Bamboo Chopsticks
A simple, cheap, and versatile tool
Bamboo chopsticks (and not steel, titanium, etc.) are an excellent and underutilized tool, in my opinion. There is no other tool that can do exactly what bamboo chopsticks do.
Uses:
– They are great for cooking. They do not conduct heat, so they are great for handling hot bacon, or fishing things out of boiling soup, for instance. Bamboo will not scratch Teflon.
– They are good for handling small objects, especially if they fall into difficult-to-access areas. I keep a pair handy when I work on a computer, to pick up those screws that have a habit of falling inside the case. Bamboo chopsticks will not break a trace on a circuit board, and do not conduct electricity, so they are safer to use than screwdrivers, needle-nose pliers and the like.
– They are good for poking, prodding and stirring generally. They are ideal for stir-frying.
– They also make great raw materials for arts and crafts projects. There is a section of chopstick in my Ikea bed, because I misplaced a dowel and they do not give you extras. I just shaved down a chopstick with a kitchen knife. As a material, bamboo is remarkably strong, light and hard, far superior to popsicle sticks, for example. It splits easily and naturally has a smooth, slippery surface.
Other advantages:
– Besides being an electrical and thermal insulator, bamboo is light, strong and hard. I have never broken one unless I was actually trying to.
– But despite that, it is easy to cut the chopsticks down or reshape the tips any way you want, with a knife or sandpaper.
– Bamboo chopsticks are dirt cheap. You can get dozens for just a few dollars. Some Chinese restaurants give them away with take-out (though some give you cheap, splintery white wood chopsticks, which are inferior.)
Incidentally, they are available in a variety of lengths and shapes. The most versatile are simple and unpainted, with a gently tapered tip, rounded at the end. (The ones in the link have those attributes, but no doubt many others do too.) A simple cylinder is also fine, and you can always add a taper if you want. (A pencil sharpener will not give a gradual enough taper.)
Disadvantages:
– You have to learn how to use them. It is not rocket science; millions of Asian children learn to use them routinely, and anyway, every tool requires practice, even hammers and screwdrivers. The secret is not to grip them too tightly. I can’t think of any other disadvantages. They are a kind of tool that is so simple, cheap, and versatile that there is almost nothing like them. Even if you hardly ever use them, they are worth keeping in the kitchen drawer.
11/7/169-Inch Bamboo Table Chopsticks 10-Pairs ($4)
