Kitchen tongs that don't melt or scratch?

Today's disaster melted all over my bacon.  I'm miffed as I had a really nice meal planned.  Also, I cook bacon on medium, not high, so I'm shocked it melted.  

Do cooking tongs exist that
a) don't melt when flipping bacon
b) don't scratch the pan if someone who is trying to "help" decides to use it as a scraper

?

Clarification.   The pots are stainless steel.  If the factory finished is preserved and no metal scratches it, this is easier to clean than any other pot.  I don't want pots that require more than a swish of water or single wipe with a cloth to get rid of burnt food.

Was your tongs made of silicon?

My tongs are all old though I have about three of them. all made of metal.

I guess mine would scratch any surface other than metal.

My pans are all stainless steel.

r ranson wrote:Today's disaster melted all over my bacon.  I'm miffed as I had a really nice meal planned.  Also, I cook bacon on medium, not high, so I'm shocked it melted.  

Do cooking tongs exist that
a) don't melt when flipping bacon
b) don't scratch the pan if someone who is trying to "help" decides to use it as a scraper

?

I would purchase or make wood tongs. There are many varieties.

Or you could switch to stainless steel, carbon steel or cast iron so you can use metal utensils.

Anne Miller wrote:Was your tongs made of silicon?

Yep.

Or so they said.

But it's the second pair (different brands) to melt.  The first in boiling soup.

My pans are stainless steel and ancient.   All but the frying pan behave like non stick and are super easy to clean because no metal goes in them.  The smooth manufactured surface is awesome if cared for.

But the fry pan got metal in it so it's a pain to clean.

What sort of wood ones did you get?

I got some bamboo ones, but the glue fell apart with the first washing.

r ranson wrote:What sort of wood ones did you get?

I got some bamboo ones, but the glue fell apart with the first washing.

We had the hybrid type that is metal and then has the slip on silicone ends. The silicone ends fell apart.  

The someone saw them and gifted us a hybrid type that is also metal but has wood ends on it. The held up very well for the years we used them before moving away from nonstick coatings.

Since none of our cookware is nonstick coated anymore, we use metal utensils now. Metal utensils are far superior in my opinion if you are able to use them in your situation.

I've never had nonstick coating.

Stainless steel is non stick when cared for and no metal touches it.  So is cast iron but with different care.  Why buy pots that need replacing every few years like Teflon?

This is why no metal utensils in the house.

r ranson wrote:I've never had nonstick coating.

Stainless steel is non stick when cared for and no metal touches it.  So is cast iron but with differentcare.  Why buy pots that need replacing every few years?

This is why no metal utensils in the house.

I agree completely but I do not understand why you would not then use metal utensils. Anything else will need replacing every few years including silicone and some types wood utensils.

Josh Hoffman wrote:

r ranson wrote:I've never had nonstick coating.

Stainless steel is non stick when cared for and no metal touches it.  So is cast iron but with differentcare.  Why buy pots that need replacing every few years?

This is why no metal utensils in the house.

I agree completely but I do not understand why you would not then use metal utensils. Anything else will need replacing every few years including silicone and some types wood utensils.

I see, you are saying the scratches make it nonstick. We do not have that issue for some reason.

Could you use a large pair of chopsticks? A pair of long twigs that have been debarked? Perhaps a pair of wooden paddles tied/wrapped to a wire which is curled into a spring?

I can use chopsticks, but others in the house cannot.   I want to make it as easy for them to do the desired behaviour that they don't know I'm manipulating them.

But wood seems like the direction to go.

I was wondering if something like this would meet all your criteria: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Wooden-Toaster-Fruits-Desserts/dp/B0DLJP67Y7/

But I see that on Canadian Amazon it's almost $60, which is madness.

If you put "wooden tongs" or "toaster tongs" into Amazon, you will see a variety of options. Once you see some options you like, you may be able to find them locally, or get someone to make you wood ends for the silicon tools that melted if you haven't already gotten rid of them.

I don't put anything wood into our dishwasher, and it lasts well.

I wonder if the "carve a spoon" BB would allow one to upcycle silicon tongs with metal handles into wooden tongs? We'd have to ask...
https://permies.com/wiki/99344/pep-woodworking/Carve-timer-spoon-PEP-BB

I've had great success with Misen brand tongs. I have the stainless and also silicone tipped. I've used them with non-stick, stainless steel, carbon steel, pellet grill, and finally an outdoor flattop. Misen Tongs

i also think bamboo would be a winner here. I have moved on to metal, but I had a pair that was two straight pieces of bamboo making the "arms", with a laminated/glued block in the middle, so unless that part gets boiled there was no risk of falling apart.

Hello R!

Somebody, years ago made bent wood tongs at Wheaton labs.  They were so cool.  I don't remember what wood was used but bamboo would probably work too.  I have made wooden spatulas.  Maybe two wooden spatulas could be fastened together in a springy way.
Good luck!

A friend has a set of tongs which look a lot like the Norpro bamboo ones seen here:
https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-7646-Bamboo-Tong-12/dp/B001ULC9DE

There are a number of retailers of this brand.

I should probably get a set or two at this price.  We have 2 sets of stainless tongs, but the wooden ones (well, super structural grass - whatever) would be dandy.

We use wooden tongs, made of Olive Wood or Cherry Wood. They last a long time, I treat them once a year with coconut oil.

575 Fahrenheit MAX temp for HIGH quality silicone. Cheap ones melt faster. OXO, good grips makes a good high quality silicone BUT they are not as precise as un-coated tongs, so tiny/thin pieces are more challenging.