Most of us own a pair of all-metal tongs that came free with something or got picked up at a supermarket. They’re fine for the barbecue. In a non-stick frying pan, though, they’re slowly doing damage. Every time you flip a chicken thigh, the metal edges drag across the coating, and after a few months you start seeing fine scratches and food sticking in exactly the spots you always grab from.
The OXO Good Grips 12-inch tongs have stainless steel arms with silicone heads, and those heads are safe on non-stick. They’re heat resistant to 600°F (about 315°C), so you can rest them on the side of a hot pan without the tips going soft or melting.
Not scratching the pan is only half of it, mind. Plenty of silicone tongs are protective and still annoying to use. This is what I’d actually check:
- Grip on the food. The heads are scalloped and set at an angle, so they hold a slippery sausage or a single piece of asparagus without it shooting across the hob. Flat, smooth silicone tips are the ones that let things slide.
- Comfort. The handle is soft and non-slip, with thumb rests. It sounds minor, but you’ll notice it when you’re turning a whole tray of roast potatoes one at a time.
- Storage. They lock closed. Tongs that stay sprung open take up half a drawer and catch on everything else in it.
- Cleaning. They’re dishwasher safe, which is good because silicone picks up grease.
On length, 12 inches is the one I’d go for as your main pair. It keeps your knuckles away from spitting oil and reaches the bottom of a stockpot for pasta. There’s also a 9-inch version if you mostly need something for serving salad at the table, or if your drawers are shallow.
Silicone tongs aren’t perfect for everything. They’re a little softer than bare metal, so you lose a bit of precision picking up something really small. For flipping, turning and serving in pans you care about, though, I wouldn’t go back to bare steel.
See the OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs with Silicone Heads on Amazon
