Comments: As an institution, we do not believe in magic. We have also not heard anyone around the office express a belief in magic. Still, we are pretty sure that how these Rösle tongs work.

The Rösle folks say there is a patented coupling mechanism that allows the tongs to be opened and locked together with just one hand. After looking at them very closely from all angles, our money is still on magic. (OK, we do hear something metal move when we hold the tongs vertically, with the tips pointing down, and give a little squeeze. The tongs simply unlock themselves. Squeeze them closed in any other position, and they lock together.)

Tongs may be the most important tool in the kitchen – perhaps after a good knife – and it kills us that some people don't have them, or have those worthless wire tongs that are about as useful as a child using chopsticks for the first time. Every kitchen should have a good pair of tongs (multiple pairs, in fact).

We have had tongs take up too much room, so the locking mechanism in these tongs clamps them down to a very trim 1-1/2" around and just over 10" long (the hanging loop adds about 1"). We have had tongs break, so the lifetime warranty offers peace of mind. We have had tongs with an overdeveloped spring that were physically hard to use, and these are just right. And we have had tongs that were hard to unlock (and all that we can remember require two hands), so these squeeze-with-one-hand tongs offer a real benefit, especially if you're stirring or doing something else important with your other hand.

Rösle says the silicone-covered tips won't pinch your food the way uncovered metal tips can, and we agree that some tongs have pretty sharp edges that can damage delicate foods. Rösle says these are sensitive enough to pick up a raisin or a pea. The silicone is heat-resistant up to 500°F (260°C). The "teeth" come together in close contact, so that you can grip food with a lot of surface area, not just the tip of the tongs.