Seafood Scissors
Equipment Review
A pair of scissors can be a sheer pleasure to use in the kitchen—if you get the right one.
Last Updated Apr. 12, 2024. Appears in America's Test Kitchen TV Season 19: Pork Patties and Steak on the Grill
Our previous winning shears from Shun were redesigned. We tested them and two other models from Material and Misen. All the shears fared well, but the updated Shun Multi-Purpose Shears performed best and were the easiest to use. They remain our top choice.
The best shears can perform tasks large and small, delicate and tough. They’re sharp, powerful, and can be used comfortably by cooks with different dominant hands. The Shun Multi-Purpose Shears ticked all those boxes and more, earning our top ranking.
What You Need to Know
Kitchen shears are an essential component of any cook’s knife kit, capable of handling delicate and tough tasks alike. We use them for cutting twine and parchment, snipping herbs, trimming pie dough, cutting florets from heads of cauliflower and broccoli, and butterflying chickens, to name just a few. They also help us open food packaging and cut other non-food materials.
How Shears Work
Each pair of shears has two blades. The first is a cutter blade, which has a smooth edge that has been ground to a specific angle on both sides, similar to the blade of a chef’s knife (see “Sharp Cutter Blades” below). Unsurprisingly, the cutter blade is responsible for most of the cutting action. The “anvil” blade, by contrast, is usually serrated and a bit thicker, the better to help grip and secure the food being cut. The blades are attached at a pivot, and the handles of the shears act as levers, forcing the blades together to cut whatever you want.
What to Look For
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Miye is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She covers booze, blades, and gadgets of questionable value.
Chase is an associate editor for ATK Reviews. He's an epidemiologist-turned-equipment tester and biscuit enthusiast.
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