Kai Kitchen Shears

Every cook has at least one kitchen tool that drives them crazy. The holes in the grater are too big or too small, the cutting board is too heavy or too light, or the boning knife is too flexible or too stiff. Well, my particular annoyance is poultry shears. Most designs are too lightweight, so much so that cutting through the back of a chicken is an unpleasant, never-to-be-repeated task. The handles feel like they were designed to cause pain, not comfort, the metal is not heavy-duty enough and the length of the cutting edge is too long in proportion to the whole design. Finally, I can sleep at night! The KAI shears are amazing. The rubber edged handles are extremely comfortable, the shears are heavy-duty, and, oddly enough, they actually work! I can spatchcock a chicken in mere seconds and I don’t feel as if I just had my hand put through the wringer! Part of the reason these KAI shears are so great is that the 3.5-inch cutting edge is relatively short compared to the weight and length of the rest of the scissors. This means that you can exert a lot of force without a lot of effort. (Much like having a long, heavy crowbar to turn over a rock.) And they easily come apart for cleaning. (They do not fall apart easily, however, which is a problem with some models.) Hands down this is my favorite pair of poultry shears. Once you start spatchcocking (butterflying) chicken, you will always roast or grill them this way. It means even cooking without having to turn the bird to even out the white and dark meats. I roast a spatchcocked chicken almost every Sunday for use during the week. Just rub kosher salt and a spice blend on top and you are good to go. You can also use these shears for cutting up a chicken or trimming off fat or bones.

• 3.5 x 1 x 8 inches
• 8.8 oz