The 5 Best Kitchen Tweezers, According to My Tests (and How to Use Them)

How I Tested Kitchen Tweezers

I collected seven sets of tweezers (two were double sets), priced between $7 and $88, with an average cost of $24, and evaluated them for size, balance, grip size, tip size, and overall construction. I then let them do what they do best: I picked things up with them.

• Banana pepper test: I used each pair of tweezers to extract one thin ring of sliced banana pepper from a jar, noting how easy it was to separate a single ring, grasp it, remove it, and deposit it on the counter without damaging it.
• Pickle spear test: Much along the same lines as the banana pepper test, I used the tweezers to grasp a larger item — a quartered pickle. Again, I noted how easy it was to separate a single spear, how well the tips grasped it, and how easy it was to extract and deposit the pickle.
• Microgreen test: Since people sometimes malign tweezers for plating haughty food presentations (“tweezer food”), I leaned into the idea. I first separated, extracted, and placed a single microgreen on a finished plate. Then I repeated the steps, this time with a small bunch of greens. I rated each pair of tweezers on how well they performed during each step, looking for any crushed greens, how easily I could extract a single green, and how easily I could extract and create a pleasantly shaped clump of greens.
• Chicken thigh test: I pan-roasted a batch of chicken thighs and tested each pair of tweezers by lifting and turning the pieces as they cooked. I noted how easily I could grasp the chicken, how well the tweezers gripped, and if the tweezers stabbed through the chicken skin.

At the end of these tests, I rated the tweezers on their effectiveness, design, comfort, and ease of cleaning. 

Other Kitchen Tweezers I Tested

Strong Contender

Jetkong 12-Inch Kitchen Tweezers Fine Tweezer Tongs  ($14 at Amazon)

The Jetkong would be a runner-up for the Best Value set. The two-piece set features a fine-tipped pair and a flared-ended pair. They performed adequately across all the tests, but neither pair was particularly adept at turning chicken or selecting a single microgreen.

What Didn’t Make the List

Can a double-set of tweezers for under $10 compete with more expensive models? In the case of the  ChefBee Kitchen Cooking Tongs Tweezers ($6 at Amazon), the answer is no. While the set offers some versatility by providing both fine-tipped and flared tweezers, neither of them proved particularly useful for anything more demanding than retrieving food from jars.

What Are Kitchen Tweezers Used For?

I kept two pairs on hand for restaurant work; both had a purpose. The longer pair was for grilling, sautéing, flipping steaks, shellfish, and vegetables. The smaller pair was for detail work, usually out of my realm, but occasionally helpful in placing a piece of micro-cilantro at just the right, whimsical angle. At home, both pairs present themselves as the solution to problems I didn't know could be fixed: extricating a couple of capers or olives from a jar, flipping a single disc of carrot to check for doneness, plucking a slice of bread out of the oven without crushing it or burning my fingers — long story short, I’m never going back to tongs.

Kitchen tweezers are perfect for any task where you would reach for a pair of tongs but want more precision. They provide a gentler grip and more finesse than you get with tongs. Tweezers help turn meats, vegetables, and shellfish, whether on the stovetop or grill, and they’re perfect for mixing and plating stranded pasta. More specialized tweezers help with precision plating or pulling out fish bones, among other things. We see tweezers used primarily for plating in fancy restaurants, but if you think of them as an extension of your hands that can offer more precision than your fingers or tongs, you'll come to realize they're a multipurpose tool that is worth a spot in your kitchen drawer.

Factors to Consider

Tweezer Length

Tweezers aren’t a one-size-fits-all tool. I keep four pairs in my knife roll, each with a distinct purpose. The longest, at 12 inches, has some girth: half an inch wide at the grips, with an eighth-inch tip. These are some of my favorite grilling tools for grasping larger items and keeping my hands away from the flame. While they seem too narrow initially, they’re well suited for turning steaks or shrimp without squeezing the life out of them.

The following two pairs step down in size, at 10 and 8 inches, respectively. The longer of the two is ideal for plating stranded pasta or gently flipping scallops, and the shorter for more delicate items that still have a little heft to them, like Brussels sprouts or asparagus. My smallest pair is 6.5 inches, with an offset design and fine tips. These are for grabbing small items like sprigs of chervil or garlic chips and placing them precisely while plating.

Tweezer Design

There's a surprising amount of variation in both size and shape of culinary tweezers, with different types made for different tasks. For larger items, you want a pair with a wider grip and tips that allow you to move or turn your food without struggling to hold it. If you’ll be cooking over a grill or open fire, you’ll want a pair long enough to give you some distance from the heat as well. For detail work, you need a fine-pointed pair with an offset design that gives you more precision and keeps your hand and fingers away from the plate. For pulling out fish bones, a wide grip and broad tip are best.

Our Expertise

Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His writing has appeared in Food & Wine, Food Republic, Serious Eats, Tasting Table, and other publications.