What it means
قیچی آشپزی (ghaychi-ye âshpazi) means kitchen scissors, and specifically the heavy-duty shears used for cutting poultry, herbs, pizza, or packaging. The first part, قیچی (ghaychi), comes from the Turkic word qaychi, meaning scissors, while آشپزی (âshpazi) is a Persian compound derived from âsh (stew) and paz (cook), together meaning “cooking” or “culinary.” Together they form a compound noun that is entirely natural in modern spoken Persian. Plain قیچی alone just means scissors in general; the full phrase specifies the kitchen context.
How to use it
- قیچی آشپزی رو بده بهم، میخوام مرغ رو ببرم. (Ghaychi-ye âshpazi ro bede beham, mikhâm morgh ro bebram.) “Hand me the kitchen scissors, I want to cut the chicken.”
- با قیچی آشپزی سبزی خُرد کردم. (Bâ ghaychi-ye âshpazi sabzi khord kardam.) “I chopped the herbs with the kitchen scissors.”
- این قیچی آشپزی خیلی تیزه. (In ghaychi-ye âshpazi kheyli tize.) “These kitchen scissors are very sharp.”
- قیچی آشپزی باید جدا بشه از قیچی دیگه. (Ghaychi-ye âshpazi bâyad jadâ beshe az ghaychi-ye dige.) “Kitchen scissors should be kept separate from other scissors.”
Cultural note
In Iranian cooking, kitchen scissors are particularly useful because whole chickens and birds are often purchased and broken down at home rather than pre-cut. Cooks also use them to snip bundles of fresh herbs like shallots, coriander, and fenugreek directly over a pot. The tool is common in every well-equipped kitchen, though older cooks may rely on a heavy knife and chopping board for the same tasks.