One Simply Terrific Thing: OXO's Stainless Steel Locking Tongs

These stainless steel tongs from Oxo are an essential multipurpose kitchen tool - sized just right, sharp enough to grab small or delicate foods, and closes up tight to save space!

A good pair of tongs is worth its weight in gold.

Like my beloved fish spatula, I consider tongs an essential multipurpose kitchen tool, because you can use them for so many things. Grab roasted vegetables off a sheet pan. Flip a piece of chicken in a skillet. Pull blanched greens out of a big pot of boiling water. Toss a salad!

I only have one pair of tongs, and that honor goes to this 9-inch stainless steel pair from OXO ($13).

Things I love about these OXO tongs:

• The grippy sides feel secure in my hand.

• The 9-inch length is just right - not too unwieldy, does everything I need it to, and still fits in my kitchen drawer. (But there's a 12-inch size, too, if you want a longer pair!)

• The easy pull-push locking mechanism still works great and keeps the tongs tightly shut when stored, saving valuable drawer or utensil crock space.

• They really ... grab. I know! They're supposed to do that, but don't tell me you've never had a kitchen tool fail to do well the one thing it's supposed to do. (I certainly have.)

The OXO tongs are solid: the spring tension is neither too stiff nor too loose, and the sharp, angled stainless steel grabbers easily pick up small, delicate, or wet pieces of food (unlike some silicone-coated tongs, which are often too slippery to do that job).

In short, these tongs are fantastic.