Saibashi: Japanese Kitchen Tongs
By Kaku Nanashi
Chopsticks aren't only for eating. The Japanese use cooking chopsticks known as saibashi to delicately handle their food as it cooks. Saibashi are like the lightsabers of asian cooking; not as clumsy or random as tongs. Truly, they are an elegant tool for a more civilized age.
Where as normal chopsticks (hashi) are made from a variety of materials and generally don't exceed 20 cm, saibashi are usually made from bamboo or wood and can be up to twice as long. The added length allows and the naturally heat resistant bamboo/wood allow you to keep your hand up and away from the heat as you cook. Tempura chefs often use saibashi in lieu of tongs to gingerly pluck their delicately fried food stuffs out of the pots of boiling hot oil.
Use a pair of saibashi anytime you need to handle hot food both delicately and quickly. It's easy to switch from plucking to stirring to flipping with saibashi. Once you get comfortable with them, they function as an extension of your fingers.
Really, saibashi are just two wooden sticks with tapered points. The number of uses for such a simple tool are only limited by your imagination. Put a sponge on the end of it and you can use it to clean the inside of narrow bottles. Pinch the ends together and use it to squeeze toothpaste out of the tube. Hide all the metal tongs at your next barbecue and replace them with saibashi to prevent any buttinskies from taking over the grill. Sometimes I use mine to scratch my back.
Saibashi can be had at any kitchenware store with an Asian section. Failing that, Amazon.com has a decent selection as well. Needless to say, you shouldn't pay more than $5 for a pair of saibashi, and even that's a tad expensive. I picked up 3 pairs from my local supermarket for less than 300 yen.
Where as normal chopsticks (hashi) are made from a variety of materials and generally don't exceed 20 cm, saibashi are usually made from bamboo or wood and can be up to twice as long. The added length allows and the naturally heat resistant bamboo/wood allow you to keep your hand up and away from the heat as you cook. Tempura chefs often use saibashi in lieu of tongs to gingerly pluck their delicately fried food stuffs out of the pots of boiling hot oil.
Use a pair of saibashi anytime you need to handle hot food both delicately and quickly. It's easy to switch from plucking to stirring to flipping with saibashi. Once you get comfortable with them, they function as an extension of your fingers.
Really, saibashi are just two wooden sticks with tapered points. The number of uses for such a simple tool are only limited by your imagination. Put a sponge on the end of it and you can use it to clean the inside of narrow bottles. Pinch the ends together and use it to squeeze toothpaste out of the tube. Hide all the metal tongs at your next barbecue and replace them with saibashi to prevent any buttinskies from taking over the grill. Sometimes I use mine to scratch my back.
Saibashi can be had at any kitchenware store with an Asian section. Failing that, Amazon.com has a decent selection as well. Needless to say, you shouldn't pay more than $5 for a pair of saibashi, and even that's a tad expensive. I picked up 3 pairs from my local supermarket for less than 300 yen.
About the Author:
There is a reason why Tokyo has more Michelin stars than Paris. Kitchens in Japan are a fascinating product of centuries of culinary heritage. If you want to learn more about Japanese Kitchens, recipes, and techniques, check out my blog at fareastcoastkitchen.com.