A biscuit cutter is a kitchen utensil used to cut out biscuit dough in particular shapes and designs. It’s usually made from stainless steel or plastic materials used to manually stamp the biscuit dough when prepared for baking. Biscuit cutters range in size, and they’re of different dimensions from 2 to 3 inches in diameter and other graduated sizes. They’re also easy to store, and the size range makes them easy to arrange in each other before storing in kitchen cabinets or drawers to avoid taking up space.
Biscuit cutter is also used for other pastries. It’s used to ensure biscuits are properly and uniformly shaped and sized. They’re usually readily available at kitchen supply stores and can also be ordered online. Biscuit cutter is most popular for round-shaped biscuits, but it can come in many shapes. They can make hearts, rectangles, squares, dinosaurs, and many other shapes. There’re different types of biscuit cutter, and they’re ;
Cutout
This biscuit cutter is commonly copper, tin, stainless steel, aluminum, or plastic. They’re the simplest biscuit cutter, and this cutter is pressed into biscuit dough that’s been rolled flat to replicate the shape of the biscuit cutter’s outline.
Detail Imprint
This biscuit cutter is usually made of copper, tin, or plastic. Detail imprints biscuit cutters are similar to cutout biscuit cutters, except detail imprints also mark the surface of the biscuit dough.
Cookie Mould
This biscuit cutter is usually made of wood, ceramic, or plastic. Springerle molds are the oldest examples of cookie mold biscuit cutters and are very common in Scotland for making shortbread. A cookie mold typically has distinct designs carved into the surface, and the mold is pressed into the biscuit dough to create an embossed design.
Cookie Press
This type of biscuit cutter is automated or manually operated, and it’s also called a cookie gun. It’s used to make biscuits quickly and in large batches.
Cookie Cutting Sheet
This type of biscuit cutter is majorly used for larger amounts. For example, an industrial cookie cutting sheet is a large piece of firm plastic the size of a full sheet pan, and it essentially has lots of cutout cookie cutters mounted on it.
Uses
Biscuit cutter is a very important utensil, and it’s a needed fit for many reasons. First, it’s good for consistency in cooking; after rolling out the biscuit dough, the same biscuit cutter makes sure all the biscuits cook simultaneously. Evenly baked biscuits and pastries authenticate the baker or chef, as clients trust the consistency of what they’re paying for. For effectiveness, the biscuit dough is placed on a lightly floured surface, and the biscuit cutter is also dipped in flour to avoid sticking to the flour and not properly releasing the cutout shape. This will pull the cutout dough and change the shape of that particular biscuit. The biscuit cutter is positioned at a corner of the sheet of dough, and it’s then pressed through the dough in one smooth motion.
Substitute for Biscuit Cutter
Upside-Down Cup Or Glass
This is a very popular option, and it’s one of the simplest and readily available biscuit cutter substitutes you can lay your hands on. We’re very sure everybody has cups and glasses of various sizes that can be used to cut biscuits. All you need to do is take a cup or glass of your choice, turn it upside down, and have your biscuit cutter substitute. To make sure the dough doesn’t stick inside and on the edges, you’ll need to dip the glass or cup in flour before using it.
If your cup or glass has a thin rim, it will make a great option since it would easily cut through the dough. Although you shouldn’t worry if you don’t have one like this, you can very easily use a regular glass or cup to serve this purpose. Make sure the dough doesn’t get stuck inside, as it would be a bit difficult to get it out without making the biscuit misshapen.
Commercial Product Tins And Cans
This is another substitute for a biscuit cutter. Most of the product tins and cans we buy, such as tuna or processed fruit, work well when substituting biscuit cutter in baking biscuits. To get the most suitable one for your preferred biscuit size and shape, you can analyze the shape and structure. Also, since the cans and tins are usually made from thin metal, they enable smooth and even cut through the biscuit dough, similar to biscuit cutters.
You will need to remove both ends of the can using a can opener, to enable them to work perfectly as a biscuit cutter substitute. To eliminate any smell or food residue, wash the tin or can thoroughly with light and no-scented solution. Wipe it dry, and start using your biscuit cutter. Using this method, you don’t have to worry about the dough getting stuck in the can or tin. You can push it out from the other end and bend the dough back into shape if deformed.
Cookie Cutter
This substitute is very close to a biscuit cutter, and a cookie-cutter is a biscuit cutter without the details. This substitute works well as an alternative and is readily available in all shapes and sizes. It usually comes with artistic details such as a Christmas tree, arms, legs, or animal figures. But a biscuit cutter comes in simple, bold shapes. A biscuit cutter is made that way initially because the biscuits will rise when they’re being baked, and the details will get battered compared to a cookie that stays relatively flat.
Biscuit cutters mostly come in regular round shapes. Although, it’s also available in other shapes and patterns such as squares, rectangles, flowers, hearts, stars, trees, and animal figures. So, you can always use a cookie cutter for similar results if you can’t get a biscuit cutter. For the best results, endeavor to use a cookie-cutter with high sides, and it’ll make it easy to cut the biscuit dough without ruining its shape.
Pizza Cutter
This is another great substitute for a biscuit cutter and a popular kitchen utensil. For example, a kitchen knife might seem too risky, so that you may go for a safer and more harmless option. It also cuts cleaner lines than kitchen knives, and it doesn’t depend on your manual accuracy as much as kitchen knives. Pizza cutters also come in various sizes, like biscuit cutters, so you can compare with the biscuit cutter size you’d have used and get your preferred result in shape and size consistency. Finally, choose the regular round shape for your biscuits or go for other popular shapes such as squares, rectangles, triangles, or diamonds.
Kitchen Knife
This is another acceptable substitute for a biscuit cutter. Your regular kitchen knife is not just for cutting vegetables, fruits, or meat. It’s also a great utensil to put biscuit dough in shapes and sizes. It’s probably the easiest and fastest method of cutting biscuits to suit your preferred shape and size. However, this substitute won’t bring the uniformity that comes with a biscuit cutter or the other listed substitutes would provide; it awakens the artist in you and encourages creativity with the shape of your biscuits. The edge of the knife can be used to give the biscuit dough shape after it’s been rolled out and cut into several pieces. You can use a butter knife too if you’re good with it, and its smaller size enables you to give patterns, designs, and shapes to four biscuits.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s a biscuit cutter called?
Outside North America, biscuit cutter retains its name. But inside North America, a biscuit cutter is called a cookie-cutter.
Is a biscuit cutter the same as a cookie-cutter?
They’re both used to cut biscuits. There’s only a little detail that differentiates them, and that’s the fact that biscuit cutter usually comes standard round shape and a few other shapes. But a cookie-cutter is used to put details and drawings on biscuits. They both do very similar things and also do a few different things.
What size should a biscuit cutter be?
This depends on your preference, as there’s no standard rule for biscuit sizes. But most biscuit recipes call for two to a half or three-inch biscuit cutters.
Conclusion
Biscuits aren’t just delicious but also fun to make. It’s simple to make; you can make the most lip-smacking biscuit with some very simple ingredients. The taste is only one of the reasons people, both young and old, love biscuits. The shape, design and details are why many love them. Biscuit cutters are responsible for giving biscuits these artistic outlooks that attract us. Without these designs, people, especially children, might opt for other attractive and looks fun. We can achieve this beautiful biscuit, even if we don’t have a biscuit cutter. We’ve listed some other effective and easy options for you above. Make your biscuits and share those lovelies with your loved ones without hassle.