One of the most versatile kitchen tools is a good pair of kitchen shears. Learn 7 wondrous ways you can use your kitchen shears today.
What would you say is one of the most versatile tools in your kitchen? Most people would think of a specific pan, a blender, a mixer, or any number of items. While those are all great, I would have to say my kitchen shears are one of my favorite tools!
I’ll admit when the knife set we got for our wedding came with a set of kitchen shears, I wasn’t sure how much I would use them. For a long time, they were just thrown in the back of the drawer.
Fast forward one year. We moved into a brand new house in Orlando. I was pregnant with Tyler and I started cooking from home much more often. As I did, I also started to use my kitchen shears now and then. I realized just how handy they could be!
Originally Published On: March 29, 2018
Last Updated On: April 6, 2020
What are Kitchen Shears?
Kitchen shears are a tool made specifically for food preparation. They are similar to a pair of scissors, but have more versatility. Most shears are made with one blade having teeth or a serrated edge to cut through meat. Kitchen shears also often have a bottle opener built into them.
The handles are made of rubber or plastic for a smooth grip. The blade is made of stainless steel or aluminum. Some models have detachable blades so they are easier to clean.
Shears are also made to be ambidextrous. The openings in the grip are the same on both blades, so could be used in the right or left hand.
7 Helpful Ways to Use Kitchen Shears
Cut Raw Meat
The most common task that we use our kitchen shears for is cutting raw meat. For a long time, we used a knife to try to cut the fat off of the chicken, and we always lost some of the good meat as well. One day I decided to try the shears, and it made the task much easier. I’ve never looked back!
They are also great for cutting raw meat in general. If you need chunks or strips of meat, use the kitchen shears to cut it. You could also use it to cut up raw bacon or separate large pieces of ground beef.
Chop Herbs
After making sure the shears are completely clean from cutting the meat, you can use them to chop fresh herbs. Whether you are chopping them straight from your herb garden or dicing store-bought herbs, kitchen shears make the job quick and easy.
Cut Foods to Bite-Size Pieces
As a parent to two small children, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve grabbed the kitchen shears to cut their food into small pieces. My sister showed me this when she grabbed shears to cut a slice of pizza for her boys! It’s also great for things such as quesadillas, chicken strips, dried fruit, and so many other foods.
Remove Crust from Bread
Speaking of cutting things for children, how about those picky eaters who refuse to eat the crust on bread? Make your sandwich and grab those handy-dandy shears and cut the crust off the bread quickly without losing much of the rest of the bread.
Section Grapes
Sometimes you just want to grab a few grapes and go without having to pull them all off of the vine. If this is the case, use your kitchen shears to section the grapes into smaller pieces so you can quickly get a little bundle and keep on going. This is also a great way to serve them at a party rather than as individual grapes.
Open Bottles
Just recently I learned that almost all of the kitchen shears have a circular opening in the handles that are meant for opening bottles. Some of them also have grips that can be good to open stubborn lids or crack open nuts and seafood.
Open Packages
Most of the time, if I have packaging I need to open, I try to grab my regular scissors. Non-foods can dull the blades of my shears. But sometimes, I am in the middle of cooking and already have the shears out, so I use those to open spice envelopes or bags of cheese or whatever else I am working with.
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I actually don’t own any kitchen shears, but I definitely need to get some ASAP! I always forget that thats a super easy way to cut raw meat!
Oh my gosh, they are so great! I use mine almost every day.
What great ideas! I must admit I use mine like scissors! Oops!
You can, it just tends to dull them quickly.
I have two pairs of kitchen shears. I use them for everything. Even helps me cut up a chicken really quickly.
Yes! I invested in a few extra so now I have three in the kitchen!!
Ok, I have to admit that I do have a pair of kitchen shears but I am seriously under-using them. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of cutting raw meat with them! Or cutting my kids’ food into small pieces. Most likely SO much easier than using a knife and now I am excited to start doing these things with my shears.
I wasn’t using them to their full potential for a long time, either. And I’m sure there are further uses I haven’t even thought of yet!
So I totally use mine wrong…and I mean like aren’t those for opening packages wrong!!! I do use them for raw meat occasionally…but they definitely see more amazon box action!!
I used to do the same with my first pair. It ended up making them so dull they didn’t work when I needed them!
I don’t have kitchen shears because I thought it’s easy to use knifes but reading your post I think I really need it now. Thanks for sharing the idea.
Oh man, there are so many uses for the kitchen shears! Knives have their place, too, but the shears are awesome!
This is seriously one kitchen staple that we definitely need in the kitchen. So many different functions that make life so much easier.
It’s something I will never NOT have in my kitchen from now on!
That is so cool – I never realized kitchen shears have bottle openers on them, too! I will have to look for that on our pair as well!
Take a look and see if yours has one. I have one pair with it and one that doesn’t.
Oh this is such a great ideas. I will definitely share this to my mom and to my aunts. Thanks for sharing.
These are just the ways I’ve found to use them. I’m sure there are others, too!
I’ll share a little secret – we have 3 different kitchen shears lol! I don’t know why but it’s in different drawers in our kitchen and so handy when we need one. We’ve never tried opening a bottle with them though. Will definitely try that.
I have three pairs of them now, too! Mine are all in the same drawer, but I like having a few in case one is dirty when I need another pair!
I’ve never heard of kitchen shears tbh, now i want it!!! The kitchen tool seems awesome!!!
If you do any cooking, you should definitely invest in some! They are so versatile and pretty cheap, too.
This is where my kitchen novice-ness comes in. My husband uses them but I don’t. LOL!
Well, now you have a few tricks, you could show him up! 🙂
This post speaks to me. My daughters are 23 and 14 and they are still not eating crust in any type of bread. I can invest in all of these products.
My boys will sometimes eat the crust now. Sometimes they don’t. And I haven’t figured out the pattern! Having kitchen shears helps in so many situations.
I love my kitchen shears! They are useful for almost all of these, and so much more1
I know, there are so many wonderful ways to use them! These are my top seven 🙂
I got a pair of kitchen shears as part of a big knife set I bought. It was the first time I ever had a pair. I was slow to use them but now use them all of the time!
I was the same way! I used them for opening packages at first until I learned just how versatile they can be!