Poultry Shears Have Completely Changed My Thanksgiving Preparations.
I once tried to carve a Thanksgiving turkey with regular kitchen scissors. Things didn’t go so well. For those who don’t know, spatchcocking is also called butterflying and it requires you to remove the backbone of the bird to fry it flat rather than 3D as is usually the case. In my unprepared scenario, it took two people to finally get the job done and I left with a blister. But it’s not hard to do—with the right tools. Once I got my hands on the poultry shears, it changed my future Thanksgiving forever.
Whether you’re quartering a chicken or carving a 20-pound turkey, poultry shears are essential. Note that these aren’t your average kitchen scissors or those random craft scissors you happen to keep in your kitchen drawer—real poultry scissors are special. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, there’s no better time to snag a pair.
What are poultry shears?
Regular kitchen scissors are very similar to utility scissors—they have straight blades with thumb and thumb hoops, but their shape is a little chunkier. You can use kitchen scissors to chop vegetables, slice green onions into rings, or even slice pizza, but these scissors aren’t very helpful when cutting meat. I can personally tell you that using them to cut through raw turkey bones is like using a fork to drink your morning coffee.
Poultry scissors are really scissors, but they are made specifically for cutting the meat and bones of chicken, turkey, pheasant and other poultry. The shape, size and design of these scissors make this tough job much easier. The blades are quite narrow and curve upward, making it easier to move around the cavity of the chicken or get through hard-to-reach areas without getting in the way of your hand. The cutting edges of the blades have serrated segments, which reduces slipping and makes cutting bones easier.
It is important to note that poultry shears are spring loaded. Part of my experience with regular kitchen scissors was so bad that my grip strength was completely exhausted. The spring-loaded mechanism makes cutting easier and faster. Plus, they’re typically made from durable, hard-wearing stainless steel, so they’re easy to clean and stay sharp and in good shape for years.
When can you use poultry shears?
If you’re planning on slaughtering a turkey this year, poultry shears are a must . This cooks the bird more evenly, leaves the skin crispy rather than soggy, and can shave an hour or more off the total cooking time from the thighs. Here’s how to cook chicken: You use the same steps for turkey.
Poultry shears aren’t just for November; they are indispensable throughout the year. You can use them to fillet fish, fillet and fillet lobsters or other crustaceans. Use poultry shears to trim fat from any cut of meat. Naturally, you’ll want to use them whenever you’re breaking up a chicken into legs, thighs, wings and breasts before cooking (or freezing for easy dinners throughout the week) or after baking to separate the bird for serving.
If portioning or carving up large chickens or turkeys with a knife has ever felt cumbersome (poultry juices can make the whole process quite slippery), you may find that using poultry shears feels safer and more convenient. This alone is worth the purchase. Consider it a small investment in a better Thanksgiving.