Product Reviewed:
Shun Herb Shears
When I lived in New York City, I had a charming windowsill herb garden and I would pluck out tender green stems and leaves for my recipes. I am not so great with the plants, so the fact that these little guys kept on growing is more of a testament to their resiliency than my green thumb. These Shun Herb and Floral Shears would definitely have come in handy back then. They are incredibly sharp, with narrow, blunt tips perfect for sneaking in between herb stems. If you have a backyard garden, I bet you would love the agility and speed the shears allow.
But I don’t live in New York anymore. I just moved to Los Angeles, and am currently garden-less, so I opted to find other handy uses for the shears. I quickly learned they’re not great for chopping most herbs – the parsley and basil leaves got caught in the shears, and it’s really much quicker and safer to simply pull the leaves off of rosemary and thyme. However, they make fast work of chives, and they were perfect for trimming tough grape stems.
The bottom line? I think people who grow their own herbs will love these specialized shears the most. While they’re handy for cutting flowers, trimming grape stems, and chopping chives, I found them to be more of a luxury than a necessity. They are quite sharp and require good dexterity and a steady hand, so I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone with conditions that affect their fine motor skills.
If you’re trying to add more herbs to your diet, or encourage others to explore new flavors, I’ve created a series of videos that demonstrate how to chop herbs quickly and safely, and a “Cooking with Herbs” recipe board on Pinterest.
And did you know chopping parsley is not the same as chopping cilantro? It’s true! Watch this video from my Caroline Kaufman Nutrition YouTube channel:
Caroline Kaufman, MS, RDN, is a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian nutritionist, media spokesperson, freelance writer and health blogger who believes good nutrition should be guilt-free: Cook from scratch when you can, shop smart, move more, eat well and enjoy indulgences. Connect with her on her blog, and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
