Chopsticks recommendations?

I am interested in buying about 6-8 pairs, probably from amazon

I see there are metal and stainless steel ones but wouldn’t they be too slippery? I want to be able to use them regularly.

Any ideas? Ty!

Bamboo holds up, is inexpensive and doesn’t slip. 100 pairs will last years for under $10.

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Yes, metal I find too slippery to be practical. I got several sets of melamine chopsticks from Amazon that work great and are dishwasher-friendly.

Dragon Embossed Melamine Plastic Dishwasher Safe Chinese Chopsticks; 5 Pairs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQ22T50/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_99hcCbV2NPST1

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I just not a huge fan for metal chopsticks, but they don’t have to be slippy. They are only slippy if they are round and smooth. If you get the one with grooves, then it should be fine.

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Wood FTW, but I’ve come to like my grooved metal chopsticks better than plastic. Plus, plastic isn’t supposed to go in the lower dishwasher rack and it makes me nervous to put chopsticks in the top rack.

Something else to consider is gauge. The metal chopsticks I use wouldn’t do as well with soups as a plastic chopstick that doesn’t taper as much.

Don’t like the feel of metal. Slippery due to they are usually round and the touch. The square ones are a bit better. True that metal are the most hygienic.

Preferred wooden or bamboo. Food is easy to manipluate.

Personally I don’t like chopsticks that are too thick at the end. Certain food can be difficult to grab. image

Preference for those that are slightly thinner at the end.
image

I have a pair with texture like below in bamboo, not too fond of it either, the grooves when slipping inside the mouth is a bit disturbing for me (I like it smooth). These grooves are common in metal, as the material is more slippery.
image

At the end of the day, I have no problem in eating in all of them above, but for everyday use, it is better to choose something that adapt to your habits and liking.

A few years ago, I read that those disposable chopsticks can be a problem because of their overuse of toxic bleach, not particular good for health. The cheap wood can chip and cut your mouth or hand after multiple washing. I got them from time to time from takeaway, I put them away and use them for gardening support for young shoots or keep cats away from my potted plants.

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I can’t say that I have ever had any trouble with bamboo chopsticks.

Do a disposable chopsticks and bleach search online. Cancer warning in the long run.

They are no good for environment anyway, chopping too many trees.

I have. The coatings on other types can be just as harmful.
Better to use your hands. :palms_up_together:

LOL! I bet. Problem with vanish, lacquer… anyway…try to buy from reliable sources. Maybe the OP should use metal ones…

Back in the ancient times, they used silver chopsticks to detect poison food.

I have a few pair of woods without (much) coating, after a few washing they look dry and used… Sometimes I put some olive oil to nourish the wood and they look like new again.

+1 on this.

Cheap and functional. I have quite a few different ones and these work the best.

Just to be “that guy” - bamboo isn’t a tree, it’s a grass.

Edit: because of the chain order maybe you were just talking about disposable chopsticks in general (which can be made from wood too) but my first read through made me think we were still talking about bamboo chopsticks when we got to your post. :smiley:

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Agreed that bamboo is a type of grass.

About 45 percent of disposable chopsticks are made from trees like cotton wood, birch, and spruce, while the remainder are made from bamboo.

This article explains the problem of disposable chopsticks, on restaurants, national level:
https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/disposable-chopsticks-strip-asian-forests/

I’d suggest one issue around usability for disposable chopsticks. The way its cut- flat surface on all sides, and the material- coarse wood, makes them difficult to separate and move against each other, thus making them difficult to pick up food easily.

All non-disposable chopsticks are made with smooth surfaces and cross-sections with some contours- bamboo, melamine, metal. They all have its own pros and cons. But all are easier to ‘maneuver’.

To me, after using melamine extensively early on, and after trying bamboo and metal in recent years, I prefer melamine. And in general I don’t like sticking plastic in my mouth. But I still prefer melamine.

Weight- metal is heaviest, bamboo is lightest. Melamine has a good weight and it doesn’t just fall out of my hand because it weighs.

Bamboo- handwashing airdrying them- they tend to develop mold after a while.

One other consideration, if you are the type who occasionally bite on your utensil by accident, bamboo probably won’t crack your teeth while the other two will.

Shapewise- I prefer those that slims slightly from the top, but not extensively like those Japanese metal chopsticks. That’s a personal preference.

Not to nickpicking, but just want to point out that many of the metal chopsticks are not really high grade, they are very hollow. Many of them are lighter than hardwood solid choptick in my opinion.

I am going to go with the packet of 100, I didn’t realize how inexpensive they were! thanks

BUT I will beware of knock offs, A chinese restaurant I worked at bought the cheapest chopsticks, in a white wrapper stuck together at the top, they had shards of wood visible after opening them

ugh

Some of the better quality ones, they are roundish shape bamboo, and they weren’t joined at the top, and each individual pair in transparent plastic wrapper.

Given that I don’t consider bamboo chopsticks disposable, and have been sticking them in my dishwasher for years, I do have a question. Am I the only person who has to rinse off little bits and pieces of whatever from the chopsticks when I take them out of the dishwasher? I lay them flat in a silverware tray rather than standing them up in a basket, if that matters. (If I stand them up, they go through the holes in the bottom of the basket.)