The Best Pastry Cutters (Review) in 2020
A good pastry cutter – sometimes called a pastry blender – is an absolute must-have for kitchen enthusiasts who like to make their own dough and pastry treats. This handy device makes it simple to blend butter and other fats into flour, speeding up the dough-making process significantly. For those who love homemade treats, but hate getting their hands dirty, these tools are also a nifty solution.
Everything from bread, to pie crusts, to puff and flaky pastries can be whipped up with the help of a pastry cutter. With so many options on the market, though it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to pastry and dough cutters. To help you make the right choice for your kitchen, we’ve put together this handy guide. Below, we run through 10 of the best pastry cutters available right now, so you can make an informed decision. We’ve also taken the time to answer some common questions about this great little culinary gadget.
5 heavy-duty, premium stainless steel blades
3-inch wide pastry cutter
Soft-grip and comfortable handle with rubber grip
Multipurpose food cutting design
4 thick, heavy-duty stainless steel cutting blades
4.8-inch wide cutting blades
Soft-grip, wide, and comfortable handle
Dishwasher-safe design
100% professional-grade, premium stainless steel
5 thick, 5-inch long cutting blades
Lightweight and multipurpose design
Comfortable handle
The Best Pastry Cutter
1.
Spring Chef Professional Pastry Cutter
Kicking off our list today is this professional quality pastry cutter by Spring Chef. Each cutter is equipped with study metal blades, which are twice as thick as other options on the market, making for a tool that’s built to last. With its stainless steel design, there’s no need to worry about rust or other corrosion. The blades are carefully designed to give you perfect mixing results, every time. Because they work together fat and flour so thoroughly, you’ll soon enjoy dough and pastry that’s flaky and fluffy.
Stainless steel pastry cutter
Ideal for dough, pastry, mashed potatoes, and other soft food applications
Resistant to rust
Thick blades for great durability
Lightweight and comfortable to use
Mixes thoroughly for perfect dough and pastry every time
2.
K&S Artisan Pastry Cutter Set
For a seriously professional baking experience, this pastry cutter kit by K&S Artisan is the perfect solution. Inside, you’ll find a dough cutter, cookie cutters, and a dough scraper – all in one handy package. Each tool is made from durable stainless steel – a great material for baking gear since it’s strong, lightweight, and isn’t prone to rust. Each piece of the kit is also dishwasher safe, for a quick and easy clean-up operation.
Baking kit including a dough cutter, dough scraper, and set of 4 cookie cutters
Each component made from durable stainless steel
Lightweight and easy to use
Scraper and cutter feature easy grip handles
Dishwasher safe
Cookie cutters stack for easy storage
3.
Hulisen Stainless Steel Pastry Scraper
K&S aren’t the only kitchenware company offering a package deal – Hulisen have made their own baking set, complete with pastry cutter, dough scraper, and cookie cutter set. Each piece of kit is made using FDA approved stainless steel, a great baking material that stands up to regular use without rusting or buckling. It’s also dishwasher safe, for a quick and easy clean-up when you’re done. Both the pastry cutter and dough scraper also feature ergonomic, easy-grip handles for easy and comfortable use. The scraper is marked with measuring intervals, making it quick and easy to bake consistently sized treats.
Baking kit featuring a pastry cutter, dough scraper, and 5 cookie cutters
All components made from durable stainless steel
Dough scraper and pastry cutter feature ergonomic handles
Scraper marked with measurement intervals
Great for bulk baking or professional applications
4.
Better Houseware Pastry
If you’re more of a pasta fanatic than a pastry lover, have no fear – we’ve decided to include a ravioli wheel on our list. Because we’re so used to buying dried pasta, it can be easy to forget that it’s actually a dough, but pasta making is very similar to baking pastry. To help you achieve those perfect pasta shapes every time, there’s Better Houseware’s ravioli wheel.
Pasta and ravioli cutter
Ideal for cutting pastries and pasts, as well as crimping edges
Made from durable stainless steel
Dishwasher safe
Lightweight and easy to use
Excellent value for money
5.
OXO Good Grips Blender and Cutter
To return to a classic pastry cutter, we present OXO’s heavy duty interpretation. Equipped with five strong stainless steel blades, the cutter makes it easy to mix together fats and dry ingredients for pastry or dough. Thanks to a non-slip, ergonomic, the dough blender is comfortable to use, too. Even after hours of use, you can rest assured you won’t end up with a sore hand or wrist.
Classic pastry cutter design
Heavy duty design is suitable for professional use
Features 5 strong stainless steel blades
Non-slip, ergonomic handle for comfortable use
Dishwasher safe
Effectively cuts butter and other fats into dry ingredients
6.
Last Confection Stainless Steel Pastry Cutter
If you’re searching for the perfect budget-friendly pastry cutter, look no further than this simple yet effective design by Last Confection. Equipped with five heavy duty stainless-steel blades, the handy gadget can glide through butter, margarine, shortening, and many other ingredients with ease. The evenly-spaced blades have been carefully designed to offer consistently thorough mixing, resulting in perfect doughs and pastries time after time.
Budget-friendly pastry cutter
Made using heavy duty stainless steel
5 evenly spaced blades mix ingredients thoroughly
Comfortable to use
Easy to clean
Rust resistant
7.
Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Pastry Cutter
For something a little more traditional, why not try this classic pastry cutter design by Mrs. Anderson. It’s the perfect way to speed up your dough or pastry making process, and achieve more consistent results in the process. All sorts of firm ingredients can be cut into flour and sugar thanks to a series of evenly spaced wires.
Traditional pastry cutter design
Stainless steel wires cut dry ingredients with ease
Suitable for use with bowls or on the kitchen counter
Comfortable to use
Wooden handle design
Durable design is built to last
8.
Cuisinart Dough Blender
Cuisinart is a well-known name when it comes to kitchen equipment – and for good reason. They’ve turned their attention towards the humble pastry cutter with great success, to bring us this lightweight yet effective tool. Equipped with four stainless steel blades, the cutter makes short work of everything from butter to shortening. It’s also suitable for more unusual applications, such as mashing cooked potatoes or whipping up guacamole.
Stainless steel pastry cutter
Rust resistant
Dishwasher safe
Comfortable to use
Durable design
Features 4 blades
Suitable for a wide variety of uses
9.
Progressive Blade Pastry Blender
Last, but certainly not least, comes this unusual pastry cutter by Progressive. Fitted with six strong yet lightweight blades, it makes quick work of everything from shortening to softer fruits and vegetables. If you work with large batches, this tool could be the perfect option – its tall design keeps your hands well clear of whatever dough or pastry has your attention.
Pastry cutter featuring a unique self-cleaning tab
Stainless steel blades are durable and rust resistant
Tall design keeps your hands clear of the ingredients
Features a grippy and comfortable handle
Dishwasher safe
Well-balanced and simple to use
Best Pastry Blender Buying Guide & FAQ
These 10 pastry cutters are the best of the bunch, and we’re confident that enthusiastic bakers of all descriptions will find the perfect option for their kitchen somewhere among the list. To help you work out which one is right for you, we’ve compiled this handy buying guide.
Below, we run through what to look out for in a pastry blender, different types you might encounter, and why you might want one. We also discuss how to use this nifty piece of kit, so you can get started right away.
What to Look for When Buying a Pastry Blender
When it’s time to choose a pastry cutter for your kitchen, it’s a good idea to look out for the following features:
- Quality Materials
First and foremost, it’s a good idea to consider the materials your pastry cutter is made from. Generally speaking, stainless steel is the best option for this tool. Not only is it lightweight and sturdy, stainless steel is also resistant to rust, and usually dishwasher safe. For the handle, look out for more steel, a rubber grip, or durable wood.
- Ease of Use
Pastry cutters are designed to make your life easier - if they’re difficult to use it defeats their purpose. It can be difficult to tell how comfortable a pastry cutter is to use just by looking, but if it features a soft, ergonomic handle, you can be fairly certain you’re in for an easy experience. If you tend to cook large batches, consider a cutter that’s higher than the regular design, which will help ensure it’s raised above the ingredients in your bowl.
- Simple Clean-up
As we mentioned above, most stainless steel pastry cutters are dishwasher safe, making for a quick and easy clean-up operation. For an even faster turnaround, you could consider a cutter like number 10 on our list, equipped with a sliding tab that shoves away excess dough or pastry when you’re done blending. Whether or not this feature makes sense for you will depend on how often you plan to use the cutter.
- Extras
If you’re a keen baker, it might make sense to invest in a kit that includes a pastry cutter, rather than buying one solo. Many kits, such as options number two and three on our list, feature a pastry cutter alongside other useful tools - in this case, a set of cookie cutters, and a dough scraper. For budding bakers equipping their kitchen for the first time, this sort of product makes sense.
- Value for Money
As with any purchase, it’s important to ensure that your new pastry cutter is good value for money - more expensive cutters aren’t necessarily better! Luckily, a good quality pastry cutter can be had for under $10, so improving your baking doesn’t have to cost the earth.
Benefits of Using a Pastry Cutter
Adding a pastry cutter to your kitchen collection comes with a range of benefits:
- Using a pastry cutter makes the blending process for doughs and pastries much faster
- Blending with a pastry cutter reduces the effort required to make pastries and doughs
- Pastry cutters improve the quality of your pastry or dough
- Most pastry cutters are affordable
- The majority of pastry cutters are dishwasher safe
- Pastry cutters help you achieve better results than you would in a food processor
- Despite their name, pastry cutters are versatile and can be used for far more than just pastry
Different Types of Pastry Cutters
When shopping for a pastry cutter, you can expect to encounter a few different kinds:
- Pastry Cutter with Round Blades
This type of pastry cutter is what we’re broadly referring to for the purposes of our list. They feature four or five ‘U’ shaped blades, which are used to evenly chop up butter and other soft ingredients, for the purposes of easy mixing. They’re ideal for making pastries and doughs in particular, leading to a fluffy and even texture. They can also be put to a few other uses, as we explore below.
- Ravioli Wheels
This type of pastry cutter closely resembles a pizza slicer. It’s used to cut and crimp various doughs and pastries - especially pasta dough - and consists of a round blade which acts as a wheel.
- Cookie Cutters
Cookie cutters are the type of pastry equipment you’re most likely to be familiar with. They’re used to cut shapes out of pastries or dough, making consistently sized and shaped treats that bake evenly.
- Dough Scrapers
Although they’re called ‘scrapers’, these tools can also be used to cut dough into roughly even pieces. They look a lot like a metal ruler, and are typically marked with measuring increments.
How to Use a Pastry Cutter
Pastry cutters are fairly simple to use - the exact method may vary depending on what you’re making, but you can expect to work through the following steps:
- Combine the ingredients to be blended together in a bowl - note that pastry cutters can be used with both chilled and room temperature fats.
- Grip the handle firmly, before pressing its blades down into the fat, cutting it into smaller pieces.
- As you cut, use a slight twisting motion to blend the wet and dry ingredients together.
- You can expect the procedure to take between 30 seconds and one minute - considerably faster than working by hand.
This isn’t the only application to which pastry cutters can be put. Below are a few examples of pastry cutter uses:
- Mashing potatoes so that they’re particularly smooth
- Making guacamole quickly
- Creating home-made baby food
- Making salsa
- Cutting up fruits quickly, for a speedy fruit salad
- Crushing bananas for banana bread
- Turing cooked butternut squash into a pureé
- Breaking up meringue for Eton mess dessert
- Breaking up shortbread or other cookies for cheesecake
- Acting as a makeshift whisk if there isn’t one available
Our Top Pick
For us, the best dough blender on the market right now has to be this heavy duty, yet lightweight, option by Spring Chef. Equipped with a row of stainless steel blades - twice as thick as comparable products - the tool is built to last. Perfect for professionals and home cooks alike, it can be put to a surprisingly diverse array of uses. You can mash potatoes, chop up fruit, and put together dips in minutes flat.
Fitted with a soft and ergonomic handle, it’s also incredibly comfortable to use. Each cutter is carefully designed to avoid sore wrists and hands, making it ideal for bulk baking, or use in a professional kitchen. All this adds up to a pastry cutter that’s easy to use, and gives you perfect baking results time after time. Users agree that the handy cutter is solidly built and comfortable to use - perfect for the budding pastry chef!
Sources:
- What is a Pastry Cutter? - Wise Geek
- How to Use a Pastry Blender - Baking Bites
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