Trick #2: Cracking nuts without a fancy gadget
Don’t have a nutcracker? No problem. If you are working with walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts—basically anything with a shell that is not made of concrete. Your kitchen scissors can be your other tool.
Place the nut gently in the toothed area.
Squeeze the handles slowly until you hear the shell crack (don’t go full Hulk—you’ll crush the nut inside).
Rotate the nut and apply pressure again until you can peel the shell off.
Not as sweet as a proper nutcracker, but it works in a pinch. Just take it slow—you are not trying to obliterate the thing, just crack it enough to get inside.
Trick #3: Poultry bones, beware
Now, this is all dependent on the quality of your scissors. Actually, if they are heavy-duty (indicating that they are poultry or bone shears), you can use the ridged portion to assist in snapping through small bones; think chicken wings or thighs, as in breaking down a bird.
With the bone gripped in the ridged portion, apply steady pressure (the key here is a firm but controlled grip), and it will assist in opening it without your shears sliding or slipping. Just be mindful: this is not the time to try it with your $5 grocery-store shears; if they aren’t cut out for it (pun intended), you could ruin them and injure yourself in the process.
Bonus uses that you might not have considered
That toothed area isn’t only for jars and nut cracking. Think outside the box:
Gripping slippery plastic caps (like vacuum-sealed juice jugs)
Cracking crab legs or lobster shells
