Chopsticks aren't only for eating. The Japanese use cooking chopsticks known as saibashi to delicately handle their food as it cooks. Saibashi are like the lightsabers of asian cooking; not as clumsy or random as tongs. Truly, they are an elegant tool for a more civilized age.
Saibashi are different from regular chopsticks, or hashi, in two key points: length and material. Hashi are made of various materials and are generally not much longer than 20 cm (9 in), whereas saibashi are usually made of bamboo or wood and around twice as long as hashi. The heat-resistant bamboo/wood and added length make saibashi well suited for handling food during high-temperature operations such as frying and simmering. Tempura chefs can often be seen using saibashi to pluck their fried delicacies out of pots of scaldingly hot oil and gingerly plate them in Japanese fashion.
Saibashi are great for use with coated non-stick frying pans because they will not scratch the surface as easily as a metal implement would, even during vigorous stir-frying. They are also great for naturalists because of their all natural construction materials; you don't have to worry about BPAs finding their way into your meal with a pair of bamboo Saibashi.
Really, saibashi are just two wooden sticks with tapered points. The number of uses for such a simple tool are only limited by your imagination. Put a sponge on the end of it and you can use it to clean the inside of narrow bottles. Pinch the ends together and use it to squeeze toothpaste out of the tube. Hide all the metal tongs at your next barbecue and replace them with saibashi to prevent any buttinskies from taking over the grill. Sometimes I use mine to scratch my back.
You can find saibashi on Amazon.com if you don't live near a cookware store with an Asian section. They don't need to be fancy; they're just a pair of wooden sticks after all. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for a pair. I got a set of 3 pairs for less than 300 yen at my local 100 yen store.
Saibashi are different from regular chopsticks, or hashi, in two key points: length and material. Hashi are made of various materials and are generally not much longer than 20 cm (9 in), whereas saibashi are usually made of bamboo or wood and around twice as long as hashi. The heat-resistant bamboo/wood and added length make saibashi well suited for handling food during high-temperature operations such as frying and simmering. Tempura chefs can often be seen using saibashi to pluck their fried delicacies out of pots of scaldingly hot oil and gingerly plate them in Japanese fashion.
Saibashi are great for use with coated non-stick frying pans because they will not scratch the surface as easily as a metal implement would, even during vigorous stir-frying. They are also great for naturalists because of their all natural construction materials; you don't have to worry about BPAs finding their way into your meal with a pair of bamboo Saibashi.
Really, saibashi are just two wooden sticks with tapered points. The number of uses for such a simple tool are only limited by your imagination. Put a sponge on the end of it and you can use it to clean the inside of narrow bottles. Pinch the ends together and use it to squeeze toothpaste out of the tube. Hide all the metal tongs at your next barbecue and replace them with saibashi to prevent any buttinskies from taking over the grill. Sometimes I use mine to scratch my back.
You can find saibashi on Amazon.com if you don't live near a cookware store with an Asian section. They don't need to be fancy; they're just a pair of wooden sticks after all. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for a pair. I got a set of 3 pairs for less than 300 yen at my local 100 yen store.
About the Author:
There is a reason why Tokyo has more Michelin stars than Paris. Kitchens in Japan are a fascinating product of centuries of culinary heritage. If you want to learn more about Japanese Kitchens, recipes, and techniques, check out my blog at fareastcoastkitchen.com.
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