Do I really need kitchen scissors when I have a good set of knives? Yes, maybe. There are some tasks that a pair of scissors does faster and easier than a good knife. Having these can make preparing meals more satisfying. Let’s look at this.
What do you use kitchen scissors for when knives can cut, slice, and chop all you want? Well, the things scissors can do better are shredding, trimming, and snipping. They also chop, shave, carve, and sliver. They have multiple uses and make short work of certain tasks in the kitchen.
Herb Scissors
One type of kitchen scissors – Available at Amazon
There’s no need for a cutting board with scissors. Scissors are more convenient — faster at getting a neat result — and for some foods they are safer.
My favorite use of kitchen scissors is snipping herbs but there’s many more reasons why you might want to include them in your list of essential kitchen tools.
Kitchen scissors use
What are kitchen scissors used for? In preparing meals, kitchen scissors help in these ways:
- To sliver sun-dried tomatoes and dried fruit, e.g. dates
- Harvesting wheat grass
- Shredding fresh leafy herbs
- Snipping chives
- To trim end of green beans
- Portioning yeast dough
- Shaving off darkened spots of cauliflower
- Cutting chili peppers down the middle
- Cutting bread for crotons
- Removing tips of chicken wings
- Cutting a slice of pizza
- Cutting pork crackling
- Cutting fish into pieces
- Triming roots and stems from fruit and vegetables
- Cutting bacon into tiny pieces to add to dishes for flavor
OXO Kitchen and Herbs Scissors
Available at Amazon
The above list is a selection. You’ll probably find many more uses elsewhere on the internet. But I’m sure you’ll find at least one or two reasons in the above to have an interest in a pair of scissors for your kitchen.
People use kitchen shears vs scissors for cutting through meats and poultry and the tougher cutting jobs in preparing foods. Technically, kitchen shears are designed somewhat different to scissors; they are more heavy duty. Still, people use the terms interchangeably and there are a few variations in the styles.
The shears shown here have a Japanese look that’s black titanium plated and the blades come apart for easy cleaning.
Japanese Kitchen Scissors
Available at Amazon
about ceramic scissors
My site’s about ceramic, so let’s look at ceramic scissors…
What are ceramic scissors
Ceramic scissors have blades made of zirconium oxide, which is the same material used in ceramic knives. These types of blades stay sharper for longer than those of steel.
Why use ceramic scissors in the kitchen?
They never rust. They are sharp, for clean cuts. They are chemically inert. They have multiple uses and are easier for certain tasks when compared to using a knife.
What to look for in kitchen scissors, ceramic or not:
- Food grade quality
- Ambidextrous
It mightn’t seem important whether the scissors are left and right hand useable (ambidextrous) but having this option offers the opportunity for everyone to use these tools and can be a godsend if for some reason you can’t use your favored hand because of injury or something else.
Are they more expensive than normal kitchen scissors?
You may pay more for ceramic scissors compared to steel kitchen scissors, depending on the brand and quality.
How to use ceramic scissors?
It’s more a case of how NOT to use ceramic scissors, as in what not to do with ceramic scissors? This includes no excessive force or twisting. Don’t try to cut hard foods including frozen goods. Do they break? Yes they can. Are they as fragile as ceramic knives? They can be. In which case, it won’t hurt to read my article about caring for ceramic knives.
How to care for ceramic scissors?
Apart from the above uses to avoid, caring is about cleaning. How to clean kitchen scissors: simply wipe them over with a soft dishcloth dipped in suds or you can put them in the dishwasher, they are claimed to be dishwasher safe.
It’s also about storing the scissors. You’ll find most kitchen scissors come with a sheath. If not, you can easily make one from cardboard, similar to the DIY sheaths for knives, or simply from a pot holder to make a pocket for scissors, which is what I use for my kitchen scissors.
Do you need to sharpen ceramic scissors?
Ceramic scissors will stay sharp for a very long time. But if you chip or wear the edges they can be sharpened to rejuvenate them.
How hard are they to sharpen? I would say no harder than sharpening a ceramic knife. You do need a diamond stone for these blades.
How to sharpen kitchen scissors with a knife sharpener for ceramic blades: Sharpen each blade as you would a ceramic knife blade — see my article on how to sharpen a ceramic knife blade.
Where do you buy them?
Amazon sells general types as well as ceramic kitchen knives. The Kyocera brand is one with ambidextrous scissors for the kitchen.
Kyocera Ceramic Scissors
Available at Amazon