Kitchen Shears, A Must-Have Tool

This is a Maria-approved product.

Kitchen shears are my go-to tool in the kitchen. I use it for everything, especially for jobs that require precise cutting on uncertain terrain--like bony chicken backs.

For years, I struggled to cut out the spines on chickens. I used to roast my chickens whole, but now I spatchcock my chicken. Spatchcocking means to butterfly the chicken by removing the spine. This way the chicken lies flat in the roaster.

If you've never tried butterflying your chicken, prepared to be amazed on how much better and evenly it cooks. Since spatchcocking, my chicken is moist without sacrificing cooking time on either breast or thighs.

This is the long way around on why I bought poultry (kitchen) shears in the first place. After donating too much blood on a chicken job, I bought a pair of kitchen shears. I made a poor choice and had to work hard to cut bone with those shears. Still, it was easier than a knife so I bought another pair, one that was better quality.

It worked! It cuts through my chicken with hardly any effort on my part.

From there, I started using them to snip herbs, cut meat into even slices, chop dried fruit or fresh vegetables, and even for pizza. I especially like it for pizza. I hold one end with a pair of tongs, and cut the pizza with the shears in my other hand.

For lighter duty use, I prefer this pair by Kitchenaid.

If you don't already have a pair of kitchen shears, get some. If you cook at all, you'll find yourself using this tool a lot more than you think.

And here's a little trivia for you. If you decide to give these as a gift, always include a penny taped to the box. It's bad luck to give knives or scissors to a friend because it portends your ties with them will sever. You can easily break the curse by including a coin that the recipient will then give back to you. In effect, your gift was "bought" and the curse becomes null and void. Ha! Who knew?

I've always heard giving anything sharp is bad luck or at the very least impolite, but I never knew why until I looked it up. That doesn't mean you can't buy yourself something nice! Unlike most kitchen tools this one is relatively inexpensive.

Trust me, once you start using kitchen shears, you'll love them, especially if you have arthritis in your hands.

Have you ever given a gift of anything sharp to a friend?

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