184859 Long ones to "roll" boiled eggs as they cook to help center the yolk. Short disposable ones for canned sardines, and for ragu'ed spaghetti. Back Scratcher... yes... but that toolkit is augmented with an unsharpened new pencil. The 90 degree face, rather than tapered, is awesome. Sat Jan 13 14:50:41 -0800 2007 2179376 17562 FoodFuser 1 2179418 definitely, for fishing around in the deep fryer, but much more often for digging things out of the toaster that probably should not have gone in there in the first place. (don't really want to stick a metal fork into the toaster...) Thu Jan 11 23:37:45 -0800 2007 2178693 65267 CapnPrep 2 2179612 I have flat wooden tongs purchased in Chinatown years & years ago for about 35 cents & use them every morning for extracting toast from the toaster...I think these work even better than chopsticks because the flat area is wider & gets a better purchase on toast... Fri Jan 12 00:25:29 -0800 2007 2179418 11069 fauchon 1 2179916 Those do sound useful, but they count as cheating in this thread! If I only made toast, I wouldn't need any tools. My problem is, I'm more likely to shove leftover falafels and fried cheese etc. in there, gets a little messy... Fri Jan 12 01:56:54 -0800 2007 2178693 65267 CapnPrep 1 2184532 Chopsticks are a staple cooking tool for me. I use bamboo - heat resistent, durable, and no slivers. They are also inexpensive, so if they get burned, or marred in any way, there is always another pair at the ready. Also, you can get the longer ones for deep frying and bbq turning. Sat Jan 13 07:43:57 -0800 2007 2178693 55002 SanseiDesigns 1 2186997 The bamboo chopsticks can be used on non-stick surfaces. In my kitchen there are clearly different chopsticks for cooking and for eating with. Sun Jan 14 04:48:54 -0800 2007 2178693 13417 neighborguy