About five years ago, my sister-in-law gave me a pair of Wusthof Kitchen Shears, pictured, and I absolutely love them. I have owned several different pairs of kitchen shears over the years and they are by far the best—and they certainly aren’t the most expensive!
(Update: Wusthof no longer makes my shears. The latest version is missing the bone notch. However, the current version is well-reviewed. There are also other shears I have not tried with similar features by Kaiking and Kitchen-Go. Both have 4 1/2 star average reviews and are under $20.)
A picture of my shears is at right, taken apart to show specific features. A few of the reasons that I like these include:
Very high quality stainless has not rusted in 5 years! I know mine look as though one surface is a little off color and possibly rusted, but that is just the light—they don’t have a speck of rust on them.
Very high quality stainless has not rusted in 5 years! I know mine look as though one surface is a little off color and possibly rusted, but that is just the light—they don’t have a speck of rust on them.- The blades stay sharp and can be resharpened using any standard sharpener, such as the one I recommend in my article on knives.
- The blades come apart for cleaning and sharpening—even if you don’t buy these, this is a “must have” feature. If the shears don’t come apart for cleaning, tiny particles of meat will catch in the crevice between the blades, which will then grow bacteria, which can lead to food poisoning. NOTE: The product description of these on Amazon talks about removing the plastic screw cover to separate the blades, but all you actually have to do is open the blades all the way open to line up the slot and tab.
- Designed so that you get a lot of leverage to cut through bones and joints — I don’t know exactly what’s different from other shears I’ve owned, but these go through bone and tendons much easier than the others.
- Handles are non-slip and reasonably comfortable (none are 100% comfortable when cutting through bone). Even if your hands are wet, they work well.
- Can be used either right- or left-handed.
- One blade is slightly serrated, so that meats doesn’t slip.
- There’s a “bone notch” in one blade—when you’re trying to cut through a bone, catch it in the bone notch so it will remain steady as you close the blades. This is one of those features that you don’t appreciate until you (a) use it and then (b) use another set of kitchen shears that doesn’t have it.
- And there’s a jar opener in the handles!
One final note: while these are called “kitchen shears,” they can be used on any tough materials that regular shears won’t cut. I’ve used them to cut carpet, dinghy patches, webbing, numerous types of hoses and more.
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Nancy Greg Hershman on Facebook says
I keep two pair in my galley drawer and a couple pair in our misc. (junk) drawer.
Kim Johnson on Facebook says
Just ordered a pair. Thanks for the insight.
Alex Miller on Facebook says
We lost our excellent kitchen shears in our recent move. 🙁 we already replied the flatware that went with them, but always hesitate to buy tools like this until I know it is quality and not cheap stuff from [insert country] that will not last long. Thanks for the reminder. I wish I could remember what brand we had.
Alex Miller on Facebook says
It doesn’t say country of origin (why isn’t that a law as for labeling when you can physically see the packaging. Doesn’t help if ordering over the Internet and can’t see the package). Do you know?
The Boat Galley on Facebook says
I just looked at mine and it’s not stamped into them, but Wustof is a German brand and several sources such as Williams-Sonoma say they are made in Germany.
Suzy Noel on Facebook says
CUTCO makes a really good pair of shears that also come apart for cleaning. I also like the lifetime guarantee on the knives. They are available online. http://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?itemGroup=77
Vicki Shumaker says
I don’t have a pizza wheel cutter onboard. Just cut our pizza with the shears. Works great.
Patti Gay Hartzell says
I have these, love them!
Patti Gay Hartzell says
I have a pair of these, love them! My favs too!
Patti Gay Hartzell says
I have these, Love them, my favs also!
James Gyore says
I have the wusthof grant prix II range which included this kitchen shear… Was worth every cent. Gee, some $700AU, fifteen years ago now, and just like yours still going strong.
Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious) says
A good pair of kitchen shears is a wonderful thing and I do like the Wusthof brand of scissors.
For boning beef, lamb, and poultry I use a chef’s knife. For fish I use a boning or filet knife. Choices.
Sailor Mike says
The link doesn’t go (or at least no longer goes) to the pair you’ve pictured here. Still Wusthof, but much lighter-duty: no bone notch, no bottle opener in the blade. Very different.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks for letting me know. Those have apparently been discontinued. I found some ones with similar features to the ones I like and now link to those, with an explanatory note that they’re not the ones I have, but similar.