I’ve Been Cooking Over Fire for Years, and This $13 Set of Roasting Sticks Just Upgraded My Game Immensely

There are many great culinary delights that come with being an adult. Drinking cocktails? Cool. Staying up really late to eat dinner? Love it. As a longtime cook and food writer, I’m all about embracing the adventures that adulthood brings, from world travel to Michelin-starred meals; but I also believe that being a grown-up means nothing if you aren’t having a really good time. On that note, earlier this summer, I threw a dinner party where I was grilling a bunch of food in my backyard. I asked one of my friends if she’d bring something for dessert, assuming she’d show up with some fruit, cookies, or maybe a fresh cake (she’s a great baker). She really surprised me, instead, by bringing ingredients to make s’mores. 

I’m a major s’mores defender. I love them. But for some reason, it had never occurred to me to make (let alone serve) them at home. After that night, however, I fell in love again with my favorite childhood dessert, and vowed to incorporate s’mores heavily into my diet this summer (sorry to my doctor). 

The main obstacle, as far as I could tell, was finding the right tool for roasting marshmallows. I know that using sticks from trees can be good, but there simply aren’t a ton of trees on the block where I live in Chicago; plus, when I was a teenager, I had a traumatic incident where I was at a campfire looking for a stick to roast a marshmallow, and picked up one that had just been discarded by a friend, burning my hand. I knew there had to be a better way — and when I stumbled on Unco’s stainless steel extendable roasting sticks at Amazon, I knew they were the right move. 

Unco Extendable Roasting Sticks, 10-Pack

These roasting sticks are incredible. First, they cost just over a dollar each, as a pack of ten is $13. The build is really strong: There’s a plastic grip that’s actually pretty ergonomic for your hand, and the stainless steel body extends up to 45 inches, so you can roast your food from a safe distance. And even with dried marshmallow remains thoroughly caked on, they’re pretty easy to clean. Finally, each stick has two reasonably sharp skewers, so you can double (or quadruple, if you’re truly unhinged) the marshmallows if you want. Plus, there’s a handy bag to keep them in, so you aren’t taking up a bunch of space in your utensil drawer. 

These are good for all sorts of foods beyond marshmallows. We had some friends over for a hot dog dinner recently — an absolute hosting power move, if I may say so — and decided to just cook them over our Solo Stove in the backyard with the roasting sticks. There’s something very special about a group of people in their 30s roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire and having a total blast doing it. 

Going forward, I’m excited to try cooking other foods with these sticks, especially potatoes, mushrooms, and shrimp. Roasting apples over the fire in the fall? Can’t wait. In the meantime, if you want to make the most of your summer and elevate your s’mores and hot dogs to a new level? It starts with these roasting sticks.

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At the time of publishing, the price was $13.