Uses of kitchen scissors or shears

[buckytom]

while dining recently at a korean bbq joint, i noticed the staff makes good use of scissors while serving many dishes, from cutting up a pizza sized scallion and egg pancake, to cutting hard boiled eggs, or noodles in soup, to cutting pieces of meat onto a grill, and so on.

it made me think of how i use shears or scissors in the kitchen. spatchcocking/deboning a chicken, cutting butcher's twine, cutting up whole browned sausage directly into a pot of tomato sauce (so as not to lose a drop of fat ), snipping herbs and veggies from the garden, and cutting the stems off of home grown flowers were about all i could think of.

how do you use your kitchen scissor/shears?

 

[Snip 13]

Good question! I use mine to spatchcock my chicken, cut herbs, spring onions, for cutting strips of chicken, beef, pork for stirfry, cutting marshmallows into puds and warm drinks, cut bacon lardons, cutting pastry etc. My kitchen shears work overtime..lol! I have 2, one for meats and one for other jobs.

 

[pacanis]

Aside from some of the things mentioned, cutting the tops of Food Saver bags off. And I also use mine for tough crab legs, like the claws. They have a built in cracker.

 

[Andy M.]

I only occasionally use scissors to do the tasks listed. I've tried cutting up a chicken but find it easier with a knife. Maybe I need sharper scissors.

Were these Koreans performing the tasks listed as part of a table side performance or as a kitchen task?

 

[pacanis]

Andy, do you use a knife when cutting along the backbone? I've only spatchcocked a bird one way, with scissors, and couldn't imagine cutting along the backbone with a knife. I grab a knife when I remove the keel bone though.

 

[jabbur]

I use mine mainly for cutting up meats and cutting up pizza (I have a slicer but when I make my deep dish the scissors come out). I don't usually have fresh herbs around but can see where they would come in handy for that. I have bin for office scissors in my kitchen drawer that I use for cutting open packages, removing twine, etc. then I have "food grade" shears that only get used on edible things.

 

[Andy M.]

I use a chef's knife to remove the backbone. I think it's all a matter of what you're used to.

 

[Zhizara]

I like my kitchen shears handy when separating chicken leg quarters. After using my knife to separate the bones, I like the scissors for snipping the skin and the "parson's nose".

It's also necessary for opening packets.

 

[pacanis]

You're probably right, Andy. Whatever you get used to.

 

[pacanis]

I like my kitchen shears handy when separating chicken leg quarters. After using my knife to separate the bones, I like the scissors for snipping the skin and the "parson's nose".

It's also necessary for opening packets.

I forgot, I use mine when I buy whole wings, to snip the tips off.

 

[BreezyCooking]

While I do have a nice, sharp, very heavy-duty pair of poultry shears for cutting up cooked poultry, also have several pairs of kitchen shears that definitely get a lot of use. I have one pair that's dedicated to cutting up raw poultry, & 2 others that get used for herb-snipping, harvesting vegetables from the garden, & quartering quesadillas. Plus, we find them the only way to enjoy Alaskan King Crab legs without getting punctured by the shell spines - just cut up the sides of the legs & extract the meat. No fuss, no muss, no pain - lol!

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Other than most of the things mentioned, I use mine to cut raw bacon into a pan for rendering, which works a lot quicker and easier than trying to dice raw bacon with a knife.

 

[Zhizara]

Kitchen shears are also excellent for cutting up stew meat.

 

[The OutDoor Chef]

I use the sheers to trim up spare ribs, spatching chicken, trimming chicken, Wash in steaming hot soapy water.

Then using them for slicing up bacon and so on.

As Alton Brown would say "The sheers is a great Multy Tasker"

 

[buckytom]

andy, what i found interesting in the korean restsurant was the scissors, actual scissors like the kind used to cut wrapping paper for a gift, or thread/cloth while sewing, etc..

they were used tableside to serve various dishes as i'd mentioned, and often left on the table for the customer to use further to serve more or smaller portions.

good replies so far, everyone. i forgot about using them on lobsters and crabs.

 

[deepfryerdan]

Cutting up bacon before cooking for bacon bits, cutting up green onions, and the usuals.. pizza, chicken wings, etc

 

[spork]

My knife skills suck, I love my shears!

I also use them to chop up spaghetti, to prevent diners from loudly slurping frantically writhing worms splattering tomato blood all over our dining room walls.

Crabs don't scream quite the same.

 

[Andy M.]

...I also use them to chop up spaghetti, to prevent diners from loudly slurping frantically writhing worms splattering tomato blood all over our dining room walls...

Time to change dinner guests.