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The best kitchen shears need to handle both slippery chicken skin and delicate herbs without sacrificing comfort or control. Food Network’s 2026 test of 10 leading models supports four strong picks: Misen Kitchen Shears for most kitchens, Miyabi Kitchen Shears as a splurge, OXO Kitchen and Herb Scissors for herbs, and Shun Multi Purpose Shears for heavy-duty work. Mercer Culinary Premium Kitchen Shears are a versatile all-purpose alternative with take-apart blades.
How the five picks compare
| Shears | Best for | Standout features | Cleaning and trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misen Kitchen Shears | Best overall | Long stainless-steel micro-serrated blades, large handles, and enough nimbleness for herbs, according to Food Network’s testing. | Misen advises hand washing rather than dishwasher use. (Food Network) |
| Miyabi Kitchen Shears | Best splurge | Micro-serrated blades, tapered tips, bottle opener, and integrated bone-breaker section; performed well on chicken and chives in Food Network’s test. | Not dishwasher-safe; the source says they are easy to clean by hand. (Food Network) |
| OXO Kitchen and Herb Scissors | Best for herbs | Tapered blades, spacious handles, low-friction hinge, and an integrated herb stripper for parsley and rosemary. | Food Network says they are dishwasher-safe. (Food Network) |
| Shun Multi Purpose Shears | Best heavy-duty | Food Network selected them as its heavy-duty pick after tests involving poultry, herbs, and walnuts. | The test summary does not provide a full specification or cleaning guidance; check the exact model’s product information before buying. (Food Network) |
| Mercer Culinary Premium Kitchen Shears | All-purpose/value alternative | Forged German steel blades, serrated edge, two-piece handle, and built-in bottle opener, nutcracker, seafood sheller, and lid lifter. | Come apart for cleaning and sharpening. WebstaurantStore notes they lack a dedicated bone notch. (WebstaurantStore) |
Best overall: Misen Kitchen Shears
Misen is the best starting point if you want one pair for varied prep. In Food Network’s evaluation, the long micro-serrated stainless-steel blades gripped slippery chicken skin, while the large handles aided mobility. Testers also found them nimble enough for herbs, a useful balance for a general-purpose pair.
The main compromise is care: Misen advises hand washing, so these are not the pick for someone who wants to put shears in the dishwasher. (Food Network)
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Best splurge: Miyabi Kitchen Shears
Miyabi’s shears suit cooks who want more specialized features as well as cutting performance. Food Network describes sharp, nimble Japanese-style shears with micro-serrated stainless-steel blades, tapered tips, a bottle opener, and an integrated bone-breaker section. They handled both raw chicken and chives in the test.
#1 Best Overall
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They are not dishwasher-safe, although Food Network reports they are easy to clean by hand. (Food Network)
Best for herbs: OXO Kitchen and Herb Scissors
Choose OXO if herb preparation is a regular task. Food Network highlights the sharp, tapered blades, roomy handles, and low-friction hinge, plus a built-in stripper for removing parsley or rosemary leaves from stems. The source says the scissors are dishwasher-safe, making them the clearest choice here for buyers prioritizing that convenience.
Rank #2
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Best heavy-duty: Shun Multi Purpose Shears
Shun is Food Network’s heavy-duty pick from a test that included poultry, herbs, and walnuts. It is the option to investigate when demanding prep matters more than a dedicated herb feature or multipurpose add-ons.
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Rank #3
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All-purpose/value alternative: Mercer Culinary Premium Kitchen Shears
Mercer’s design emphasizes versatility and maintenance. WebstaurantStore describes forged German steel blades with a serrated edge for traction, a comfortable two-piece handle, and built-in functions for opening bottles and lids, cracking nuts, and shelling seafood. The shears can be taken apart for cleaning and sharpening, and the guide says they can handle vegetables, herbs, packaging, meat, poultry, small game, and fish.
The notable omission is a dedicated bone notch, so Mercer is less specifically equipped for bone work than a design with an integrated breaker. (WebstaurantStore)
Rank #4
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What matters when choosing kitchen shears
For cutting chicken and other poultry
Look for blade traction, enough strength and length for the cut, and a comfortable grip that stays controlled while handling slippery raw poultry. A bone notch or breaker can be useful, but not every pair has one. Food Network’s test included spatchcocking a whole chicken and assessed sharpness, handle comfort, sturdiness, and cutting through meat, skin, and cartilage. (Food Network)
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For herbs
Sharp tips and a smooth hinge help with precise snips; an herb stripper is a useful extra if you often remove leaves from stems. Food Network tested chives, while Which? describes testing delicate spring onions and woody rosemary stems. Which? also says its testers include left- and right-handed users and that it buys bestselling scissors rather than accepting manufacturer or retailer freebies. (Which?)
Best Value
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For cleaning and maintenance
Follow the exact manufacturer’s care instructions for the model you buy. Among these five, Food Network identifies OXO as dishwasher-safe and says Misen advises hand washing while Miyabi is not dishwasher-safe. If being able to separate the blades is important, Mercer is the listed option with take-apart construction for cleaning and sharpening.
For comfort and grip
Handle spacing, balance, weight, and wet-hand grip affect control, especially during longer or messier tasks. TechGearLab says its evaluation of nine models included wet- and dry-handle comfort alongside cutting tests on bones, chicken breasts, herbs, pork chops, packaging, cardboard, and fabric, plus dishwasher performance. The cited summaries do not provide directly comparable comfort scores for the five picks here. (TechGearLab)
How the testing informs these recommendations
Food Network says it tested 10 leading models, assessing size, weight, material, and handle-to-blade balance before cutting a whole chicken, cleaning shears according to manufacturer instructions, snipping chives, and cracking walnuts. Those tasks help distinguish tools that can do broad kitchen work from shears that excel at a narrower job. (Food Network)
Other testing methods address different use cases: Which? includes skewers, rosemary, raw chicken, spring onions, and cardboard, while TechGearLab reports a wider mix of foods and packaging materials. These are separate evaluations, not a single shared scoring system, so their results should be read as complementary rather than as directly comparable rankings. (Which?; TechGearLab)
Prices and stock can change after publication; check the retailer listing for current availability and the exact model details. (Food Network)
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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