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Grilling tongs are an important part of any grilling or BBQ kit. They’re perfect for moving food around on the grill, like burgers, steaks, and sausages, giving you total control over your food while providing the distance you need to keep your hands safe from the heat and flames.
But not all grilling tongs are created equal. Some of them are much better-made, more durable, easier to use, and offer better value for money than others. But how can you find a pair of top grilling tongs? Well, in this guide, we’ll tell you all you need to know. We’ll look at some of the best grilling tongs on the market in 2024, starting with the DAILY KISN Extra Long Kitchen Grilling Tongs.
Buying Guide: The Best Grilling Tongs
With the right grilling tongs, you can become a grill master. However, it’s important to choose your grilling tools with care to avoid disappointment. In this guide, we’ll answer some common questions about grilling tongs and show you what to look for when searching for the perfect pair.
What Are Grilling Tongs Used For?
Grilling tongs are grill tools that are usually used for grabbing, lifting, turning, and moving food around. They feature handles on both sides that are pushed together by the user to hold the food in place and move it from grill to plate. You can use these tongs in the kitchen, too, for moving items around in oven pans.
Why Is It Important To Have Good Quality Grilling Tongs?
There are many reasons to invest in a good pair of grilling tongs. Here are just some of the biggest benefits:
Move food easily
The main reason to have a great pair of tongs is to allow you to move food around on your grill. Without this essential tool, it can be much harder to do things like turning sausages, flipping burgers, or moving steaks around.
Low-quality tongs can let you down. They may not have the sufficient length or strength needed to move heavy or large pieces of meat. A good pair of tongs will provide the maneuverability you need to use your grill the right way.
Avoid burns and injuries
One of the issues many people experience when using tongs or other grill gear is that they get burned easily. It can be painful to hold your hands and arms over the high grill heat and it’s not uncommon to end the day with painful marks on your forearms and wrists.
A good set of tongs should always be long enough to let you reach items that are at the back of the grill without risking any burns or injuries. Grill tongs allow you to make the most of your grill with minimal risk.
Easy to clean
Tongs and other grill accessories get dirty really quickly. They’re used to move greasy and fatty foods around, so they can quickly get covered in grease, fat, stains, sauces, and more. This can make them really tough to clean.
Fortunately, good-quality tongs are super simple to clean. Usually, you can wash away the grease and stains from a high-quality pair of tongs without much effort. You may even be able to put them in the dishwasher for the easiest cleaning experience.
Versatility
An ideal pair of grilling tongs can do much more than simply moving meat around on the grill. You can use them for flipping, turning, and plating, both at the grill and in your kitchen.
You might even be surprised by the number of ways in which you can use these simple tools, which is why it really does pay off to have a nice set of tongs in your kitchen drawer.
What To Look for in Grilling Tongs
In order to find the right pair of grilling tongs, it’s important to pay close attention to several key factors. You need to look at things like length, materials, and construction. Here are some of the top factors to keep in mind and why they matter.
Length
Length is arguably the most important factor to think about when buying kitchen tongs. Grilling tongs can range from 12-inches in length to 17-inches, with some being even longer. The longer the tongs, the better the range they have. Longer tongs will also protect your arms against burns.
However, you shouldn’t necessarily pick the biggest pair of tongs just because they’re the biggest. You need to think about the size of your grill, too. If you use a small grill, a shorter set of tongs will suffice. But if you have a big grill with lots of space, a long pair of tongs will give you the extra room to maneuver your food.
Materials
Stainless steel is the most common material used for grilling tongs, but other materials are sometimes used. Stainless steel is arguably the best, as it's long-lasting, strong, safe to use with food, and highly durable.
You should also consider the material on the handles. High-quality grilling tongs usually have rubber grips or non-slip handles that allow you to hold onto the sides comfortably without the risk of getting burned or having the tongs slip from your grasp.
Design
Grilling tongs are available in different designs. Some of them are basic and budget-friendly, while others have quite elaborate designs with a number of features. There are even hybrid-style tongs that combine elements of other grill tools, like turners.
The design has a big impact on how you use the tongs and how enjoyable and useful they are in general. Think about how you plan to use your tongs and what sorts of foods you like to cook on the grill to find a set that suits your needs.
Sets and extras
Sometimes grilling tongs come as part of a set of grill tools. The set may also include extra items like wire brushes for cleaning the grill, turners for flipping steaks and burgers on the grill, and forks or prongs for checking if the food is cooked.
If you’re looking for a whole new set of grilling gear, buying one of these sets is a great idea. Before purchasing a set, however, it’s important to make sure that all of the items are well-made and of good quality.
Top Picks
Best Overall:
Daily Kisn Extra Long Kitchen Grilling Tongs
Best Set:
Allwin-Houseware W Grilling Tongs
Best For Bbqs:
Oxo Set Of Grilling Tongs
Best Heavy-Duty Tongs:
Mountain Grillers Grilling Tongs
Best Hybrid Tongs:
Grillpro Grilling Tongs
Best Non-Stick Cookware:
Silicone Bbq Grilling Tongs
You can, but it's not recommended. Regular kitchen tongs are usually shorter than grill tongs. This means that you'll be more likely to burn yourself. Kitchen tongs may also not be as strong or heavy-duty as grill tongs so they likely won’t work as well.
How long should BBQ tongs be?
This depends on different factors, like the size of your grill and the size of your hands. People with bigger hands and wider grills should use longer tongs. In general, grill tongs should be between 12 to 16-inches in length.
Why do chefs use tongs?
Chefs use grilling tongs because they make it easy and safe to move food around. Tongs are ideal for many purposes, such as flipping, turning, moving, repositioning, and even serving food. The highest quality tongs are also very durable; they can last for years of use and stay strong in tough, hot conditions.
