In an episode of MBC’s Korean variety show 전지적 참견 시점, comedian Lee Guk-joo makes French toast for her manager using tongs with triangular tips and scissor-style handles. The scene appears in episode 226, which aired on November 26, 2022. You can watch the official MBC clip or read MBC’s episode recap.
Watch the MBC clip
The Manager (전지적 참견 시점), episode 226 · November 26, 2022. Watch Lee Guk-joo prepare French toast in MBC’s official clip.
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Seeing Lee use tongs made me curious enough to buy a pair myself. I ordered mine from Coupang, a Korean online retailer. The Korean listing name translates as “Comet Kitchen 304 Stainless Steel Scissor-Style Tongs.” I haven’t confirmed whether they are the same brand or model as the ones on screen, so this is an account of the pair I bought.
With the regular tongs I used before, my finger muscles would ache after repeated use. I suspected it was from squeezing against the force that pushed the tongs open again. This scissor-style pair felt more like picking up food with chopsticks to me, and my hand didn’t hurt while I used them.
I often used them when pan-frying mandu, or Korean dumplings. I would pick up and turn the dumplings several times as they cooked, and I found these tongs comfortable for that repeated movement. In my own use, I didn’t notice any particular drawbacks.
On screen, this style of tongs was used for French toast. In my kitchen, it became a tool I reached for when flipping dumplings. That’s my experience of trying something I saw on a Korean show, not a promise that everyone will find it equally comfortable.