Take-Apart, Poultry or Compact? The Best Kitchen Shears

In a Mexican kitchen, kitchen shears earn their place one small job at a time. They cut the backbone out of a chicken so it lies flat for pollo asado. They snip the stems off dried guajillos and anchos before the chiles are toasted and seeded. They trim cilantro straight over a bowl of salsa, cut a stack of warm tortillas into wedges for chilaquiles, slice green onions for the grill and open the bag the masa came in. A knife can do most of these jobs, but shears do them faster and closer to the pot.

Shears look alike in a store, and they are not. The blades differ in length, edge and grip; some come apart for washing and some trap raw chicken juice in a fixed pivot; some are built for poultry bones and others for herbs and packaging. This guide compares eight pairs of kitchen shears on those points, using the makers’ specifications, the Amazon listings and America’s Test Kitchen’s published kitchen shears review.

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Quick verdict: which kitchen shears to buy

The table shows our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook. All eight pairs are reviewed in full below it.

Five kitchen shears side by side

Blades and cleaning for our five standout picks, as each maker, Amazon listing or America’s Test Kitchen states them.

Product images from Amazon. Specifications as stated by each maker or Amazon listing; blade lengths marked ATK are America’s Test Kitchen’s measurements. Check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best kitchen shears

These eight pairs cover the three kinds of kitchen shears worth owning: all-purpose take-apart shears, spring-loaded poultry shears with curved blades, and small, light kitchen scissors for fine work. We judged each first on raw chicken, the hardest everyday job for shears, and then on the rest of a Mexican kitchen’s list: dried chile stems, herbs, green onions, tortillas and packaging.

How to choose kitchen shears for a working kitchen

Most of the difference between good and poor shears comes down to a few points, and ATK’s review lines up with what a busy kitchen notices.

• A sharp cutting blade. ATK found that the narrower the angle on the cutting blade, the sharper it was, and that blades with very wide angles tended to wedge into food instead of cutting it. In practice, look for a maker that sharpens the plain blade like a knife.
• Real serrations on the other blade. According to ATK, “the deeper and sharper the serrations, the more securely they held the food.” That grip is what stops shears sliding off wet chicken skin or a slick green onion.
• Blades that come apart. ATK “strongly preferred shears that could be easily separated for easy cleaning.” Food and raw chicken juice can collect around a fixed pivot. The CDC advises washing utensils with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item, and that is far easier with two separate halves.
• Enough blade. ATK preferred blades of at least 3.5 inches. Longer blades take fewer strokes to cut along a backbone; shorter ones are more precise for chile stems and herbs.
• Handles for your hands. Plastic-covered bows are easier to hold when wet, ATK found, and identically sized bows let left- and right-handed cooks share one pair. Medium tension and a weight of about 4 to 5 ounces suited most of its testers.
• Poultry shears if you cut whole birds. Spring-loaded, curved poultry shears give more leverage on bones; all-purpose shears are the better single pair for everything else.

How we picked these eight pairs

We started with America’s Test Kitchen’s kitchen shears review, the most detailed independent review we could read, which put nine models through chicken, herbs, cauliflower, pie crust, parchment and twine and measured blade length, weight and cutting angle. We tried to read Serious Eats’ and Wirecutter’s kitchen shears coverage, but could not access either, so we do not report their picks.

We then checked each pair’s Amazon listing and maker information for model, blade, steel, take-apart design, dishwasher guidance, handedness and warranty, and wrote “Not stated” wherever the maker does not say. Every pair was in stock on Amazon when we checked. We did not test these shears ourselves, and Julia’s does not claim to use any of them. We added a poultry shear, a compact pair and a sheathed pair to cover the kinds of cooks the all-purpose review does not.

We left out the KitchenAid Classic Forged shears and the All-Clad stainless shears, which ATK rated Not Recommended; the Misen shears, recommended by ATK, because testers with smaller hands found the bows too large and the Kershaw covers the same price range; and a long list of unbranded “heavy duty” multipacks.

Spatchcocking, chiles and tortillas: shears at work

• Spatchcock a chicken for pollo asado. Set the bird breast side down, cut along one side of the backbone from tail to neck, then the other side, and lift the backbone out. Turn the chicken over and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten it. Keep the backbone for stock. Use a separate board for raw chicken; our best cutting board guide covers the options.
• Stem and seed dried chiles. Snip the stem end off a guajillo or ancho, then cut down one side and open it flat to shake out the seeds before toasting. Shears are faster and safer than a knife on a brittle chile.
• Cut tortillas for chilaquiles or totopos. Stack four or five tortillas and cut them into wedges or strips in one pass.
• Snip herbs straight into the dish. Cilantro, chives and green onion tops can go straight from the shears into salsa or onto tacos. Our Mexican herbs explained guide covers which herbs go in raw and which are cooked. For bigger batches, multi-blade herb scissors cut a whole bunch in a few snips.

Kitchen shears questions, answered

What is the best brand of kitchen shears?

No single brand wins at every price. In ATK’s review, Shun’s Multi-Purpose Shears came first, Henckels’ take-apart shears were the Best Buy, and Kershaw, OXO and Misen were all recommended. Wüsthof’s come-apart shears were recommended with reservations, for lighter tasks.

Which kitchen shears does America’s Test Kitchen recommend?

ATK’s winner is the Shun Multi-Purpose Shears (DM7300), and its Best Buy is the J.A. Henckels International Take-Apart Kitchen Shears (11517-100). It also recommends the Kershaw Taskmaster, the OXO Good Grips Kitchen and Herb Shears, Misen and Material shears.

What about Wirecutter, Serious Eats or Consumer Reports?

We could not access Wirecutter’s or Serious Eats’ kitchen shears reviews and did not read Consumer Reports for this guide, so we cannot report their picks. The independent review we did read is America’s Test Kitchen’s.

What are the best all-purpose kitchen shears?

The Shun Multi-Purpose Shears, if you want the best performance, or the Henckels Take-Apart shears for a low price. Both come apart for cleaning, which ATK strongly preferred.

Do I need poultry shears as well as kitchen shears?

Only if you cut up whole birds often. Good all-purpose shears like the Shun or Kershaw handle a backbone, but spring-loaded, curved poultry shears like the OXO give more leverage and less hand strain when you are doing several chickens. Our kitchen shears vs scissors guide explains how the tools differ.

Can kitchen shears be sharpened?

Yes, but with care: the plain blade can be sharpened, while serrated blades need a specialist. Some makers sharpen their own; Shun’s listings mention free sharpening for its knives. Our best knife sharpener guide covers sharpeners, but check the maker’s instructions before putting shears through one.

Our final pick for kitchen shears

Buy the Shun Multi-Purpose Shears if you want the pair that cuts best, especially through chicken. Choose the Henckels Take-Apart shears for a low price, the OXO spring-loaded poultry shears if you spatchcock often, the Kershaw Taskmaster for near-Shun cutting for less, and the Joyce Chen Unlimited for small, precise jobs.

If most of your snipping is cilantro, chives and other herbs, a multi-blade pair saves time; see the best herb scissors.

On a budget? See our guide to the best value kitchen shears.

Breaking down whole chickens? See our guide to the best poultry shears.

Related guide: Kitchen shears alternative.

Shears sit next to the knives in a working kitchen; our best chef knife and best knife set guides cover the rest of the drawer, and our Mexican cooking tools guide covers the whole kit. And when you would rather someone else did the pollo asado, see the menu or call to order.