# Basami scissors around the kitchen?



## hueberttix (Sep 19, 2018)

I understand that Basami scissors are not much useful for cutting through hard objects like Tetra cartons perhaps, but are very accurate and exquisite for food presentation techniques.

I admire them because they have no moving parts, fashioned from a single piece of metal, have a simplicity about them I always look for in tools whenever possible.

I wonder though, being exclusively made from steel, does anybody use them around their kitchen, how does one prevent them succumbing to corrosion?


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## roadfix (Sep 19, 2018)

Do they look like thread scissors used in sewing?


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## Kayelle (Sep 19, 2018)

I question kitchen use for this style of scissors, but care for them would be no different than a steel knife. Wash and carefully dry them immediately after use.


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## hueberttix (Sep 19, 2018)

That's my concern, I don't want to have to be that diligent.

I have a pairing knife, but I just hate to use knives on anything by foodstuffs.


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## Andy M. (Sep 19, 2018)

I don't do anything in the kitchen that's fussy enough to need scissors like that. More power to you.


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## Kayelle (Sep 19, 2018)

hueberttix said:


> That's my concern, I don't want to have to be that diligent.
> 
> I have a pairing knife, but I just hate to use knives on anything by foodstuffs.




Then I'd suggest you opt for shears designed for the kitchen and easy cleaning like these. 

https://www.amazon.com/TANSUNG-Mult...qid=1537400664&sr=8-20&keywords=kitchen+shear


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## buckytom (Sep 20, 2018)

I've used them on precision electronic things like connestors/wiring; and for, well, nosehair...

So, yeah, keep 'em clean and dry.

Both. 

Well, all three. 

Electronics, nose, and kitchen work.


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## taxlady (Sep 20, 2018)

Kayelle said:


> Then I'd suggest you opt for shears designed for the kitchen and easy cleaning like these.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/TANSUNG-Mult...qid=1537400664&sr=8-20&keywords=kitchen+shear


Yeah, I really prefer that kitchen scissors can come apart for cleaning.


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## hueberttix (Sep 20, 2018)

I appreciate the recommendation, but through my eyes those things look like a steam-powered iPod.


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## Mad Cook (Sep 20, 2018)

Having looked them up I can see a use for them but, as someone else said, for sewing, but why the kitchen? There are plenty of kitchen scissors available which do their thing efficiently. It occurs to me that they might, at a pinch, be OK for very precise work but for taking the rind off bacon... I don't think so. And if they are carbon steel they will be a nightmare to care for. I have a, now little used, expensive carbon steel knife which I bought nearly 50 years ago when I first started serious cooking in my own kitchen. I believed Elizabeth David on the matter of knives. I was told that it was the bees-knees in the serious cook's kitchen. It is a wonderful knife but it rusts if it's just feeling fed up, I have to clean the rust off it before every usage, it won't go in the dish-washer and it blunts just to annoy me.

Anyway, how often do we do precise scissor work in the kitchen? I use a craft knife (such as an Exacto knife) to cut precise shapes for decorating cakes etc., and after I've finished I put the knife back in my crafting box. (I do, of course, wash it well before using it in the kitchen )

Most of us have things consigned to our junk drawer that seemed like a good idea at the time. Still, perhaps you need to try it for yourself. They look relatively cheap on Amazon so have a go if you really want to.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 20, 2018)

I use those scissors when I garden for light pruning.  Can't imagine using them in the kitchen.


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## Kayelle (Sep 20, 2018)

taxlady said:


> Yeah, I really prefer that kitchen scissors can *come apart for cleaning*.


Me too Taxi. I ordered that pair for myself when I found the link. They look like good ones.




hueberttix said:


> I appreciate the recommendation, but through my eyes those things look like a steam-powered iPod.


*Huh?*  Exactly what does that mean?


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## hueberttix (Sep 20, 2018)

For me I prefer utensils to be simple, with no parts if possible and fashioned from a single piece of material.

These Basami scissors are just so, and only out simplified by a knife. I presently do use scissors as you all likely do as well. However, looking for the most simplistic tools to use and maintain, I am perusing these.

I am trying to find a stainless steel option of course, and I understand their popularity in different disciplines: such as decorative finishing, traditional film editing, hair salons..

I am simply looking for as simple a solution as possible.


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## roadfix (Sep 20, 2018)

What exactly are 'basami' scissors?   What are they supposed to look like?  Searching reveals nothing.


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## JustJoel (Sep 20, 2018)

Here’s an image I got from a google search. My grandpa had a few pairs of these; at one point in his life he was a tailor. He made uniforms for Catholic schools and breakaway clothing for actors (it came out “hectors” after being filtered through his strong accent). I never knew they were called basami scissors, though. I forget what Grandpa called them.



I really couldn’t think of a lot of kitchen uses for these. Maybe deveining shrimp, or snipping herbs from a windowsill garden?


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## roadfix (Sep 20, 2018)

Thanks Joel, for posting that.   That's what I had in mind also.   The term "basami", with a "b" means scissors when paired with another Japanese word.


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## roadfix (Sep 20, 2018)

These are bonsai basamis  (traditional Japanese garden shears)


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## taxlady (Sep 20, 2018)

Those one piece scissors look like a nightmare to clean. Either food gets trapped or you are at high risk of cutting yourself while cleaning that overlapping part. I don't want to have to use dental floss to try to get that area clean.


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## Kayelle (Sep 22, 2018)

taxlady said:


> Those one piece scissors look like a nightmare to clean. Either food gets trapped or you are at high risk of cutting yourself while cleaning that overlapping part. I don't want to have to use dental floss to try to get that area clean.




You're exactly right Taxi. 




Kayelle said:


> Then I'd suggest you opt for shears designed for the kitchen and easy cleaning like these.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/TANSUNG-Mult...qid=1537400664&sr=8-20&keywords=kitchen+shear




I received my own order for these yesterday, and I'm looking forward to using them to cut up a whole chicken today. They seem to be very high quality (unlike the previous ones that broke) and I love they can be properly cleaned of the chicken nasties.


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## Andy M. (Sep 22, 2018)

Kayelle said:


> ...I received my own order for these yesterday, and I'm looking forward to using them to cut up a whole chicken today. They seem to be very high quality and I love they can be properly cleaned of the chicken nasties.



Those look like a really good pair of kitchen scissors for a good price.


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