Every kitchen should have a pair of poultry shears, kitchen shears, or scissors - no matter what you call them, they make food preparation easier.
They are commonly used in breaking down chicken parts (hence the name), but can also be ideal with other tasks such as cutting twine, chopping the lid off a squirt bottle, or opening up a vacuum-wrapped item.
If you’re on the look out for the best poultry shears you can buy in the market, leave the job to men. I’m here to help you choose the best poultry shears you should spend on.
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Poultry Shears VS. Scissors
Have you ever been bothered by the difference between a pair of shears and scissors? Well, let me enlighten you.
While both have two blades and a handle, they basically differ in design, the shape and size of the handles, and also length of the blades.
Scissors have handles that has symmetrically the same handle loops and its blades usually measure about 6 inches or less.
On the other hand, poultry shears have blades longer than 6 inches. Furthermore, its bottom handle is larger and more oblong in shape than the top one because users need to exert more force in the bottom for cutting.
Why Do You Need Poultry Shears?
Food Preparation
A good pair of poultry shears will help a great deal in preparing food for cooking. These shears will give you control in cutting meat, ensuring that you will end up with just the right cut. Just because it’s called “poultry” shears doesn't mean you should limit yourself to chicken; it can also be used to cut vegetables and even seafood.
You can also use it in cooked food items. Looking for something to cut that roasted chicken? Are you excited about that succulent pork belly grill and you want to cut it right away but you can’t find your knife? Ha! This kitchen tool is perfect for cutting that crispy belly into bite size pieces.
Safety
Using kitchen shears gives users more control compared to cutting meat with knives or cleavers. Using this is a lot safer as you will be able to cut exactly where you want, and in some cases, it also enables users to cut through bone like butter.
Versatility
Just because they are called poultry shears doesn't mean that they are limited to cutting poultry. As a matter of fact, in between most shears’ handles and blade is a bottle and can opener. Also, you can cut herbs, twines, and thin ropes with the sharp blade.
Now that you know the difference between a pair of shears and scissors, let me show you the factors to consider when purchasing the best poultry shears.
Factors To Consider When Buying The Best Poultry Shears
A Secure Non Slip Handle
When using poultry shears, we can’t avoid using it for messy tasks like cutting fresh chicken or cutting fish in half wherein your hands will become slippery no matter what..
Therefore, the best shears to buy should have a handle that provides an excellent grip made from anti-slip material such as polypropylene or silicon
Shape Of The Handle
The shape of the handle is also one factor when choosing the best shears. The shears should be built for comfort (obviously) where users can easily grip the handle from either side. An ambidextrous design is the best shape for both right or left handed users to use.
Ease Of Use (Built In Springs)
Once you’re holding your shears, you will want to use it effortlessly. That translates to kitchen shears that has built-in springs and will only require you to apply force in one direction.
Overall Tension
Whether we are talking about the tension of the springs or the mechanism of the knife, ideally, the tension should be balanced for your needs.
Kitchen shears should not be too loose to open and close nor too tight and stiff to use which may cause damage to the blade. You should be able to comfortably open and close the shears with ease.
It’s best to avoid a rickety pair of shears because it’s awkward to use and will not give the control that you need while cutting.
Edge Retention And Blade Length
One of the most important factors to take into account when looking for the best kitchen shears in the market is length of the blade and edge retention.
The longer the blade of the shears often means fewer strokes to get the job done. However, you still have to ensure that it’s well balanced and easy to use.
The best pair of kitchen shears should possess blades made from high-carbon stainless steel. This material is excellent when it comes to edge retention and ease of maintenance.
Another factor to consider when buying a good pair of kitchen shears is the presence of micro serrations in the blade. This unique characteristic helps anchor the blade to the things and food items you’re cutting. This guides the scissor in action and helps it glide effortlessly without slipping or sliding off.
Care And Maintenance Of Poultry Shears
Using Kitchen Shears The Right Way!
Are you using your shears the right way? Any idea how to use it to prep your chicken? Here is a video to help you out.
An Overview Of The 5 Best Poultry Shears In The Market
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A Detailed Review Of The 5 Best Poultry Shears In The Market
Kershaw is a part of the same company behind the famous Shun. It’s more budget friendly compared to the Shun, but a lot more expertise goes into designing the Kershaw for the best quality.
For me, this Kershaw Tastemakers is an impressive pair of kitchen shears. It has value for your money!
It’s made from high-carbon, cutlery-grade stainless steel which is neither too heavy not too light. You can feel the premium blade just by picking the shears up.
Via Amazon.com
Moreover, this particular knife is incredibly versatile. The manufacturers have decided to combine a straight edge for smooth cutting with a serrated edge to anchor the knife into the flesh -- perfect for your poultry preparation! It features a bottle opener and nutcracker.
This shears is easy to clean. It has this spring mechanism that releases the blades into two sections for maintenance and it’s dishwasher-safe too. The jar opener or lid lifter located in the middle part also raises hard to open cans and jars which is nice.
PROS
CONS
This product made my list because of the excellent balance of affordability and quality it offers consumers. Henckels, a German based manufacturer is one of the famous brands for kitchen tools in the market, so it’s reputation is undoubtedly outstanding.
The attention to detail of this product is excellent. The corrosion-resistant stainless steel structure features a micro-serrated blade edge perfect for slip-proof cutting.
When it comes to versatility, this product is also included in the top ranks. The lid opener can open any bottle and jars! Even that pickle jar that’s so hard to open can be unhinged without any constraints. Also, the serrated area in the handle is perfect to crack that nut or screw cap.
Via Amazon.com
Despite the heavy and durable design, it’s well balanced in such a way that a right or left-handed person can easily pick it up.
However, unlike the other shears on this list, these do not come apart for maintenance and cleaning, although they are dishwasher safe.
PROS
CONS
Wusthof, another German based manufacturer, has made it into our top 5 best poultry shears list. I can clearly see the trend -- Germans love poultry shears!
These blades are formed from high-carbon stainless steel and features an ergonomic design function. As you may notice, the metal curves inwards so that the blade meets in one place at any position.
Hence, the smart design results in a smooth and precise cutting that requires little to no effort. Also, the handle’s shape and design ensure that right or left-handed users can use it with comfort.
Via Amazon.com
However, some users complain that the unhinging mechanism of the shears is too easy to initiate that the shears easily comes apart during usage.
As for maintenance, these shears come apart easily so cleaning is easy.
PROS
CONS
These shears are are built differently than the others on this list because this pair opted for plastic-molded handles and uses solid stainless steel handles with rubberised grips which is comfortable to use and provides a slip-free handling.
Furthermore, it’s constructed from a high-carbon, molybdenum-vanadium stainless steel for ultimate strength and durability. This material is sturdy, no doubt about it, but it feels heavy on the hands.
Like all other poultry shears, this one also sports differently-sized handles for ease of use and maneuverability. Finally, these sears come apart for easy cleaning and maintenance.
Via Amazon.com
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The Chef Remi brand markets their products through online shopping. As we all know, we are in this social media age where any information, crucial or not, is easily and freely shared online. When Chef Remi made their line of heavy duty kitchen shears, it made massive headlines.
First off, it features a stainless steel blade with a micro-serrated edge for slip-proof cutting. Also, the serrated section in the handle can effortlessly work on sealed bottles and cracking nuts.
Via Amazon.com
Moreover, this beautiful pair of shears can be used by right and left handed users with its ergonomic handle shape. To put the icing on the cake, the Chef Remi comes with 100% Money Back Lifetime Guarantee -- something even the other shears on this list don’t offer.
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Bottomline
Based on our reviews above, the best poultry shears award goes to the Kershaw Taskmaster Shears. This super durable poultry shears is made from high-carbon, cutlery-grade, high-quality stainless steel.
Via Amazon.com
Moreover, its blades are rust and corrosion-resistant. Its comfortable handles that is suitable for right and left-handed users also ensures that the workload is a breeze. These shears also feature a built-in bottle opener and nutcracker.
Now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I hope this article has helped you in choosing the right poultry shears.
Did you find this article useful? Have you had any experience with other brands of poultry shears? If you can recommend other poultry shears, feel free to comment below. Don’t forget to share this post. Take care!