Kitchen gadgets

[andiesenji]

Let me preface this by saying that I have enjoyed your first book and The Curious Cook since they were first published.

I am a collector of kitchen gadgets and I have often wondered why no one has ever marketed self-retaining tongs for the kitchen.

I have worked for many years for an orthopedic surgeon and we have self-retaining clamps that work opposite of "normal" clamps, in that squeezing the handles opens the jaws and a strong spring holds them closed.

It seems to me that such a tool would be a natural as sometimes one needs a "third hand" for holding onto something. My solution is simply to buy a pair from a medical supply, which, things being the way they are, means they are very expensive.

They are also difficult to keep as more than a couple have gone missing after a party at my home.

Would you use such a tool if one were manufactured for use in the kitchen and do you think it might become popular with serious home cooks or with professionals?

[Harold McGee]

Thank you! What do you find these tongs especially handy for? One disadvantage that comes to my mind is that you have less control over the pressure you put on whatever you're picking up, at least if you're taking advantage of the automatic nature of the spring.

[andiesenji]

Often I use it to grab something from a container of hot syrup, then hang it from a hook overhead to let the excess syrup drip back into the pot before transferring it to a draining rack, particularly when candying something large and intricate.

Or I use it to hold something in place while I use both hands to tie it, such as little rouladen, which are tricky to work with, or clamp it on the end of the string when I am tying a roast, to keep tension on it.

The jaws have a cross-cut pattern as they are desgined for holding onto slippery things.

Perhaps I find them handy because I have arthritis in my hands, particularly the right, at the bae of the thumb and find it difficult to grasp tongs for any prolonged period. In fact, my grip weakens and I often drop things when using regular tongs.

Edited November 12, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Harold McGee]

Those do sound like handy uses, and I'm sure that the more cooks who use these, the more uses they'll discover.