MIU France 3413 Stainless Steel Chopstick Tongs

Needs quite a bit of force to close the tongs. Good for pasta and heavy grilling but not delicate plating. The welds are solid on these.

After seeing an elderly & iconic Italian chef using these to twirl up a serving of sauced pasta from the pan to the plate with flawlessly tidy elegance in a YouTube video, my pasta serving days with the cup-claw on a handle were numbered.I love all my stainless steel MIU kitchen products, e.g., mandoline, rotary grater. After excellent uninterrupted results in my hands, I am confident gifting them for loved ones' hands to wield them in their own kitchens. This product is no exception.There was initial concern for me, due to the generic & non-MIU-specific, "KITCHEN HELPER" tag, and, imperfections of the metal, (see attached photos).However, after sending photos & emails to [email protected] I was promised, and shipped, a flawless replacement.Last evening, I used this item to quickly flip & rack #10# baby bellas sautéed in the rendered fat from #3# natural bacon lardons, followed by #1# shallots in thin rings, then, (3) fresh stalks worth of Brussels sprouts, finally, melting 2oz. Billington's light brown Moscavado in the pan before returning some lardons & shallots to the pan, and deglazing with a splash of balsamic, ALL with just these gems! And, how many dropped items? None! How many painful grease splatters did my hands & arms suffer? None!This item quickly becomes an extension of the cook's hands, deftly dipping in, as though with an index and thumb's pincer-like precision - but impervious to heat!Speaking of heat, the length allows a quick toaster oven tray of grilling shrimps, for example,to be turned over without cumbersome removal and re-insertion of the hot tray - just open the oven door, turning the items, or removing them, at will with this product's helpful lenght!This item also facilitates removing cherries from their syrup, pickled items from their brine, and stuffed items, like olives, without distirbing the pimento, almond, pepper, pearl onion, etc.When preparing repetitive identical portions, e.g., some salads, and, decorative desserts, this item and an array of separately bowled ingredients are all a production line needs for success!These are also remarkable for styling long, tall cylinders of gel with suspended botanicals / objects with precision surpassing gloved hands. (Great for D.I.Y. receptions)And, they do a wonderful job of twirling up a serving of noodles, just like they plate it for service in Italy!