Best Kitchen Tongs That Lock Shut, Grip Tight and Spare Your Nonstick Pans

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The best kitchen tongs do three things well: they grip food without crushing it, they lock closed so they fit in a drawer, and their tips suit the pans you own. Bare stainless heads are the classic choice for grills and cast iron, while silicone or nylon tips are what brands recommend for nonstick coatings.

We compared six tongs and tong sets from OXO, KitchenAid, All-Clad, HOTEC, GORILLA GRIP and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE. Every pick was in stock and sold by Amazon.com or the brand’s own store when we checked. We quote lengths, locking designs, tip materials and heat ratings exactly as each listing states them, and we flag listings that leave a heat rating out or give a size that doesn’t add up.

All six landed in the same low price tier, so the real decision is length and tip material, not budget. Read on for the picks, then the buying guide and a few kitchen-fire basics from the U.S. Fire Administration.

Our Top Kitchen Tongs Picks at a Glance

Price key: $ under $50 · $$ $50–$100 · $$$ $100–$175 · $$$$ $175+. Prices change often; check Amazon for today’s price.

1. KitchenAid Silicone-Tipped 12-Inch Tongs: Best Overall

KitchenAid’s Silicone Stainless Steel Tongs pair a 12-inch metal frame with silicone tips at the business end. The frame is what gives the tongs their spring and reach, and the silicone tips are what touch the food and the pan. The listing names the frame material specifically as “430 stainless steel.”

Day to day, they work like most locking tongs. Engage the lock and they stay closed for a drawer or a utensil crock; release it and, per the listing, the arms “should spring open freely at a 30 degree range.” Twelve inches keeps your hand back from a hot skillet or a pot of boiling pasta, and it reaches the back of a sheet pan in the oven.

KitchenAid says the silicone-tipped tongs are “safe for all cookware, including nonstick,” and that the tips are “heat resistant to 500f/260c.” Cleanup is listed as dishwasher safe. The warranty bullet describes “a 1-year Hassle-Free replacement and lifetime limited warranty.” The color on this listing is red.

These suit cooks who use nonstick skillets most nights and want one dependable pair rather than a set. They also suit anyone who wants a stated heat number on the tips before using them near a hot pan, and anyone who likes a single, familiar brand name on the tools in the crock.

Why we like it

• Stated 500F/260C tip rating
• Nonstick-safe per the listing
• Warranty terms spelled out in a bullet

Watch out for

You get one tong, not a set, and the listed dimensions read shorter than the 12-inch title.

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2. OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Locking Tongs: Best Stainless Steel Tongs

OXO’s Good Grips 12-inch Locking Tongs are a plain, all-stainless design: two brushed steel arms joined at a spring hinge, with scalloped edges at the tips. There are no silicone or nylon pads, so metal meets food directly. The model number on the listing is 28581.

In daily use, these are the tongs for jobs where metal is an advantage. OXO lists them as “Great for turning and lifting vegetables” and “Versatile for cooking, tossing and transferring food.” The scalloped edges, in the listing’s words, “securely hold food,” which helps with slippery items like roasted peppers, chicken thighs or a tangle of noodles.

For storage, the “Tongs lock closed for convenient storage,” so they lie flat in a drawer. The specs give a weight of 0.4 pounds and a package size of 13.75 x 6.75 x 1.5 inches. The listing doesn’t state a heat rating or a dishwasher instruction, and the warranty field is blank.

They suit cooks who sear in stainless or cast iron, roast on sheet pans and grill in summer, and who would rather not worry about silicone tips wearing out. Keep them away from coated nonstick pans, since the listing makes no claim that bare steel is safe there. A silicone-tipped tong or a soft turner is the better partner for those pans.

Why we like it

• All-metal build with no tips to wear out
• Scalloped heads
• Lock for flat drawer storage

Watch out for

There’s no heat rating, no dishwasher statement and no nonstick claim on this listing.

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3. All-Clad 12-Inch Locking Tongs: Best Premium

All-Clad’s 12-inch Locking Tongs are a single all-stainless tong built from what the listing calls “Highly polished, 18/10 stainless steel.” The arms lock closed for storage, and the handle carries a “Laser etched All-Clad logo.” The model field reads 11644001025, and the manufacturer field names Groupe SEB.

Used daily, they handle the same jobs as any long metal tong: turning steaks in a skillet, pulling corn from boiling water, or lifting potatoes off a roasting pan. All-Clad says they are “Ergonically designed to achieve ideal balance, weight and feel.” The specs list them at 12.3 x 3.4 x 2.5 inches and 0.5 pounds.

Care is simple: the listing says “Dishwasher Safe.” The warranty field is one of the most complete on this page, reading “Limited lifetime warranty under normal use and following care instructions.” No heat rating is stated, and there are no silicone tips, so the listing doesn’t pitch them for nonstick pans.

They suit cooks who already own stainless or cast iron pans, who want a tool that looks as good on a rail as it works at the stove, and who prefer a written lifetime warranty to a budget multipack. If you buy one premium tool for the drawer and plan to keep it for years, this is a sensible candidate.

Why we like it

• 18/10 stainless, highly polished
• Lifetime limited warranty field
• Dishwasher safe

Watch out for

It sells far less than the other picks and gives no heat rating, so you are paying mainly for build and brand.

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4. HOTEC Locking Tongs With Silicone Tips, 7/9/12-Inch Set: Best Set of Three Sizes

HOTEC’s Premium Locking Kitchen Tongs come as a set of three, at 7, 9 and 12 inches, with silicone tips and a gradient blue finish on this listing. The frames are stainless steel, which HOTEC describes as “sturdy, heat resistance, anti-rust, anti-corrosion, light weight.”

The three lengths split the work naturally. The 7-inch pair suits serving salad or plating at the counter, the 9-inch handles most skillet cooking, and the 12-inch keeps your hand farther from a grill or a deep pot. To store them, you “pull the ring for lock and push for unlock,” then hang them by the loop or drop them in a drawer.

HOTEC says it redesigned the handle pattern to better protect hands “from cutting by the edge,” and the handles are cushioned with silicone for a thumb rest and a non-slip hold. The listing says the silicone tip “is heat resistance and less prone to scratch the pan,” without giving a temperature. The set is dishwasher safe.

It suits new households, college apartments and anyone replacing a mismatched drawer of tongs who wants every common length covered with nonstick-friendly tips. Having three sizes also means one can be in the dishwasher while another is at the stove, which is handy on busy cooking days.

Why we like it

• Three lengths in one box
• Silicone tips
• Hang loop and pull-ring lock

Watch out for

The listing calls the tips heat resistant but gives no temperature, so keep them out of direct contact with a ripping-hot pan.

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5. GORILLA GRIP Silicone-Tipped Tongs, 7 and 9 Inch: Best Short Tongs for Serving

GORILLA GRIP’s Stainless Steel Kitchen Tongs come as a two-pack, one 7-inch and one 9-inch, in black. Each has stainless arms, scalloped silicone tips and a silicone-covered handle with what the brand calls an “ergonomic thumb rest.” The manufacturer field names Hills Point Industries.

These are short tongs, and that shapes how you use them. They are handy for turning a few shrimp, tossing a salad, lifting dumplings from a steamer basket or serving at the table. GORILLA GRIP says the scalloped edges grip “everything from cherries, vegetables, and pasta to steaks, and burgers.”

On materials, the listing describes “BPA free silicone tips that are gentle on nonstick, stainless steel, ceramic, and cast iron cookware while withstanding temperatures up to 550°F.” The stainless body is described as rust resistant and dishwasher safe. A “pull lock mechanism” keeps them compact, and an integrated hook lets them hang.

They suit apartment kitchens, small skillets and anyone who finds 12-inch tongs clumsy for everyday plating. Pair them with a longer tong if you grill or deep-fry. Because the listing calls out ceramic and cast iron as well as nonstick, they can move between pans without a second thought about the coating, and the short arms store easily in a shallow drawer.

Why we like it

• Stated 550°F tip rating
• Scalloped silicone edges
• Thumb rest on the handle

Watch out for

At 7 and 9 inches, these keep your hands closer to the heat than any other pick here.

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6. ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE 304 Stainless Tongs, 9 and 12 Inch: Best Long Tongs for Grilling

ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE’s 304 Stainless Steel Kitchen Cooking Tongs come as a pair: a 9-inch tong for “everyday stovetop cooking and serving” and a 12-inch tong for “flipping food safely over hot gas or charcoal grills.” Both have brushed steel arms, black non-slip handles and wavy scalloped heads.

In practice, the 12-inch tong is the one you take outside. Long reach and all-metal heads mean nothing on the tip can soften against hot grates. The brand says the scalloped edges grip food so “burgers, steaks, veggies, and sausages don’t slip or fall,” even with wet or greasy hands.

ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE describes the steel as “premium 304 stainless steel” that is “Heat Resistant to 600°F” and suited to “grilling, searing, broiling, and cast iron cooking.” A pull-ring clip locks them closed for a drawer, and a “large hanging loop fits kitchen rails or grill hooks.” The listing calls them “completely dishwasher safe.” The model field reads WH-0601UK.

They suit backyard grillers, anyone searing in cast iron, and cooks who want a sturdy all-metal set that can live by the grill all summer. The 9-inch partner earns its place indoors for skillet work, so the pair covers both the patio and the stove. Expect to keep them away from coated pans, though, since the listing makes no nonstick claim.

Why we like it

• 12-inch reach for the grill
• Stated 600°F rating
• Hanging loop fits grill hooks

Watch out for

Bare steel heads can scratch coated pans, so keep these for grates, stainless and cast iron.

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How We Chose the Best Kitchen Tongs

We read each listing, the fetched specs and the sales rank, and quoted only what the listings say:

• Length: the sizes in the title or bullets, from 7 inches for serving to 12 inches for the grill.
• Locking mechanism: how each tong locks closed for storage, as described.
• Tip material: bare stainless steel or silicone tips, and whether the listing claims nonstick safety.
• Heat rating: only the number each brand states, or flagged as not stated.
• Head shape and care: scalloped heads and dishwasher instructions as listed.
• Availability: in stock and sold by Amazon.com or the brand’s own store, with one pick per brand.

Kitchen Tongs Buying Guide

Best Locking Kitchen Tongs: How the Locks Differ

Every pick here locks closed, but not the same way. HOTEC, GORILLA GRIP and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE use a pull ring or pull lock at the hinge end, and HOTEC spells out “pull the ring for lock and push for unlock.” KitchenAid describes a locking mechanism that lets the arms “spring open freely at a 30 degree range” when released. OXO and All-Clad simply say they lock. A lock matters most for drawer storage; if you hang tongs on a rail, a loop or hook (HOTEC, GORILLA GRIP, ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE) is the bigger convenience.

Best Silicone Tipped Tongs and Heat Ratings

Three picks have silicone tips: KitchenAid, HOTEC and GORILLA GRIP. Only two give a number, and they differ: KitchenAid lists 500F/260C and GORILLA GRIP lists 550°F. HOTEC calls its tips heat resistant without a figure. A stated rating is a brand claim, not something we measured, so treat it as an upper limit and don’t leave silicone tips resting in a hot, empty pan.

Best Stainless Steel Tongs

All-metal tongs have nothing to melt or wear off. OXO uses brushed stainless steel, All-Clad lists highly polished 18/10 stainless, and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE names 304 stainless with a 600°F rating. KitchenAid’s silicone-tipped frame is listed as 430 stainless. If you cook mostly in cast iron (see our cast iron skillet guide) or stainless, bare steel heads are a natural match.

Best Tongs for Nonstick Pans

Metal can scratch coated pans, which is why brands pitch silicone or nylon tips for nonstick. KitchenAid says its tips are “safe for all cookware, including nonstick,” and GORILLA GRIP calls its tips “gentle on nonstick.” HOTEC says its tips are “less prone to scratch the pan.” For flipping eggs and fish in the same pans, add a soft-edged turner from our spatula guide, or compare full kits in our cooking utensil set guide.

Best Long Tongs for Grilling

Length is your heat shield. A 12-inch tong is the longest size in these listings, offered by KitchenAid, OXO, All-Clad, HOTEC and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE. GORILLA GRIP tops out at 9 inches. ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE is the only listing that names gas and charcoal grills for its 12-inch tong. For a dedicated grill kit with spatula and brush, see our grill tool set guide.

Scalloped vs. Flat Heads

Scalloped (wavy) edges bite into food and help with round or slippery items. OXO, GORILLA GRIP and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE all describe scalloped heads. KitchenAid, HOTEC and All-Clad don’t describe the head shape in their bullets, so check the photos if that matters to you.

Tongs, Hot Pans and Kitchen Fire Safety

Long tongs keep your hands away from spatter, but the bigger risk at the stove is walking away from it. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking is “by far, the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries,” and unattended equipment was the leading factor in nonconfined home cooking fires.

• Stand by your pan. USFA advises turning the burner off if you leave the kitchen.
• Watch the heat. If you see smoke or the grease starts to boil, USFA says to turn the burner off.
• Keep a lid nearby. USFA recommends a pan lid or baking sheet to cover a pan that catches fire.
• Turn handles inward. Point pot handles toward the back of the stove so no one bumps them.
• Protect your hands. Tongs handle food; for hot pans and racks, use good oven mitts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best kitchen tongs for most people?

The KitchenAid Silicone Stainless Steel Tongs are our overall pick. They are 12 inches long, rank #3 in Tongs, lock closed, and the listing rates the silicone tips heat resistant to 500F/260C and safe for all cookware, including nonstick.

Are silicone-tipped tongs better for nonstick pans?

Brands pitch them that way. KitchenAid, GORILLA GRIP and HOTEC all say their silicone tips are safe or gentle on nonstick or less likely to scratch. Bare stainless tongs from OXO, All-Clad and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE make no nonstick claim.

What length of tongs is best?

Nine inches suits most stovetop cooking, 12 inches is better for grills, deep pots and the oven, and 7 inches works for serving. The HOTEC set includes all three lengths.

What are the best locking kitchen tongs?

All six picks lock. HOTEC, GORILLA GRIP and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE use a pull-ring style lock plus a hanging loop or hook, while KitchenAid, OXO and All-Clad lock for drawer storage.

What are the best long tongs for grilling?

The ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE set includes a 12-inch, all-304-stainless tong that the brand rates to 600°F and names for gas and charcoal grills. The OXO and All-Clad 12-inch tongs are also all metal.

The Bottom Line

The KitchenAid Silicone-Tipped 12-Inch Tongs are the best kitchen tongs for most cooks: a strong seller with a stated 500F/260C tip rating, a nonstick-safe claim and warranty terms in the listing. Choose the OXO 12-Inch Locking Tongs for a simple all-steel tool, All-Clad for polished 18/10 stainless and a lifetime warranty field, the HOTEC set for three lengths at once, GORILLA GRIP for short serving tongs, and ALLWIN-HOUSEWARE for the grill.

Questions about how a kitchen fire would be handled under your homeowners or renters policy? Ask your agent: call Jeff Smith’s State Farm office at (740) 354-7747 or schedule a free coverage review, and see our Ohio homeowners insurance guide or Ohio renters insurance guide.