[Brook]

I keep seeing poultry shears advertised in catalogues and wondered what you think about their usefulness. How do they differ from all-purpose kitchen shears? Will they cut through chicken leg bones, for instance? Do you recommend them over using a knife? Any information would be most helpful! Thank you!

[mudbug]

As with anything else, the right tool for the job always helps. Poultry shears are designed for strength. They are not necessarily designed to cut thru bone but will definitely cut thru joints and small bones with no problem whatsoever. If you cook chicken a lot, they are an excellent prep tool for this job. The only other tool that seems comperable to me is a heavy Asian cleaver.

The key to poultry shears is that you can take them apart to clean them. Though hard to find, don't buy a pair that can't be taken apart for cleaning. Also important is teeth/notches on one blade for gripping the poultry as you start to cut.

My mother gave us an exquisite pair for a wedding shower...I think that she got them at a gormet cooking equipment store like Williams Sonoma, etc. They are Italian, manufactured by "Due Buoi"

[bouland]

For cutting up uncooked chicken, I prefer a good knife, which is more precise than poultry shears. Where I see the shears used the most is at the local stores that sell barbecued chicken. If the customer wants the chicken cut up, the server uses the shears to do it fast, although not to neatly usually. I have a couple of pairs that I inherited, but I haven't used them in years.

[Linda Smith]

I have never used them. They always seemed to fiddley to me. The thought of washing poultry shears is not appealing. If you are merely disjointing the chicken I would suggest a good knife. If you need a little more oomph, I suggest a cleaver.

I have a pair of poultry shears and use them all the time.... but never once have I cut up a whole chicken with them... I use a knife! But they are great for cutting other things like the plastic thing they put around turkey legs! Also great for cutting through frozen meat, and I may just try them for pruning the hedges!!!!

[nancya]

I always knew they must be useful for something, OneSock! Always used a knife myself though sometimes use my kitchen shears to quickly cut things like Italian sausage into bite size pieces.

[mudbug]

Brook,

Poultry shears are much stronger than all-purpose kitchen shears. They are commonly used to cut the backbone out of poultry. If you are efficient with a knife then you may not use the shears often enough to justify the purchase.

They can be useful for several other things around the kitchen as well. You can always clean them by throwing them in the dishwasher.

[chefboy2160]

I'll stick with a good knife any day . When I used to run a high volume buffet I bought a good heavy cleaver and showed my cooks helpers how to pop chicken hindquarters with it .