Gear

Gear: Wooden toaster tongs

 

Wooden toaster tongs gripping a slice of tasty toast made with Alberta's own Prairie Mill bread.

How many times have you said to yourself, “Damn, self. I sure love toast, but I hate accidentally electrocuting myself when I remove a slice from the toaster with a fork. Isn’t there … a BETTER WAY?

Yes, my friends!

These nifty wooden toaster tongs came from a craft vendor at the City Market in downtown Edmonton, and were gifted to NEAROF!, possibly as a precautionary measure due to our lamentable toaster ineptitude. They are AWESOME.

Why You’d Want One: If you use a traditional top-loading toaster, things can get stuck, and using a metal anything to remove stuck stuff from a toaster is just plain stupid. Also, if you’re fond of heavier bread with a hefty specific heat capacity, you may scorch the tips of your fingers while retrieving hot toast from any type of toaster. Lesson learned.

What it Is: Toaster tongs are springy wooden (or plastic) tongs designed for removing hot toast from a toaster. If you can’t figure out how to use tongs, this site can’t help you.

Where to Find: Well, if you’re in Edmonton, keep an eye out for similar things at the City Market on Saturdays in the summer. If you live in Australia and don’t fancy flying to Edmonton to buy $7 toaster tongs, try local specialty kitchen shops, craft fairs or farmers’ markets. You’ll find wooden ones and plastic ones, but if you opt for plastic make sure they’re heat-resistant. Also, um, don’t buy metal tongs. That sort of defeats the purpose.

Happy safe toast-eating, internet!

If you'd like toaster tongs this lovely, you'll have to find the Unique Wood Products booth at the City Market in downtown Edmonton.

RATINGS AND DETAILS

Cost: $7 at the City Market, Edmonton’s downtown farmers’ market on 104th Street. (Gifted to NEAROF!)

Value for cash money: Great!

Availability: Farmers’ markets, craft fairs, kitchen shops, etc.

Nutrition?: No, silly! Don’t eat it!

The verdict: Sure, it’s another kitchen gadget for the gadget drawer, but this one is useful.

Removing a slice from the toaster with toaster tongs. Note the lack of hands being burned.

3 Comments

  1. I love my wooden tongs! They come in handy and I agree that I don’t burn my fingers. I got mine from the home-based business. I find that my toaster oven only toasts on one side at a time (I need one that works properly), so it’s nice to have the tongs to flip the toast over on the second side while it’s still hot so it can continue to toast! (tongs also work well for walnut roll – better known as “gibanica”)

  2. Is it possible to have 3 of the toaster tongs shipped to Ontario? I had some that I had purchased in Vermont a few years ago and my dog ATE them yesterday. I called down there and the shipping was going to be OUTRAGEOUS (almost $40) to get them to Canada. I am searching desperately to replace them. Thank you!

    • Try your local farmers’ market or craft fair, as you may find them there (with zero shipping charges!). Outside of that, specialty kitchen shops should have them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if your local department store’s kitchen section has some in stock — just maybe not handcrafted wooden toast tongs. Good luck!