Bamboo Tongs for Salad, Teflon-pan Cooking, Barbecue, Grill, Etc

These kind of bamboo tongs are traditionally used as a must-have kitchen utensil around here, but nowadays it's a rare sight to see them even in the traditional markets.
"What would you need them for?" and "buy this (palstic/steel) one instead!" are standard answers when I try to ask if they have some in their shops.

I use them mostly for frying on the Teflon-coated pans, they wont scratch the coating and will stand the heat.
It's easier to flip and pick up small foods on the pan like sausages, nuggets,  etc.. 
Also great for barbecue and grilling.. Might get burned slowly, but hey, it's made of sustainable material, just make another one..

The pictures will show you how it's constructed. It's very simple.

You'll need a piece of bamboo, and cutting tool (at least a knife).
Be careful when working with bamboos as their split and edges can be razor-sharp!!
You'd want to round the edges after cutting them to the size and shape you want,  using the knife or sandpaper.

The joints (hinges?) are made by splitting one end of the pieces to small slits. This one is about 3 to 4 mm (precision is not mandatory). Then criss-crossing the two ends into each other. To hold the hinge (?) in place, you'll need to tie something in the plane direction between the tongs. 
The plastic rope in the picture which was used to hold the joints (hinges?) is ugly. I have changed mine with a stainless steel wire.

Comments

[flavrt]

Thank you. This was a fun project.

Years ago the neighbors planted bamboo for a privacy hedge, and our landscapers have been griping about the mess ever since. So this was my chance to make a contribution by harvesting a cane.

All went well, but I was not prepared for the intellectual challenge of weaving the hinge together. There's nothing simple about that, but now I have the joy of solving a free puzzle. I used cotton twine to compliment the island esthetic. After soaking it in hot water, I bound it tightly around the fingers. It shrunk in the sun as I took my swim, and now the hinge is very springy.

Perfect for fishing bags out of the water bath cooker.

[londobali]

Glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, bamboo tends to make a mess. And a variety of local snakes around here love to take naps under the pile of bamboo leaves.

And yes, inserting the hinge into one another is not so easy. I should have warned about it.

Thank you for sharing your experience and the cotton-hot-water trick.
Will try that next time.

[dchall8]

I use them to retrieve toast from the toaster. Then again I buy mine from photographer supply stores. They use them to dip paper in and out of the chemicals when printing paper photos.

[londobali]

they're handy for so many things..

Thanks for your comment.. you're the first one! :)