Best Kitchen Shears for Everyday Use in 2026

Kitchen shears do things a knife cannot do well: cut through pizza without dragging cheese, snip fresh herbs directly over a dish, cut raw chicken along the backbone for spatchcocking, open sealed packaging, and trim fat from meat without a cutting board. A quality pair lives next to your knives and gets used daily.

What Separates Good Shears from Bad Ones

Blade quality: Forged or high-carbon stainless blades hold an edge longer than stamped steel. The blade should slice cleanly through herb stems without crushing them, and cut raw chicken bone without bending.

Take-apart design: Shears that separate at the pivot point clean properly. Residue from raw chicken or sticky food builds up around the joint — if you cannot fully open the shears to wash both blades individually, you cannot clean them safely. This matters for food safety.

Handle comfort: Wide loops accommodate larger hands. Soft-grip or rubberized handles reduce fatigue when cutting a lot at once (herbs, pizza, multiple portions). Spring-loaded handles reduce hand fatigue by reopening automatically.

Weight and balance: Too light feels flimsy and loses control during hard cuts. Too heavy causes fatigue. 150-200g is the right range for most kitchen shears.

Additional tools on the handle: Many shears include a bottle opener, jar lid gripper, bone notch for cracking, or screwdriver tip. These are genuinely useful if included well, gimmicky if they compromise the main cutting function.

Top Picks

Budget Pick: Cuisinart CTG-00-SHR Take-Apart Kitchen Shears

Price: ~$12 | Best for: First kitchen shears, gift, or a backup pair

Cuisinart shears take apart at the pivot for full dishwasher cleaning — the most important feature at any price point. The stainless blades cut herbs, poultry, and packaging without complaint. The handles are wide enough for most hands and include a bottle opener built into one ring.

At under $15, you get a competent take-apart shear that outperforms many scissors marketed as kitchen tools. The blade steel is not premium — you will need to sharpen after 6-12 months of daily use — but the fundamentals are correct. Clean properly, and these last several years.

Pros: Take-apart cleaning, bottle opener, dishwasher-safe, under $15
Cons: Blade steel dulls faster than premium options, plastic handles less comfortable for extended cutting

Mid-Range Pick: OXO Good Grips Kitchen and Herb Scissors

Price: ~$15 | Best for: Herb cutting and general kitchen tasks

OXO's kitchen shears have soft, non-slip handles that stay comfortable for extended herb snipping. The spring-loaded opening reduces hand fatigue when cutting large amounts. The blades are sharp out of the box and handle thin herb stems and green onions cleanly without crushing.

The herb stripper notches in the blade handle rosemary and thyme stems — pull the stem through a notch to strip leaves efficiently. The shears take apart for cleaning. For a kitchen that cooks regularly with fresh herbs, the combination of spring-loaded opening and herb strippers makes this worth the modest premium over basic options.

Pros: Spring-loaded opening, soft-grip handles, herb stripper notches, take-apart
Cons: Lighter construction — less suitable for hard tasks like cutting through chicken bone or pizza crust

Premium Pick: Wusthof Kitchen Shears

Price: ~$40 | Best for: Heavy daily use and professional results

Wusthof shears are forged German stainless steel — the same quality steel as their chef knives. The blades maintain an edge through heavy daily use including poultry breakdown, pizza cutting, dried pasta snipping, and herb work. The micro-serrated lower blade grips material without slipping, including slick raw meat.

The handles are classic Wusthof design — balanced, durable, and comfortable for extended use. The shears take apart for full cleaning. A bone notch near the base handles small bones without full separation. Weight is approximately 200g — substantial but not fatiguing.

These shears last a decade or more with minimal maintenance. For a home cook who uses kitchen shears daily for serious tasks, the one-time investment eliminates replacements.

Pros: Forged German steel, micro-serrated lower blade, bone notch, long-lasting
Cons: $40 is significant if you rarely use shears; overkill for occasional herb cutting

Comparison Table

Tasks Where Shears Beat a Knife

Fresh herbs: Shearing herbs directly into a bowl is faster than knife-chopping on a cutting board. Snip basil, chives, green onions, parsley, and dill at speed with no washing of a cutting board.

Spatchcocking chicken: Cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it and flatten the bird. Poultry shears or heavy kitchen shears do this in seconds — a task that requires a very heavy knife otherwise.

Pizza cutting: Scissors cut pizza cleanly without dragging toppings. Slice directly in the pan or on the board without the wheel-drag problem on melted cheese.

Opening packaging: Vacuum-sealed bags, clamshell packaging, and zip ties — scissors are faster and safer than a knife for packaging.

Trimming fat: Cut visible fat from raw chicken thighs or steak without needing a cutting board and full knife setup.

Dried pasta: Break spaghetti for soup — the traditional shake-and-snap sends shards flying. Cut cleanly with shears directly into the pot.

Care and Maintenance

Cleaning: Take-apart shears after every use involving raw meat. Wash both blades individually, paying attention to the joint area. Dry immediately — water at the pivot accelerates corrosion.

Sharpening: Kitchen shears dull like any blade. A pull-through sharpener with a V-notch sharpens both blades simultaneously. Alternatively, sharpen each blade individually on a whetstone at the same angle as a knife (approximately 20 degrees). Premium steel shears need sharpening less frequently than budget steel.

Storage: A knife block with a shears slot, a drawer divider, or a magnetic strip works. Do not throw them loose in a drawer where they contact other metal — it dulls both the shears and adjacent tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can kitchen shears go in the dishwasher?
Take-apart shears with stainless handles: yes, generally. Non-take-apart shears: not recommended — water traps in the joint and causes rust. Plastic handles and carbon steel blades degrade faster in the dishwasher. Check manufacturer instructions.

How often should I sharpen kitchen shears?
Depends on use. Daily heavy use: every 3-6 months. Occasional herb and packaging use: once per year or when cutting becomes noticeably harder. Carbon steel dulls faster than high-carbon stainless.

What is the difference between kitchen shears and poultry shears?
Poultry shears are heavier construction specifically for cutting through bone and joints. Kitchen shears handle a broader range of tasks at lighter weight. For regular whole-chicken breakdown, dedicated poultry shears are easier to use; for herb cutting and general kitchen tasks, kitchen shears are more versatile.

Are expensive kitchen shears worth it?
If you use them daily for real cooking tasks (poultry, herbs, pizza, packaging), yes — better steel, better balance, and a blade that stays sharp saves maintenance effort. For occasional use, the Cuisinart or OXO options are perfectly adequate.