How to Use Chopsticks?

Step-by-step

1. Position the bottom chopstick. Rest it in the crook between your thumb and index finger, and let the lower end rest on your ring finger. This one stays completely still — it's the anchor.
2. Hold the top chopstick like a pencil. Grip it between the tips of your thumb, index, and middle fingers, above the bottom stick.
3. Move only the top stick. Pivot the top chopstick up and down using your index and middle fingers. The tips should open and close like pincers while the bottom stick doesn't move.
4. Line up the tips. Make sure both tips are even (tap them gently on the plate to align them) so they meet cleanly.
5. Pinch food. Open the tips, position them around a piece of food, and gently squeeze to grab and lift it.

Tips for beginners

• Start with larger, easy-to-grab foods.
• Hold the chopsticks about two-thirds of the way up, not at the very top or bottom.
• Relax your grip — squeezing too hard makes it harder to control.

Quick etiquette: In many Asian cultures, avoid sticking chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice (it resembles a funeral ritual), don't pass food chopstick-to-chopstick, and don't point or wave them at people.

You may also want What Are Truffles? or What Does Caviar Taste Like?.

Neighbouring how-tos sit on the Cooking & Recipes topic. From ask a follow-up you can ask a follow-up of your own — no account needed.