Cutters

Pastry and Biscuit Cutters

Simple plain and crinkly edged cutters are basic items of equipment for small pastries and biscuit making; these are often found in graded sets that fit inside each other in their own tin for convenient storage.

There are also 'fancy' cutters; these are available in every imaginable shape, from hearts and stars to wizards and Christmas trees. Fancy cutters are fun to use for biscuits, pastry, cake, icing, marzipan, canapés for every possible occasion.

Pastry and biscuit cutters are usually available in steel or plastic. When buying, check that the top edge is rolled and the cutting edge is sharp. A rolled edge give the cutter extra strength, and makes it more comfortable to use.

Aspic Cutters

A miniature version of pastry or biscuit cutters, used for fiddly decorative work.

Pastry Wheels

Used to cut straight or crimped lines through pastry. May also be used to cut sheets of pasta for parpardelle or ravioli.

Ravioli Cutters

After layering the filling between two sheets of pasta, this tool enables you to stamp out the ravioli shape whilst sealing the edges. They are usually made up of a stainless steel fluted-edged cutter with a wooden handle. Different shapes and sizes are available.

Pizza Cutters

This gadget is used to cut through cooked pizzas to divide them up into portions whilst keeping the toppings neatly in place. It comprises of a stainless steel cutting wheel set onto a handle. Make sure that the cutter includes a finger guard between the blade and the handle, and that it feels comfortable and balanced in your hand.

Chip Cutters

These are handy gadgets for cutting chips, available in 2 varieties. The first is a single wavy blade set below a handle and used to produce crinkle-cut chips. The second is a device for cutting large quantities of chips at once; the entire peeled potato is placed under it and then the stainless-steel cutter pushed down, transforming the potato into a mound of perfectly formed chipped potatoes, all ready for frying.