8 Clever Uses For Kitchen Tongs

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably already know how much I dislike clutter. When I have a lot to get done, cluttered surfaces and disorganization frustrate me to no end, and that’s especially true in the kitchen.

One area of my kitchen that is a constant source of clutter is my utensil drawer. However, I have found that prioritizing utensils with multiple uses allows me to keep the overall number of items in the drawer low, thus making clutter less of an issue.

That’s why I have so much love for my kitchen tongs — they’re handy for turning meat, tossing salads, and sautéing vegetables, but they’re also capable of so much more! Here are 8 useful tips that will have you reaching for your tongs more often.

8 Clever Uses For Kitchen Tongs

1. Turn A Pan Or Dish In The Oven

The long handle on your tongs makes it easy to turn a dish in the oven without removing it entirely, preventing you from burning yourself or losing too much heat while the oven door is open.

2. Extend Your Reach

If you can’t quite get to the top shelf of your spice cabinet without a step ladder, tongs can help. Use them to retrieve small items that are just out of reach.

3. Dry Kitchen Gloves

Turn your tongs upside down and put one wet glove on each side to let them drip dry. You can do this with reusable food storage bags as well.

4. Grease A Hot Grill

Keep your fingers safe while greasing a hot grill by using your tongs to hold an oiled paper towel. Swipe the oil over the grates, then toss the paper towel — no brush to wash!

5. Dust Your Blinds

Use rubber bands to attach a microfiber cloth to each end of a pair of tongs. This handy tool will dust both the top and bottom of each slat at the same time and cut your dusting time in half!

6. Squeeze Juice Out Of Citrus

If you don’t have a citrus reamer or don’t want to get it out, use your kitchen tongs instead. Just cut a lime or lemon in half, clamp it in your tongs, and squeeze over a bowl. The added pressure from the tongs will help get more juice out than you would it you squeezed it by hand.

7. Retrieve Hot Toast

I used to scald my fingers frequently when retrieving toast that had just popped out of the toaster, but I finally wised up enough to start using my tongs to grab hot toast instead. My fingertips are grateful!

8. Scoop Ice For Drinks

Next time you put an ice bucket out for guests at a gathering, place your tongs near the ice. Guests can use them to grab ice cubes for their drinks without worrying about the cleanliness of their hands (or anybody else’s).

What other ways do use tongs?