The Right Way to Hold Chopsticks with @Choibites 🥢

Food Network
Food NetworkMay 3, 2026

Why It Matters

Understanding proper chopstick technique and etiquette enhances cooking efficiency, respects cultural traditions, and improves the overall dining experience for both home cooks and professionals.

Key Takeaways

  • Hold chopsticks like a pencil, pivoting only the top piece
  • Use chopsticks for cooking tasks, replacing spatulas, forks, and tongs
  • Proper etiquette: rest chopsticks beside plate, never on food
  • Training chopsticks help toddlers develop fine motor skills early
  • Mastering chopsticks enhances dining experience and cultural appreciation

Summary

The video demonstrates the correct way to hold chopsticks, likening the grip to holding a pencil, and shows how the top stick moves while the bottom remains stationary. It then expands the discussion to using chopsticks as a versatile kitchen tool, replacing traditional utensils for stirring, whisking, deep‑frying, and plating.

Key insights include the simple two‑finger pivot technique, the practicality of chopsticks for tasks normally requiring spatulas, forks, or tongs, and proper dining etiquette—always resting chopsticks beside the plate, never on the food, to avoid disrespecting ancestors. The creator also highlights training chopsticks for toddlers, noting how early practice builds fine‑motor coordination.

Notable moments feature the line “think of a pencil,” the claim that chopsticks can “whisk your yolk” without a whisk, and a humorous warning about spirits haunting if you place chopsticks on food. The presenter even demonstrates using chopsticks to level flour and to plate dishes with precision.

The broader implication is that mastering chopsticks not only streamlines cooking and dining but also deepens cultural appreciation and mindfulness, encouraging viewers to adopt a simple yet powerful tool in everyday meals.

Original Description

Esther uses chopsticks for EVERYTHING in the kitchen. (That's why she keeps a giant container of them on her counter.)
See how she puts them to work on this week's episode of her new YouTube series, #CookingWithChoi.

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