Have you been using these scissors for years? Turns out the metal 'teeth' between the handles have a surprising purpose

There are everyday objects we use almost automatically, without ever stopping to wonder why they were designed the way they were.

One of them is probably sitting in your kitchen drawer right now.

Take a sturdy pair of kitchen scissors and look at the area between the handles. On many models, you'll find a small, serrated metal section — two rows of “teeth” that come together when the scissors are closed.

Most people assume this is simply part of the mechanism, a design feature, or perhaps another surface intended to help with cutting.

But on many multipurpose kitchen scissors, it is actually designed for several completely different jobs.

It can be used to open bottles, grip stubborn lids, crack nuts, and on some models even help handle small bones while working in the kitchen. ZWILLING, for example, explicitly lists a bottle opener, screw-top opener, and lid lifter among the built-in functions of some of its multipurpose scissors, while the serrated section can also be used as a nutcracker.

In other words, you may have been using your scissors for years without realizing they were designed to do much more than cut.

So what does the serrated section actually do?

The principle is surprisingly simple.

When you partially close the handles, the two serrated surfaces move toward each other and create a strong gripping surface.

Instead of trying to hold a slippery, round, or hard object with your fingers, the metal teeth grip it and allow you to apply more pressure or turning force.

That's similar to the principle behind some dedicated jar openers, which also use metal teeth to grip a lid securely.

With kitchen scissors, the advantage is that the tool is already in your hand.

Yes, on some models it's actually a bottle opener

One of the most surprising uses is opening bottles.

Some multipurpose scissors include a slot between or near the handles that is specifically designed to catch underneath a metal bottle cap.

Instead of searching through the drawer for a bottle opener, you can use the scissors themselves.

ZWILLING lists this as an official function on some of its scissors, including the ability to open beverage bottle caps.

The scissors look like scissors, so that's how we naturally use them. But from the manufacturer's perspective, they're really a compact multipurpose kitchen tool.

That stubborn lid? The teeth can help with that too

We've all been there.

You open a new jar, grip the lid, and twist.

Nothing.

You try again with a towel. Still nothing.

On models designed for this purpose, the serrated section can grip smaller lids or screw caps, giving your hand additional leverage and traction. Some ZWILLING models even incorporate dedicated screw-top openers and lid lifters.

But use common sense. Not every lid will fit the opening, and not every pair of scissors is designed to withstand a large amount of force.

If you have to strain excessively, use a proper jar-opening tool rather than risking damage to the scissors — or your hands.

And here's another use you probably wouldn't expect: cracking nuts

On some kitchen scissors, the serrated section is also designed for cracking hard shells.

Place a suitably sized nut between the two serrated surfaces and slowly squeeze the handles. The teeth keep the nut from slipping while the handles provide leverage.

ZWILLING explicitly describes this section on some of its scissors as a “Nut Cracker,” explaining that the grooves provide a secure grip on the shell.

That doesn't mean you should put an enormous nut in there and use your entire body weight. But for nuts that fit the opening, it can be a surprisingly useful function — and one many people never realize their scissors have.

So why do some people insist it's for bones?

This is where things get more complicated, because not all kitchen scissors are designed the same way.

On some heavier-duty models, the slot or serrated section can also be intended for working with small bones, tough stems, and other materials that are difficult to grip.

HENCKELS, for example, describes some of its kitchen shears as having a bone-cutting notch, along with a bottle opener, nutcracker, and other opening functions.

That's why you'll find completely different answers online when people ask, “What are those teeth for?”

One person will say, “A bottle opener.”

Another will say, “A nutcracker.”

Someone else will swear they're for chicken bones.

And the funny thing is, they may all be right — just about different models.

There is no single answer for every pair of scissors

The appearance and functions of multipurpose kitchen scissors vary considerably between manufacturers.

Some have an obvious bottle-opening slot. Others have rounded serrated teeth designed to grip nuts or lids. Some include a notch specifically for bones, while others combine several functions in the same area.

That's why you shouldn't automatically assume that the “teeth” on your scissors can do everything you've read about online.

If you know the manufacturer and model, checking its specifications can often tell you exactly what each part was designed to do.

But one thing is certain: on many kitchen scissors, this area is definitely not decorative.

Kitchen scissors are designed to do much more than cut

The confusion may begin with the name. When we hear “scissors,” we immediately think of two blades cutting something.

But heavy-duty kitchen scissors are quite different from the scissors sitting on an office desk.

Their blades are stronger, their handles are built to withstand greater force, and some models have serrated blades to prevent food from slipping while cutting.

Some can even be separated into two pieces, making it easier to clean around the pivot.

They can be used for cutting herbs, opening food packages, cutting chicken, vegetables, and tough stems — and then perform several additional jobs using the features built into the handles.

In effect, one pair of scissors can replace several small tools in your kitchen drawer.

But don't try every “trick” you see online

Once a video like this goes viral, dozens of additional suggestions usually follow.

Someone uses the scissors to crack shells. Someone else uses them to break bones. Another person opens a bottle, while someone else decides that if the teeth can grip a nut, they must be able to handle almost anything.

That's where it's worth stopping for a moment.

Tools are designed for specific loads. A cheap, lightweight pair of scissors may not be capable of handling the force that a heavy-duty kitchen shear can withstand.

If you apply too much pressure, the scissors can slip, the pivot can be damaged, or the blade can move toward your hand.

So it's best to stick to the functions the manufacturer actually designed them for rather than turning your scissors into an all-purpose workshop tool simply because they have teeth.

And cleaning matters more than you might think

When you use the area between the handles with food — especially raw meat — it needs to be cleaned just as thoroughly as the blades.

Grooves and serrated surfaces can easily trap food particles.

If the scissors are designed to come apart, separating the two halves can make thorough cleaning and drying much easier. HENCKELS, for example, highlights this feature on some models.

If they don't come apart, open them fully and make sure the area around the handles and pivot is washed and dried properly.

This is particularly important after handling chicken or other raw foods.

Sometimes the most useful feature has been hiding in plain sight

The fascination with the teeth on kitchen scissors is part of a phenomenon we see all the time online.

Someone points out a tiny detail on an object we've been using for years, and suddenly thousands of people react:

“Wait, that's what it's for?”

We tend to use products the way we've always used them. If the scissors cut, we consider them to be doing their job.

Few of us ever stop to ask why there are two serrated pieces of metal sitting between the handles.

But for product designers, that space is an opportunity to add several useful functions without making the tool significantly larger.

So next time you open your kitchen drawer, take a closer look at your scissors.

If you see a serrated metal section or a specially shaped slot between the handles, you may be holding much more than a pair of scissors.

Depending on the model, it could open bottles, grip screw caps, crack nuts, or even assist with small bones.

The most surprising part is that the extra tools may have been sitting between those two handles all along.

So before you search again for a bottle opener, nutcracker, or tool to help with a stubborn lid, maybe you should first look at the pair of scissors you already have in your hand. The solution may have been there all along – right between the two handles.