An easy way to waste time is to cheap out on the tools you have in your household for everyday tasks. If you’ve ever found yourself cutting your hand because you tried to saw open a blister pack with a steak knife like some post-apocalyptic barbarian, you should consider acquiring high quality kitchen shears.
I’d say our arsenal of scissors saves us a couple of minutes a day on average, but makes a big difference for some projects. Plus, it’s way less frustrating to get clean, direct cuts exactly the way you intend. For example, my wife insisted that I had to cut down an under-rug anti-slip mat that proved nearly impossible and almost destroyed my hand with regular scissors. The end result looked like construction paper on a 5th grader’s science project board. Later, I went back and re-did the job with a new pair of ultra-sharp, high quality kitchen shears, and I felt like an idiot for not having thought to invest $20 to save myself the headache.
What are kitchen scissors useful for?
Sharp kitchen shears (aka. “chef scissors”, “food cutting scissors”) cut stuff with high precision and save you from uncomfortable sawing and struggling with weak scissors. Some people use them to cut food – meat, herbs, etc. A pair of poultry scissors is handy for slicing up lean meats. I personally just keep kitchen shears around for dealing with packaging and cutting into thick materials like cardboard. We have several pairs of kitchen shears in our house for this reason.
What are the best kitchen shears to buy?
Stainless steel shears are generally best because they tend to be rustproof, dishwasher safe, and last a long time. You can sharpen them with a conventional knife sharpener.
If you want to go expensive, and dear God is it possible to go expensive on this, consider the Shun Multi-Purpose Shears. These shears also have some utilities attached, including a nutcracker, a jar opener, a bone notch, a lid lifter, and two screwdriver tips. These are our primary home shears and we haven’t been disappointed.
Looking for a budget option? The classic KitchenAid utility shears, which are usually under $10, are a solid addition. They are particularly helpful if you want to keep a pair in multiple locations. I keep one in the garage, one in the ‘random ass junk’ drawer in our kitchen, and one upstairs.
Looking for a middle ground, Goldilocks? The best middle option is OXO Good Grips’ shears, running around $20. Maybe you want kitchen scissors that come apart.
Why you should pay $60 for scissors
Even if you go for the expensive option, the value of improving your everyday workflows is both long-term and compounding. There’s no reason to skimp. You could easily blow $60 buying cocktails at that restaurant that’s pretending not to be Applebee’s but is effectively an Applebee’s with markup on the menu to pay for the exposed brick and hanging vintage light fixtures. Invest in durability and pragmatism over consumption.
Postscript: How to sharpen kitchen scissors
A simple way to improve the longevity of your scissors is to sharpen them. I like to use a knife sharpener and work each side of the scissors like a blade, which is great for bringing it back to life.
Check out the article on the Spruce Eats, how to sharpen kitchen scissors for more techniques.
