The Best Kitchen Shears
A good pair of kitchen shears is secretly one of the most-used tools for a meat cook, spatchcocking a chicken, trimming silver skin, snipping twine, breaking down poultry. Here are the two worth owning.
We Know Meat may earn a commission from links on this page, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend gear we would put in our own kitchen.
Everyday pick: OXO Good Grips Kitchen & Herb Scissors
For 90% of tasks, the OXO Good Grips Kitchen & Herb Scissors are the best all-rounder: sharp, comfortable, and versatile, with a built-in herb stripper and enough muscle for most trimming and snipping.
Heavy-duty pick: Wüsthof come-apart / poultry shears
For breaking down birds, cutting through chicken joints and bone to spatchcock step up to Wüsthof come-apart poultry shears. The curved stainless blades power through joints, and they pop apart for a real clean.
What to look for
- Come-apart design so you can actually clean raw-poultry gunk.
- Micro-serrated or strong blades grip and cut without slipping.
- Comfortable, non-slip handles you use these more than you think.
Why it matters
Shears are the fastest way to spatchcock a chicken from your poultry order trim a roast, or portion ribs. Keep a dedicated pair for the kitchen and they will earn their place.
FAQ
What is the difference between kitchen shears and poultry shears?
Kitchen shears are all-purpose (herbs, packaging, trimming). Poultry shears have curved, heavier blades built specifically to cut through chicken joints and small bones.
Can kitchen shears cut through chicken bone?
Heavy-duty poultry shears can cut through joints and small bones like a chicken backbone for spatchcocking. Lighter herb scissors are not designed for bone.
Why kitchen shears deserve a spot
Kitchen shears are one of the most underrated tools in the kitchen, a sturdy pair of scissors built for food that handles jobs a knife cannot do as easily. They spatchcock a chicken by cutting out the backbone, snip herbs straight into a pot, trim fat and skin from meat, cut through packaging, open stubborn pouches, and portion everything from pizza to bacon. Once you keep a good pair within reach, you reach for them constantly, and many cooks consider them second only to a chef knife in daily usefulness.
What to look for
A good pair of kitchen shears has a few key features. Look for sharp, sturdy blades, ideally made of stainless steel, with enough heft to cut through poultry bones and cartilage. Comfortable, grippy handles that fit a range of hand sizes make heavy jobs easier, and a little serration on one blade helps grip slippery food. Micro-serrations or a bone notch near the pivot add versatility for tougher tasks. The shears should feel solid and cut cleanly all the way to the tips.
Take-apart versus fixed
One of the most important features for kitchen shears is whether they come apart. Take-apart shears separate into two halves at the pivot, which makes them far easier to clean thoroughly and to dry, an important consideration since they cut raw meat and need proper sanitizing. Fixed shears are sturdier but trap food and moisture in the pivot, which is harder to clean. For food use, especially cutting raw poultry, take-apart shears are the more hygienic and practical choice.
Spatchcocking and butchery
One of the best reasons to own kitchen shears is poultry. Spatchcocking, cutting out the backbone so a bird lies flat, is far easier with shears than a knife, and it is the key to a chicken that roasts faster and crisps more evenly. Shears also trim wing tips, cut through joints, snip off excess fat and skin, and portion a cooked bird. For anyone who cooks whole chickens, a good pair of shears turns what looks like intimidating butchery into a quick, simple task.
Everyday kitchen jobs
Beyond meat, shears earn their keep across the kitchen. They snip fresh herbs directly over a dish, cut green onions into rings, trim artichokes and green beans, cut parchment to fit a pan, open vacuum-sealed bags and packaging, and portion foods like pizza, quesadillas, and dough. Having a dedicated food-safe pair, kept sharp and clean, means you are not hunting for scissors or dulling a knife on tasks that shears do better. They are a genuine time-saver for countless small jobs.
Cleaning and hygiene
Because kitchen shears often cut raw meat, cleaning them properly is essential. Take-apart shears should be separated after cutting raw poultry and washed thoroughly with hot soapy water, then dried, to avoid harboring bacteria in the pivot. While many shears are labeled dishwasher safe, hand washing preserves the edge and the pivot longer. Keeping a dedicated pair for food, cleaned carefully, ensures they stay safe and sharp for years of use.
Caring for your shears
Kitchen shears last a long time with basic care. Keep them clean and dry to prevent rust and buildup in the pivot, and a periodic drop of food-safe oil on the pivot keeps the action smooth. The blades can be sharpened, either professionally or with a tool designed for scissors, though good shears hold an edge well. Store them where the blades are protected and where you can find them easily, since a pair that lives in a drawer under everything else tends to be forgotten.
Worth keeping within reach
For their modest cost, kitchen shears deliver outsized usefulness, handling a huge range of cutting and prep tasks and making poultry butchery genuinely easy. A sturdy, take-apart, food-safe pair kept clean and sharp becomes one of the tools you reach for most, often surprising people with how much they come to rely on it. If your kitchen has only a flimsy pair of general scissors, upgrading to proper kitchen shears is a small purchase that noticeably improves daily cooking.
One pair or two?
Because kitchen shears are so useful and often cut raw meat, many cooks keep two pairs: a heavy-duty food pair reserved for poultry and butchery, cleaned carefully after each use, and a lighter pair for herbs, packaging, and general tasks. Keeping the raw-meat pair separate avoids any cross-contamination worry and lets you grab the light pair for quick jobs without hauling out the heavy shears. If you keep only one pair, a sturdy take-apart model that you clean thoroughly covers everything, but a second light pair is an inexpensive convenience.