Herb scissors with multiple parallel blades are one of the genuinely time-saving herb tools in an Indian kitchen — coriander (dhania) and curry leaves are used in virtually every Indian dish, and chopping them finely by hand several times per day adds up. A 5-blade herb scissors cuts a bunch of coriander into fine pieces in 4–5 snips over a bowl — work that takes 2–3 minutes with a knife takes 30 seconds. Kitchen shears are the more versatile tool — they cut pizza, trim meat fat, snip dried chillies, open packaging and cut bread, in addition to herb work.
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Buy on AmazonThe 5-blade herb scissors is a single-purpose precision tool — it excels at fine-chopping soft herbs (coriander, mint, pudina, curry leaves, green onions) directly over the dish or into a bowl. The multiple parallel blades create fine chops in a single motion. However, it cannot cut through stems, cannot be used for meat or thick vegetables, and is harder to clean thoroughly than a single blade. Kitchen shears fill the general-purpose cutting role that knives sometimes struggle with — poultry shears specifically are designed for cutting through chicken bones and joints, which is common in Indian meat preparation (cutting chicken for biryani, curry chicken pieces).
Beyond herbs, kitchen scissors are used in Indian cooking for: snipping dried red chillies directly into oil during tadka (cleaner and more controlled than breaking by hand); cutting pizza and flatbreads into portions (faster than a rolling cutter for thick naan or paratha); trimming fish fins and gills before cooking; cutting dried apricots, dates and figs for kheer and halwa; cutting green onion stems finely for garnish; and opening sealed plastic packaging without hunting for scissors. Heavy-duty kitchen shears with a bottle-opener notch also serve as a multi-function tool in Indian pantries where jars and bottles with stubborn lids are common.
Q: How do I clean herb scissors with 5 blades?
A: The trickiest part of cleaning multi-blade scissors is removing herb fibres from between the blades. The cleaning comb (included with most models — a narrow plastic comb that runs between the blades) is the correct tool. Run it through from tip to heel between each pair of blades after rinsing. Dishwasher cleaning is effective for most stainless steel herb scissors on the top rack — the water pressure cleans between blades better than hand washing. Dry thoroughly immediately after washing to prevent rust.
Q: Are kitchen shears safe to use on raw chicken for Indian cooking?
A: Yes — kitchen shears are actually the safest and most controlled way to cut raw chicken for Indian recipes. Standard curry chicken requires cutting a whole chicken into 8–12 pieces through joints and bones — a task that risks knife slips and uneven cuts. Poultry shears cut cleanly through cartilage and bone, producing uniform pieces. Always wash poultry shears in hot soapy water immediately after cutting raw meat — do not use them for vegetables until thoroughly cleaned and dried.
Q: Can herb scissors cut curry leaves stems?
A: The herb scissors blade cuts soft curry leaf stems easily but struggles with the main woody stem of the curry leaf branch. The correct technique is to remove individual curry leaves from the branch first (pinch and pull downward), then use the scissors to chop the loose leaves. Alternatively, snip the entire branch end (where leaves are youngest and stems thinnest) directly into hot oil during tadka — at Indian tadka temperatures (180°C+), fresh curry leaves cook and crisp in seconds regardless of whether they still have thin stems attached.
A 5-blade herb scissors for daily coriander prep (under ₹500) and a sturdy kitchen shear for general cutting tasks (under ₹700) are both high-frequency use tools in an Indian kitchen. Click Buy on Amazon for current prices.