Tongs: an essential item in any cook's batterie de cuisine (useful for dying Easter eggs, too); here's a roundup of some favorites.

Above: Designer Sori Yanagi's tongs won Japan's prestigious Good Design award in 1998; above photo via Mjolk.

Above: The stainless steel Sori Yanagi Perforated Tongs are CA$30 at Mjolk. The same perforated Sori Yanagi Tongs are $32 at Emmo Home in the US; a set of solid Sori Yanagi Tongs is $30.

Above: High-quality Locking Stainless Tongs from German company Rosle will last a lifetime; prices start at $21 for a 9-inch-long pair at Amazon.

Above: We like the convenient hanging loop on Cuisipro's Stainless Locking Tongs; a set of 9.5-inch Cuisipro Locking Tongs is $10.99 at Amazon.