What Are Those Metal Teeth Between Kitchen Scissors? Their Real Purpose Explained
This is where things can become confusing because different kitchen scissors have different designs.
Some heavy-duty kitchen shears are specifically designed for poultry and may include a notch intended to help with bones.
But you shouldn’t automatically assume that the teeth in the picture are designed for cutting large bones.
The serrated section is primarily a gripping feature on many models.
If your scissors are lightweight household kitchen scissors, forcing them through thick bones could damage the blades or pivot and could cause the scissors to slip.
For heavy poultry work, properly designed poultry shears are the better choice.
They Can Grip Slippery Food
Another useful purpose is simply holding something that doesn’t want to stay still.
Foods can be surprisingly difficult to grip when they’re wet or oily.
Raw poultry skin, seafood shells, tough stems and other slippery materials can move around when you try to cut them.
A toothed gripping section gives you another point of control.
The serrations essentially bite into the surface enough to keep it from sliding.
That’s why the feature can be useful even when you’re not cracking anything.
But Don’t Use Them Like Pliers
This is an important distinction.
Those teeth may look like tiny pliers, but kitchen scissors aren’t a replacement for a pair of pliers.
Don’t use them for:
Electrical wires
Metal objects
Screws
Nails
Extremely hard plastic
Thick metal
Large bones
Industrial materials
Doing so can damage the scissors and create sharp fragments or unexpected movement.
They’re designed for kitchen-related tasks that match the construction of the tool.
Why Put the Teeth So Close to the Pivot?
There’s actually a useful mechanical reason.
The closer a gripping point is to the pivot, the more leverage the handles can provide.
When you squeeze the handles, force is transferred through the pivot and into the gripping area.
This means you can generate substantial pressure without needing an enormous tool.
It’s similar to why pliers have their gripping jaws relatively close to their pivot.
The manufacturer can therefore create a compact kitchen tool that provides more force than you might expect from something that looks like ordinary scissors.
The Most Important Thing: Keep Your Fingers Away
The image says the person has already cut their fingers twice.
If that’s happening to you, don’t try to “get used to” the teeth.
They’re exactly the type of feature that should be handled carefully.
When opening or closing the scissors:
Keep your fingers completely inside the designated handle loops.
Keep your fingertips away from the pivot.
Don’t put your finger between the serrated sections.
Don’t test the teeth by touching them.
Close the scissors slowly when putting them away.
Store them in a secure location.
Keep them away from children.
If the scissors have a locking mechanism, use it when storing them if appropriate.
What If You Don’t Need This Feature?
That’s perfectly fine.
You don’t have to use every feature built into a kitchen tool.
If you primarily use your scissors for:
Cutting herbs
Opening food packages
Cutting parchment
Trimming meat
Cutting kitchen twine
Snipping vegetables
you may never need the gripping section.
Its presence doesn’t mean you’re supposed to use it regularly.
It’s simply an additional function built into the scissors.
Don’t Confuse These Teeth With Serrated Cutting Blades
