Kitchen shears are one of the most overlooked precision tools in the kitchen. Many cooks own a pair, keep them in a drawer, and reach for them only when plastic packaging refuses to cooperate. Meanwhile, knives become the default for nearly every task, even when another tool might handle the job more efficiently or with greater control.

Cooking with kitchen shears is about choosing the right tool for the work at hand. Their cutting action relies on leverage rather than slicing, which makes them especially effective for tasks that involve resistance, irregular shapes, or ingredients that don’t sit neatly on a cutting board. Used thoughtfully, kitchen shears reduce friction in everyday prep and help cooking feel more fluid and intuitive.

In this guide, we’ll explore what kitchen shears can be used for, how their cutting action complements knife work, and why they deserve a place alongside knives as an everyday precision companion in a well-equipped kitchen.

Hands using Shun kitchen shears to cut through a lobster tail on a cutting board.

Kitchen shears offer controlled cutting power for shellfish, making it easier to work through firm shells while protecting delicate meat.

Cutting with Leverage and Control

Kitchen shears and knives approach cutting from different angles, and that difference shows up most clearly in how they handle resistance and control.

Where a knife moves through food with a slicing motion, kitchen shears apply pressure directly through a closing action. The ingredient is held between two blades as the cut happens, which concentrates force in a small, controlled area. This makes shears especially effective when ingredients are uneven, flexible, or unwilling to stay flat on a cutting board.

That design is what gives shears their advantage with joints, shells, connective tissue, and other tasks where stability matters as much as sharpness. The cutting action stays contained, and the tool works with the ingredient rather than requiring repositioning or repeated passes.

Seen this way, kitchen shears are not an alternative to knives. They are a complement. Each tool brings a different kind of precision to the kitchen, and together they expand what feels easy and intuitive during prep.

Close-up of kitchen shears trimming a carrot stem over a bowl.

For vegetables that don’t require long slices, kitchen shears provide quick, precise cuts with minimal repositioning.

Poultry Prep, Where Leverage Makes the Difference

Poultry is one of the clearest examples of how kitchen shears simplify prep.

Working with whole or bone-in birds often means cutting through joints, small bones, and layers of skin. Kitchen shears are designed for this kind of work. Their closing action applies steady pressure while keeping the cut contained, which helps the process feel controlled from start to finish.

Removing the backbone for spatchcocking is a natural fit for shears. They move cleanly along each side of the bird, then transition easily to separating wings, portioning thighs and drumsticks, or trimming excess skin. The work stays close to the hand, and each cut feels deliberate and predictable.

What many cooks appreciate most is how composed the process feels. Poultry prep becomes a sequence of clear, manageable steps, supported by a tool that’s well matched to the task.

Hands using Shun kitchen shears to remove the backbone from a whole chicken on a cutting board.

Kitchen shears are especially effective for poultry prep, making tasks like removing the backbone straightforward and controlled.

Meat Trimming and Portioning, Clean and Controlled

Beyond poultry, kitchen shears are especially useful for everyday meat prep.

Trimming fat, connective tissue, or uneven edges is often less about precision slicing and more about control. Kitchen shears allow you to work close to the ingredient, making small, intentional cuts without constant repositioning. The motion feels contained, which helps trimming stay neat and efficient.

Shears are also well suited for portioning proteins, particularly bone-in cuts or meats that don’t sit flat on a board. Instead of adjusting the ingredient to suit the tool, the tool adapts easily to the shape of the food. The result is a process that feels steady and predictable, even when the cut itself is not perfectly straight.

For many cooks, this is where kitchen shears quietly become part of the daily routine. They handle the practical work of prep cleanly, leaving knives to step in when longer or more refined cuts are needed.

Precise Seafood Prep

Seafood is another area where kitchen shears quietly shine.

From shellfish to whole fish, seafood often combines firm structures with delicate flesh. Kitchen shears handle that contrast especially well. Their cutting action makes it easier to work through shells, fins, or thin bones while keeping the ingredient supported.

Trimming fins, cutting through shell, or portioning seafood feels direct and controlled. Because the ingredient is held between two blades, cuts stay precise without pulling, tearing, or dragging across the surface.

For cooks who prepare seafood regularly or occasionally, shears offer a practical, reliable way to manage curved shapes and uneven textures without interrupting the flow of prep.

Person using Shun kitchen shears to trim raw shrimp over a metal tray

Shears are especially effective for seafood prep, allowing for clean, controlled cuts through shells without tearing.

Herbs and Vegetables, Simple and Efficient

Kitchen shears are especially useful for everyday vegetable and herb prep, where speed and control matter more than long, continuous cuts.

For herbs, shears allow you to work directly over a bowl, pan, or serving dish, keeping prep fluid and minimizing cleanup. Instead of moving back and forth between cutting board and pot, you can make small, precise cuts exactly where they’re needed.

They’re equally helpful for leafy greens. Trimming stems from kale or chard, cutting greens into manageable pieces, or making quick adjustments as you cook feels straightforward and contained. Because the cut happens between two blades, tender leaves are handled cleanly without excessive handling.

Hands using kitchen shears to cut fresh chives over a stuffed squash on a cutting board.

Kitchen shears make it easy to snip fresh herbs directly into finished dishes for clean, controlled garnishing

Kitchen shears cutting curly kale leaves over a bowl.

Kitchen shears make trimming and portioning leafy greens like kale straightforward and controlled.

Shun Herb Shears are designed with these tasks in mind. In addition to sharp blades, they feature a built-in blade notch that makes it easy to strip herbs from their stems or cut through thicker herb bunches efficiently. It’s a small design detail that supports common prep moments and helps keep the process moving.

For everyday cooking, this kind of versatility is what makes shears easy to reach for again and again. They simplify familiar tasks without changing how you work in the kitchen.

Hands using Shun Herb Shears to strip rosemary leaves from the stem on a cutting board.

Shun Herb Shears feature a built-in blade notch that makes stripping herbs from their stems simple and efficient.

Kitchen shears cutting fresh herbs over a cutting board with prepared vegetables nearby.

Snipping herbs directly during prep keeps the process moving and reduces the need for extra tools or cleanup.

Everyday Convenience That Adds Up

Some of the most useful moments for kitchen shears are the ones that happen in between bigger prep tasks.

Opening food packaging is an easy example. Shears handle thicker plastic or bundled items cleanly, especially when you want to keep ingredients contained and move straight into cooking. It’s a small shift, but it keeps prep tidy and efficient.

They’re also handy once cooking is already underway. Cutting pizza directly on the pan, portioning flatbreads, or making quick adjustments to ingredients without stopping to grab a cutting board can all be done right where you are. When a task doesn’t call for long slices or careful presentation, shears often feel like the simplest solution.

Once you start using kitchen shears beyond primary prep, it becomes clear how often they solve small, practical problems as you cook. That idea of usefulness doesn’t stop at cutting alone. Some shears are designed to take on a wider range of kitchen tasks, thoughtfully and without overcomplicating the tool.

Kitchen shears opening plastic packaging on sliced bacon.

Thick or resistant food packaging is easier to manage with shears, keeping ingredients contained and prep moving.

Kitchen shears cutting a slice of pepperoni pizza on a cutting board.

For foods that don’t require careful presentation, kitchen shears offer a quick, no-board way to portion and serve.

Thoughtful Multi-Function Design

Once kitchen shears become part of your regular prep, it’s easy to notice how often they solve small, practical problems as you cook. That same idea of usefulness is what shapes the design of Shun Multi-Purpose Shears, extending their role beyond cutting alone.

Shun Multipurpose Shears are built to handle a range of common kitchen tasks in one well-considered tool. Along with their primary role as cutting shears, they incorporate several integrated functions that support everyday cooking and prep.

In addition to sharp blades for food prep, they include a nutcracker, a jar opener, a bone notch for working through tougher joints, a lid lifter, and screwdriver tips for quick adjustments. Each feature is built into the structure of the shears, so it’s there when you need it and unobtrusive when you don’t.

What makes this approach effective is that it reflects how cooking actually happens. You’re already at the counter, already working with your hands, and small tasks tend to stack up. Having a single tool that can move easily from opening a jar to trimming poultry to making a quick adjustment keeps the process efficient and uninterrupted.

It’s this kind of thoughtful versatility that has earned Shun Multi-Purpose Shears broader recognition. They were described by the Today Show as the “Swiss Army knife of shears,” and were also named an Editor’s Choice in the Serious Eats 2025 Gear Awards. Not because they try to replace every tool in the kitchen, but because they handle a wide range of everyday tasks with clarity, purpose, and reliability.

Close-up of Shun Multipurpose Shears handles showing the nutcracker and integrated tool features.

Integrated features like a nutcracker, jar opener, and screwdriver tips extend the usefulness of Shun Multipurpose Shears at the counter.

Close-up detail of Shun Multipurpose Shears blade, pivot screw, and lid lifter.

Thoughtful details, including the lid lifter and durable pivot, are built directly into the structure of the shears.

Care, Cleaning, and Long Term Performance

Like any well-made kitchen tool, kitchen shears perform best when they’re cared for thoughtfully.

All Shun and Kai shears separate at the hinge, which makes thorough cleaning simple and effective. After working with proteins or seafood, taking them apart allows you to clean the blades and pivot area completely, helping maintain smooth operation and overall performance.

Hand washing is recommended. While it may be tempting to place shears in the dishwasher, repeated dishwasher cycles can dull the blades more quickly and affect the pivot over time. A quick wash by hand, followed by drying, helps preserve sharpness and keeps the shears working as intended.

With this kind of basic care, kitchen shears remain reliable, precise, and ready for daily use. It’s a small habit that supports long-term performance and ensures the tool continues to earn its place in the kitchen for years to come.

An Everyday Precision Tool, Reconsidered

Kitchen shears often live at the edge of the kitchen, useful but overlooked. Yet when used with intention, they become one of the most versatile and confidence-building tools at the counter.

From poultry and seafood to herbs, greens, and everyday prep, shears handle tasks that benefit from control, leverage, and adaptability. They simplify work that doesn’t need long slices or careful presentation, and they support a more fluid rhythm in the kitchen.

When thoughtfully designed, as with Shun and Kai shears, they do even more. Integrated features extend their usefulness, and careful construction ensures they stand up to daily use. Over time, that reliability changes how often they’re reached for and how indispensable they feel.

Kitchen shears are not a replacement for knives. They’re a companion, designed to handle the moments where a different approach makes cooking easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. Once they earn their place on the counter, they tend to stay there.

All The Things You Can Do With Kitchen Shears

Andrew Zimmern holding Shun kitchen shears in a home kitchen.

To see kitchen shears at work in a real cooking moment, watch Andrew Zimmern prepare a spread of game-day favorites using his Shun shears. From shrimp and wings to pizza, he shows how leverage and control come into play across a range of familiar dishes, and why shears have become a natural part of his prep.