Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by
If you already have a set of kitchen knives, do you really need kitchen shears? The shears can be very useful for a variety of kitchen tasks, and once you understand how they can be used more effectively than other tools in certain situations, you will probably find them indispensable.
A good pair of kitchen shears is something every kitchen should have, and I’ll show you a few different uses for them as well as how to buy one that is of good quality and that will be effective for you and easy to use.
What Are Kitchen Shears Used for?
A lot of people will use their shears to cut herbs and seasonings. The long stems of parsley, chives, cilantro, thyme, and other herbs can easily be snipped with shears. It takes less force and effort than if you’re trying to lay them on a cutting board and chop them. The shears snip through easily and with little difficulty.
You can use them to make your seasonings and herbs just the right size, cutting them up for cooking, blending, or juicing. Using the shears is a quick and easy way to snip off the ends and get rid of the leafy or inedible parts that you don’t want in your food. Using shears instead of a knife means you don’t have to get the cutting board out either. So, it saves you from having to wash another dish later on and makes less of a mess in your kitchen.
Kitchen shears, if they are strong enough and large enough, can be used to cut through meat as well. High quality kitchen shears are powerful enough to cut through the bone of roast turkey and chicken. You can insert the bottom blade of the shears into the end of the bird with the other blade resting on top of the bird. Then, start cutting your way from one end to the other. You’ll snip easily through meat, flesh, and bone. This is a lot faster and easier and makes less mess than if you work to try to use a carving knife to do the same thing to the bird.
Kitchen shears aren’t just for cutting open food and cutting food down to size. You can also use them to cut open food packages. I use mine to get rid of plastic wrap and cut open plastic bags and paper bags all the time in the kitchen. It’s a lot safer than using a small kitchen knife to cut open the packaging as you are never slicing toward anybody, but rather the two blades are slicing toward each other and closing on one another.
Yes, there is a small chance that you can cut yourself because you’re holding a package improperly, but it’s far less likely that you’ll cut yourself with a pair of kitchen shears than you would with a kitchen knife. So, I like them for how safe they are and how I can give them to a younger person as a kitchen tool for certain tasks and not have to worry that they will cut themselves with the shears.
A lot of kitchen shears have more functions than just cutting through stuff. Certain brands, like Tullen, make multi-use kitchen shears. What are Tullen kitchen shears used for? These shears feature a bottle opener/lid opener in the handle. You simply open the shears from the handle and place the handle over the lid. Then, squeeze the shears as tightly as possible and pop open or turn open the lid. It’s a pretty simple and effective way to open all kinds of lids no matter what size they are. These particular kitchen shears have small ridges on the inside of the handle just before the blades that can be useful for opening lids that would otherwise be very difficult to open.
Clamping down on the edges or sides of the lid with the shears gives you a good grip, and then it becomes simple enough to turn the shears to twist the lid open.
What Kind of Kitchen Shears to Buy?
There are a few things to look for as you try to find the right kind of kitchen shears for your kitchen.
Of course, you want something that will give you some value for your dollar. So, you’re looking for shears that are of high quality and made with materials that will last. In other words, you want shears that are durable and that won’t fail on you after heavy usage.
You also want shears that can handle seriously hard work. Lightweight shears bend and snap under heavy pressure and won’t be very versatile. You’ll be very limited about how you can use them, so I suggest getting a heavier duty pair of shears and definitely reading some of views about what’s out there to make sure you’re getting high quality shears with good craftsmanship.
Another thing to look for in your kitchen shears is functionality. Did the shears include a bottle opener or lid opener functionality? A lot of modern kitchen shears do, and there’s no excuse for the ones that don’t.
You may also want to look for shears that are easy to maintain. Ones that rust and are made from cheap materials will need a lot of maintenance and may need to be replaced or repaired shortly. Ones made with stainless steel or otherwise treated metal can last for a long time and not need hardly any maintenance at all.
Also look for shears that are comfortable to hold. This is something that is often overlooked, but I think it is just as important a factor when choosing the right kitchen shears as any of the other factors I’ve already named. The level of comfort provided by the kitchen shears is crucial, as you will often be doing heavy work with these shears and applying a lot of force to them. You don’t want to injure your hands or use shears that are difficult to work with, so look for something that’s designed for comfort.
Also keep in mind that some shears are easier to clean than others. I look for shears that are easy to take apart and that can be cleaned very easily. Shears that are not easily disassembled will be tough to clean. It will be difficult to get into those hard to reach places and clean them effectively. Shears that are easy to clean, on the other hand, will last much longer, because they will be simple to maintain well.
I hope this helps you as you consider buying kitchen shears or if you’re looking into some of the uses for this handy kitchen tool.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!