When it comes to kitchen utensils, the spotlight often falls on the trusty chef’s knife, and rightly so—it’s the workhorse of the kitchen.
However, we must not overlook the importance of a humble pair of kitchen scissors.
These versatile tools assist us in a multitude of tasks, from snipping herbs to trimming fish fins and even tackling chicken bones.
Not to mention their occasional role in opening stubborn packaging and cutting through parchment.
Given the extensive range of duties they perform, it’s only natural that your kitchen shears will eventually lose their sharpness.
You may find that cutting requires more effort than before, or perhaps you’ve realized that you’ve been using your scissors for years without ever sharpening them.
In either case, the solution remains the same: your scissors are in need of sharpening.
When it comes to sharpening kitchen scissors, the process can be challenging, and there’s no shame in seeking professional assistance to avoid inadvertently ruining the precise angle of the blade’s bevel, which requires sharpening.
But, if you want to know how to sharpen kitchen scissors yourself, keep on reading!
How To Sharpen Kitchen Scissors: A simple guide
When it comes to kitchen tools, scissors hold a distinct advantage over kitchen knives—they are much easier to sharpen.
While it’s always an option to seek professional assistance, learning how to sharpen kitchen scissors on your own is an achievable task, even if you have no prior experience with sharpening.
Sharpening scissors is a simpler process compared to sharpening a chef’s knife for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the bevel on scissors is wider than that of a chef’s knife, making it easier to determine the correct angle for blade sharpening.
Secondly, there’s no need to worry about honing the blade separately after sharpening, as is required for a chef’s knife.
The dual blades of scissors handle this automatically, aligning the burr on each blade with a few snipping motions.
To sharpen your kitchen scissors, you will need a sharpening stone, preferably one with a coarse side and a fine side, in addition to the scissors themselves.
With these basic tools at hand, you’ll be well-prepared to breathe new life into your dulled scissors and restore their sharpness effortlessly.
So, read on to learn how to sharpen kitchen scissors!
To effectively sharpen your kitchen scissors, it’s important to disassemble them first.
This allows you to access the back end of the blade near the handle and prevents the opposing blade from posing any risk of injury during the sharpening process.
Most kitchen shears can be easily pulled apart for cleaning purposes.
However, some models may have a screw or nut that needs to be removed before disassembling.
If your scissors are riveted together, they may not be designed for disassembly, indicating that you might have been using non-kitchen scissors as kitchen shears.
In such cases, you can still proceed with sharpening, but it’s important to be aware of the scissors’ limitations.
Once your scissors are disassembled, prepare your sharpening stone by placing it on a stable surface, such as a towel, to prevent it from sliding around.
Begin the sharpening process by positioning the flat, inner side of one scissor blade on the coarse side of the sharpening stone.
Apply light pressure and move the blade from the back towards the tip, maintaining a flat angle against the stone.
Repeat this motion for a total of 10 strokes.
Keep in mind that while the upper part of the blade may have a slightly concave shape, the edge itself should remain flat, as that is the part you are focusing on.
After 10 strokes, examine the blade edge.
You should notice a fresh strip of metal along the edge, indicating successful sharpening.
At this point, you have the option to flip the stone over and give the flat edge of the blade 10 strokes on the fine side.
However, this step is primarily for refinement purposes, as achieving a clean, fresh metal edge is the main objective.
Congratulations! By following these steps, you have effectively learned how to sharpen kitchen scissors, restoring their cutting efficiency.
Reassemble the scissors, ensuring a secure fit, and enjoy renewed sharpness for all your culinary tasks.
