The $1.25 Dollar Tree Garden Tool I Use All the Time in My Kitchen

To no one's surprise, most of the single-purpose kitchen gadgets I received as gifts or bought with great expectations have only collected dust. The avocado slicer? I've probably used it twice. That banana-shaped banana storage container? Surprisingly, three times. 

So when I found myself repeatedly reaching for a $1.25 pair of needle point garden pruning shears from Dollar Tree, I was truly surprised. A colleague recommended them, and they have since become one of my most-used kitchen prep companions.

Why I Love Dollar Tree's Needle-Point Pruning Shears

They're sold in the garden section as a budget-friendly pruning tool, but these shears have made quite an impression in my home, especially in the kitchen. The needle-sharp point means I can make delicate or difficult cuts—whether trimming herbs or snipping through a stubborn package. 

The shears are lightweight, sharp, and—because of their narrow shape and small-ish size—sometimes even more versatile than my professional kitchen shears. They make easy work of tasks that other tools stumble through, like cutting up sticky dried fruit. They're also spring-loaded, and one of the most thoughtful details is the push-button locking system that keeps them closed and safe when stored. 

How I Use Dollar Tree's Needle Point Pruning Shears

Since buying them a couple of weeks ago, they've become my go-to for snipping herbs from two small indoor plants, and I'll be glad to have them this summer when my garden is fully blooming. 

Similarly, I use them to cut out the tough stems from sturdy greens like kale and collard greens. They're ideal for things like slicing pizza and flatbreads, cutting through shrimp shells for easy deveining, trimming the fat off meat, and, though I haven't tried this yet, I think they'd even cut through smaller bones, like when spatchcocking a chicken. 

They're also invaluable for opening vacuum-sealed packages, trimming twine and cheesecloth, snipping stems, and removing extra leaves from flowers. And with the push-button lock, they'd come in handy in a picnic basket for any last-minute food prep needs. Unlike the avocado slicer, they won't be collecting dust anytime soon.

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