Snippets

My most useful tool in the kitchen, besides the fine mesh drain screen to keep the plumber away, is my scissors. Are? my scissors? You might wonder, as I did, where that name originated. The OE  "cisoria" means a cutting tool and likely arises from the Latin word "cisus" or cut. There is a naughty bit also regarding the word, but that is for you to ponder. My scissors are not the fancy kitchen variety that will cut chicken bone, even though I use it for that when I trim chicken wings. I inherited my scissors from my dressmaking mother who ensured that her scissors were quality driven and very sharp. If you think scissors are safe, beware the blades, not the lesser points. And never use your scissors to cut hair. For some reason it does damage if you try to use them also to cut fabric. But why scissors in the kitchen? They beat knives in lots of ways. When I roll up herbs, I snip, not chop. And when bacon bits are needed, out come the bacon strips from the fridge freezer where they are always available and cut little bits into the frying onions in the pan. Often bits such as celery leaves, tiny carrots, thin sticks of any kind of veg or herb, even spinach to add to your  mix, scissors will do a neat job. The mug of scallions that sit permanently beside my kitchen tap need their browish tops nipped off and scissors also do the task of snipping some of them into the little crystal bowl that sits always on my counter, their shards of green drying and waiting to top anything cheesy. What I like about scissors is that arthritic fingers don't mind them as much as dealing with the wiles of very large sharp knives. Chef examples notwithstanding. Maintenance of a pair of scissors is simple. First never put the moving joint, whatever else it's called into water when you are rinsing them. Dip the bottom halves of the blades into soapy water and wipe. I keep my scissory pal nose down, in a little marble bowl along with the bamboo chopstick pals, a sharp paring knife, a wee whisk, my darling ancient one quarter cup scoop and my one tablespoon measure, and the little tin scraper : all ready for action when called upon. Snip and you're done.