How To Use And Hold Chopsticks: Beginners Guide

By Kristy Warren •  Updated: 01/05/21 •  6 min read

Chopstick is a versatile Chinese utensil. It fulfills the necessity of multiple utensils. You can use it both as fork, spoon, and knife. But many of us are not habituated in using this. So, we may find it a little difficult in the beginning.

Here, we have provided some easy and quick methods of using and holding chopsticks. This is absolutely a beginner’s guide.

Methods of using and holding chopsticks

So, follow the instructions carefully and practice the tricks several times.

Disposable Chopsticks Health issues

Before using chopsticks you must gather the best supplies of the chopsticks. Disposable chopsticks are harmful to health and the environment because it carries harmful industrial chemicals. So, try to avoid the disposable chopsticks. 

Choose chopsticks of perfect size and shape according to your food.

Methods of Using

There are different ways to use chopsticks. For maintaining you chopstick properly you have to know the process of positioning, holding and moving.

It will become easy to use chopsticks if you practice some tricks several times. Just follow the instructions which are given below.

Positioning and Holding

You will not be able to use the chopstick properly, without perfect positioning. Use your dominant hand to hold the chopstick. Make the positioning of the chopstick good by permitting it to set on your ring finger.

Now use your middle finger. Wind up the upper portion of the middle finger in the region of the chopstick. To add extra support, you can also use your thumb. Place it on the stick. 

Now it’s time to use your non-dominant hand. For placing the other chopstick, you have to use your non-writing hand. You must place another chopstick in such a way that, it will remain between your thumb and forepart finger.

Try to make a habit of holding the pair of sticks using only one hand. If you hold your chopsticks according to above instructions you will be able to control the motion of the pair easily.

You just need to practice the process several times. Thus it will get an extra push and the chopstick will get a perfect positioning.

Moving

Unbind your pointer finger in order to move your chopsticks abaft up. Use your thumb and middle finger along with the pointer finger in order to gripe the other chopstick compactly.

It will make a grasp. Thus you can easily move the pair of chopstick. Keep the first chopstick on the bottom. Use your index finger and middle finger if you want to control the movement of the top chopstick upward and downward.

Top chopstick is also used to open up the chopsticks.

You should know one thing that the chopstick which is kept on the bottom remains stationary. The chopstick which is kept onward the other chopstick is used more for lifting food.

Picking up Food

For picking up the food place your chopstick around it. To pick up the food perfectly you need to provide a good grip. Otherwise, your food will fall down on before eating.

Carrying and Eating

Now it’s time for carrying your food smoothly towards your mouth. Control your hand’s movements. Keep the movement as firm as possible. Now bring your food which you were carrying by the chopsticks.

Avoid squeezing the chopsticks when you are carrying the food. If you do such a silly mistake, your food will fly out from the chopstick and you have to face an embarrassing moment for this.

After bringing the sample food near your mouth, eat the food as soon as possible that was held on your chopstick. Trying this process several times will make you habituated with the technique.  

How to Eat Rice with Chopstick

Eating meat, vegetable and sushi are easier than eating rice by the chopstick. Eating rice using the chopstick is a little bit tough because of its tiny size. So you have to give extra effort to learn how to eat rice with the chopstick.

Here are three ways of using chopstick while you are eating rice or sticky rice.

Holding Chopsticks Sideways

Picking up rice particularly is not so easy. You have to follow some new techniques to pick rice. These new techniques will solve this toughness.

At first, take the basic chopstick form. Then turn your hand exactly 90 degrees to the snare. Now rest the pair of your chopsticks just above your hand. Thus you can easily move and control your chopstick.

This trick will help you in lifting the rice balls easily, if you put the pair of sticks horizontally. The rice will never fell from the stick. You will get a balanced lifting.

Lifting Rice

Lifting rice with the chopstick is not easy. You have to maintain two motions spontaneously for that. They are scooping motion and pinching motion.

For that at first lift your rice from the bottom. Because if you don’t pick the rice from the bottom, you will keep on dropping your rice.

Don’t put pressure on the chopstick while you are lifting rice. Keep the pressure balanced when the rice is between two chopsticks.

This process of lifting will make your chopstick like a regular spoon.

Lifting the Bowl

Don’t forget to lift your bowl along with your rice ball. Keep your bowl three or four inches away from your mouth.

Here again, use the scooping motion and pinching motion. If the rice ball drops from the chopstick the bowl below your mouth will help you to catch it.

This process will make the task of using chopstick easier. In many countries, this trick is considered as a good manner. So, make it a habit.

Note that, sticky rice is more appropriate for chopsticks. They are of various texture and sizes. So you will get a better result from it. Sticky rice is always easy to pick up like sushi, meat etc

Conclusion

From the above elaboration, you can clearly ruminate the uses of the chopsticks. If you use your chopstick properly, you will be able to eat any kind of food items in an easier and likable way.

So use and hold your chopstick properly and enjoy your meal.

Kristy Warren

Hello, I’m Kristy and the person behind KitchenPicker.com. I regularly post daily life kitchen-oriented things like kitchen hacks, kitchen tools, utensils, and related articles. The purpose of this blog is to make an archive and share my ideas and knowledge with my followers.