Feel the Difference in the Cut
Steak isn't supposed to feel this easy to cut with scissors.
Close the blades and what you expect to resist cuts surprisingly cleanly. The curved lower blade and serrated edge keep the meat from slipping away, turning a difficult cut into a controlled, satisfying motion.
That same cutting experience carries beyond meat. Snip herbs over a finished dish, cut vegetables as you cook, or divide a pizza right at the table.
Made for meat. Reached for far beyond it.
Designed Around the Cut
- Control Where You Need It
Position your index finger inside the handle for a familiar grip, or move it outside when you want more leverage through a thicker cut.
- Set It Down Cleanly
An oversized pivot allows Chef's to stand upright or rest on its side without the blade tips touching the surface below.
At the table, beside the grill, or outdoors, you can put the scissors down between cuts without laying the working end directly against the surface. When resting horizontally, the same pivot raises the handle slightly, leaving space underneath so it's easier to pick back up.
- Less to Clean Around
The hinge is fully covered rather than leaving the mechanism exposed, helping prevent food and debris from collecting around the moving parts. Chef's is also dishwasher-safe.
- Black That Isn't Painted On
Chef's gets its black appearance through oxidation coloring rather than paint or a conventional surface coating. The color is developed through the stainless steel's oxide layer, helping the finish retain its black appearance over time while increasing corrosion resistance.
The process also preserves the metallic character of the stainless steel underneath.
Three Years to Rethink Scissors
Chef's began not with a new shape, but with a familiar act: cutting meat with scissors.
In 2018, METAPHYS was commissioned by the Gwangju Design Center in South Korea to explore scissors specifically for Korean barbecue, where cutting meat with scissors is already part of how food is prepared and served.
Rather than simply adapting an existing pair, the team studied scissors available in Japan and Korea and identified ten problems with conventional kitchen scissors. Prototypes were then tested during actual BBQ and yakiniku use, examining not only how the blades cut, but how the scissors were held, set down, picked up, and cleaned.
The redesign extended even to the basic geometry of the scissors. Chef's places its pivot lower than conventional scissors, changing the path the blades travel as they close.
After approximately three years of development, Chef's entered production in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, where it is manufactured by Prince Kogyo, a kitchen-tool maker founded in 1964.
The finished design received a 2021 Good Design Award.
The Scissors You Reach For
A steak comes off the grill. Pick up Chef's and cut cleanly through the meat, right where the meal is being served. It's exactly the kind of moment Chef's was designed around.
But Chef's doesn't stay at the grill. During prep, at the stove, or around the table, it keeps finding its way back into your hand.
And that's where a specialized tool starts to become an everyday one. You stop thinking about what Chef's was designed to cut and simply reach for it when something needs cutting.