Photo by Justin Tsucalas for The Washington Post; food styling by Marie Ostrosky for The Washington Post
One of my favorite visual gags (of many) in the classic film "Mary Poppins” is when the "practically perfect in every way” nanny played by Julie Andrews begins pulling item after increasingly absurd item out of her bottomless carpetbag. We all have a drawer in our kitchen just like that. And if yours resembles mine at all, it’s probably overflowing with untold numbers of disposable chopsticks.
I did not fully comprehend the depth of my chopstick problem until I started gathering them to fill out the photo above. Almost all the sets shown here came from one small drawer in my kitchen - that, yes, is a now little less crowded (but still crammed with junk, I’m only human). While the urge to purge is hard to fight, especially when space is in short supply, you can do more with those takeout chopsticks than just eating with them or tossing them out in frustration.
Here are some of my favorite ways to get more use out of them before bidding them a fond farewell.
Check how much a liquid has reduced
Use a chopstick to monitor how much a liquid has cooked down. Photo by Justin Tsucalas for The Washington Post; food styling by Marie Ostrosky for The Washington Post
Many sauce or soup recipes suggest you cook the liquid until it is reduced by a certain amount. You can, of course, eyeball it. But if you’re of the more exacting sort (hi! it’s me!) and want something in between guessing and pouring the whole lot into a measuring cup to confirm the amounts, pull out a chopstick. Dip it into the liquid at the start of cooking. Now you have your high-water mark. When you want to check how much it has reduced, simply stick it back into the pot or pan and compare the new level to the old.
Make an orange peel twist
A chopstick makes a handy mold for a pretty orange peel twist. Photo by Justin Tsucalas for The Washington Post; food styling by Marie Ostrosky for The Washington Post
An orange twist is a classic cocktail garnish, and a chopstick is a helpful tool for making it look its best. First, cut off a wide piece of peel using a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Then, cut a strip to the width of your choice. Next, wrap the strip of peel around the chopstick. (A round pen or pencil will also do the trick.) Pull the strip tightly and hold it in place for a few seconds to form its shape. Slide the twist off and add to your drink.
Pop bubbles before water-bath canning
When canning pickles or jam, you typically need to get rid of any bubbles in the food before screwing on the lid and setting the jars in the pot of boiling water. This helps ensure the jars seal properly once they’re removed from the water bath. Chopsticks are slim and maneuverable enough to easily get to all the bubbles without making a mess or agitating the food too much (and therefore creating more bubbles and air pockets).
Confirm whether oil is ready for frying
When oil is ready for frying, it will sizzle immediately around a chopstick. Photo by Justin Tsucalas for The Washington Post; food styling by Marie Ostrosky for The Washington Post
No matter how much you cook or what you like to make, an instant-read thermometer is an essential kitchen tool. That being said, I know not everyone has one - or can find it quickly when they need it imminently for shallow- or deep-frying. In a pinch, pull out a chopstick. When the oil immediately sizzles around the chopstick, it’s ready. (If you do this several times, you may wish to change out the chopstick, as it may be harder to gauge as the wood soaks up more oil.) Scientists also told NPR that you can wet the tip of the chopstick, stick it in the oil and listen. There should be "this nice bubbling sound,” almost like a "song,” according to Tadd Truscott of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.
Flip food you are frying or boiling
There are some tasks best done with a pair of chopsticks and not just one. If you are boiling bagels or frying doughnuts, pull out a set to help you flip them over in the liquid. (Also: Ebelskivers!) Here, chopsticks act as almost an extension of your fingers, allowing you the dexterity of two hands and not just one, as you’d be limited to with tongs. And with chopsticks, you run less of a risk of deflating your expanding bagel or doughnut dough since you can gently flip the food over with the tips. Grasping it with tongs can potentially cause more damage.
Use as a handle for sweet treats
While I wouldn’t necessarily use chopsticks in lieu of bamboo skewers- they’re too thick and dull for something like kebabs - they are good options for other foods on sticks. If you’re planning to make your own caramel apples or rock candy, save yourself time and money by swapping in chopsticks for the candy sticks, wooden dowels or paper lollipop sticks the recipe may call for.
Clean your kitchen
Even if you never use a chopstick to actually cook food, you can certainly grab one to clean up. The kitchen is full off hard-to-reach spots, and chopsticks, like their wooden skewer cousins, are ideal for getting to them. Think the gaps in and around the oven or even inside narrow bottles, jars or glasses, when paired with a dish or paper towel. A chopstick can also help you nudge crumbs out of annoying spots in the toaster oven. (Just make sure it’s unplugged first.)
