Kitchen shears are handy tools, aren’t they? They can be used for cutting meat, cutting through packages, or for cutting herbs. Some of them are even equipped with nutcrackers so that people can enjoy their favorite nuts. As much as they do for us, however, we don’t seem capable of returning the favor. Many of us fail to take care of our shears, merely tossing them into a drawer. And in our opinion, that’s a shame.
One thing that we know is the fact that even the best kitchen shears won’t last very long if they aren’t properly cared for. When we say properly cared for, we mean keeping them sharp, clean, and safely stored. We’re going to bring respect back to kitchen shears so everyone can get good use out of them.
Keep Your Kitchen Shears Sharp
Although most people are good at keeping their chef knives sharpened, few people bother to sharpen their kitchen shears. It’s so easy to sharpen kitchen scissors, we just don’t understand why everyone isn’t doing it. Want to know how to sharpen kitchen shears? Well, let’s get into it, shall we?
Make sure you use a sharpening stone that has one coarse 400-grit surface and one fine 1,000-grit surface. Begin with the coarse side of the stone and then use the fine side of the stone to refine the edge.
To sharpen the scissors, wet the surface of the stone with honing oil or water. Then lay the inside surface of the scissor blade flat on the stone. Using slight downward pressure, draw the blade across the entire length of the stone. Do this moving from the base to the tip. This usually takes 10-20 strokes, depending on the dullness of the blades. Then check the blade for burrs that might exist around the inner edge.
Keep Your Kitchen Shears Nice & Clean
The next thing we want to talk about is keeping the kitchen shears nice and clean. And that is easily enough done using dish soap and hot water, just like you would with any other kitchen utensil. When washing them, make sure to clean the area where the blade and handle come into contact to remove any food particles—particles where dangerous bacteria can grow. This can be difficult to do with some shears, but with the ones that you can take apart, it’s not that difficult.
It’s important to not let your kitchen shears “soak” in your sink. You should never submerge them in water for longer than a couple of seconds. Rather, you should wash and dry them immediately. Although most are now made from stainless steel and aren’t subject to rust, oxidation can still take place on the surface of the stainless steel and that can potentially weaken it.
Keep Those Kitchen Shears Oiled
It’s also important for you to keep your kitchen shears oiled, especially around the hinge and where the screw is located. To do this, all you have to do is to use a small amount of food-grade mineral oil to these areas—wiping any excess off of them before storing them.
Keep Those Shears Properly Stored
Storing the kitchen shears properly is just as important as sharpening them, cleaning them, and oiling them. Never toss these shears into a drawer with other junk. Instead, store them in some kind of protective case. This can be a box, a sheath, or a pouch.
Another way that some people store them is by using a magnetic strip. That keeps their blades safe and keeps them handy. No matter how you store them, it’s important to keep them away from metal, glass, or ceramic kitchenware.
Some Tips On How To Use Your Kitchen Shears
Since we’re done talking about how you should maintain kitchen shears, let’s talk about some of the things you can use them for. We understand that we might have scared some people away from kitchen shears and make them seem like they’re a lot of work, and that wasn’t our intention. We don’t think shears are difficult to maintain, but we do think that they are good for a variety of projects. Projects such as the ones that we’ve listed below.
- Slicing Through Peppers
- Trimming Dough
- Cut Broccoli Florets
- Peel Shrimp
- Cube Bread For Stuffing
- Cut Bacon