15 Ways to Use Your Kitchen Shears

Any home cook knows that chopping and slicing can be the most time-consuming part of meal prep. While a quality, sharp knife can make all the difference, we're here to open your eyes to another cutting essential: your kitchen shears.

Created to be easily unhinged for quick cleaning, this often-overlooked kitchen staple is made to get messier than you might think. If you're using your kitchen shears like any other pair of scissors in your junk drawer, it's time to reconsider the resourcefulness that lies in a quick snip.

Here are all the ways you could be using your kitchen shears.

1. Cut Bacon

Avoid a slippery mess by cutting raw bacon slices with kitchen shears. You can easily create uniform pieces of cooked bacon too.

2. Portion Grape Bunches

Forget pulling at clusters of grapes. Snip sections to create snack-sized portions or appropriate serving sizes for party bowls.

3. Cut Away Bread Crusts

Whether you've got a picky eater on your hands or you're prepping pretty tea sandwiches, kitchen shears are the fastest way to get rid of unwanted crusts.

4. Chop Fresh Herbs

Throw your fresh herbs into a small container or measuring cup, and snip away until you've reached your desired consistency.

5. Slice Spicy Peppers

Chopping hot peppers, like jalapenos, with a knife can leave spicy remains on your cutting board and fingers. Avoid any accidental burning sensations by wearing gloves and slicing away.

6. Trim Dough

Trim away the extra dough around your pie plate. On lattice pie tops, you can snip away excess dough instead of tucking it in.

7. Spatchcock Poultry

Cut your roasted chicken cooking time down by butterflying the bird. Kitchen scissors can access tight spaces like joints and snip around backbones safer than sharp knives. Here's how.

8. Cut Smaller Florets

Cut down big florets of broccoli or cauliflower with kitchen scissors by holding the stalk and snipping at the ends until you've reached your desired size.

9. Slice Pasta into Kid-Friendly Sizes

Make pasta more manageable for the little ones with mini bites. Once the pasta is cooked, just stick your shears into the colander and cut.

10. Cut Refrigerator Biscuits

If your recipe calls for refrigerated biscuit dough smaller than the prepackaged slices, you can trim them down with kitchen scissors.

11. Peel Shrimp

Kitchen shears make shrimp prep simple. Just place the tip of your scissors between the shell and the shrimp and cut through from the back to the tail. User your hands to peel back the rest of the shell.

12. Slice Pizza, Pita, and Quesadillas

The best bread-based and cheesy meals are notoriously hard to cut. Put down the pizza slicer, and simply cut through flatbreads, quesadillas, or pita bread with a pair of kitchen scissors.

13. Trim Green Beans and Asparagus

When trimming away the hard tips on asparagus or green beans, there's no need to dirty a cutting board. It can be faster to simply hold a handful and cut with scissors.

WATCH: How To Cut A Pineapple

14. Cube Bread for Bread Pudding or Stuffing

Shears make it easy to create homemade croutons or cut bread into cubes for a holiday stuffing or bread pudding.

15. Chop Canned Tomatoes

In need of chopped tomatoes when you only have whole canned tomatoes on hand? Avoid a juicy mess by sticking your kitchen shears into the opened can and cutting to your desired size.