For many years, I used only salt and nutmeg to season the dough, so one day, I decided to add a little quantity of sugar to see if there would be any difference. Lo and behold, it tasted much better! Egg The Spring Chef Dough Blender earned the top spot on this list thanks to its solid performance, ease of use, and comfortable handle. To perfectly blend together pasta doughs, we recommend the Gorilla Grip Pastry Dough Blender and Butter Cutter. You can't go wrong with the Spring Chef Stainless Steel Dough Blender. It's suitable for home cooks and pros, and it's offered in a larger size. If you're looking for a set, we like the Spring Chef Dough Blender and Pastry Cutter Set. What to Look for in a Pastry Blender Material A pie maker with a crimped edge is also a great option. This gives your pies a traditional look, and it helps you get that wonderful crispy crust! Other good features to look out for are non-slip feet and a cool touch handle. If you don't have a pie crust cutter that crimps the edges for you, grab a fork and press the fork prongs down onto the rim of the pie dish. Do this all the way around the rim. You can also use your fingers to seal and make a design on the edge of the pie crust.

From stainless steel to food-safe plastic, browse through the range of cutters to see all your options. Stainless steel cookie cutters are usually sharper and can create a more defined finish, but plastic and rubber options are often great if you’re planning to bake with the kids. Baking a pie? No problem For a classic tool that will get plenty of use year-round, we suggest the Nordic Ware Lattice & Hearts Pie Top Cutter, a reversible pie-top cutter that performed exceptionally well in testing. If you're looking for a pastry wheel, opt for the Norpro Stainless Steel Ravioli/Pastry Wheel, which is actually two pastry wheels in one. How We Tested Our cookie and pastry cutters are perfect for creating fun culinary delights and can even be used for cutting icing. With a variety of patterns to choose from, from floral and fruits to dinosaurs, insects and unicorns, there’s something for everyone! Less powerful pie makers will take longer to preheat, and your pies may take a little longer to cook. Pie Maker FAQ How to use a pie maker? It’s time for another pie pep talk! Like I mentioned before, the hardest part about working with homemade pie dough is actually mustering up the courage to work with homemade pie dough. It’s easy to resist something if it intimidates you, but something (anything!) has to start somewhere, right? Such is the case with nearly any goal or dream we have. You’llpractice, it will feel daunting, you’ll practice some more, you’ll improve, you’ll succeed. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Cookie Cutters

Given how unfussy this cutter is, we found that you could cut dozens of lattice crusts without having to do much more than pop out any leftover diamond pieces from the cutter holes. When you've finished a rinse in warm soapy water is enough to clean this cutter off, but it's not made for dishwasher use. Regardless of how you wash them, you'll want to handle them with care because they tend to be sharp. Follow the instructions recommended by the manufacturer; some can go in the dishwasher, and others, often those with wooden handles, require handwashing.

Essentially, you're getting two reliable pastry cutters for the price of one with this tool, and we think it's a great deal. Since our initial tests, this cutter has come in handy on a few occasions when testing out different pie crust styles. We like that it hasn't gone down in quality with use, noting that the wheels are about the same level of tightness as they were right out of the box, and the materials have stayed sturdy and shiny over time with regular hand-washing. Not sure what to look for when it comes to the best pie maker? Take a look at this buyer’s guide. Dimensions Egg is a binding agent. It binds ingredients together and gives them stability. Using egg not only binds the dough ingredients together, it also makes the meat pie to be crispy. Water and MilkWe liked that the cutter was especially easy to use, on par with a cookie cutter. The crust cutter is constructed in the shape of a flower, but the fluted outer edge is just a decorative way to hold the petal shapes of the cutter together and doesn't actually cut through the dough. The cutouts can be used to decorate the top of the crust in addition to the decorative vents the cutter makes. This sunflower cutter is easy enough to use for little hands, making your next pie-making session a little more fun for everyone. The Williams Sonoma Lattice Pie Crust Cutter is a straightforward cutter that makes creating a trellis-style lattice pattern for a top pie crust incredibly simple. First, you roll your pie dough out to the desired diameter, then gently lay the dough on top of the cutter. Using a flat rolling pin, press the pie dough onto the cutter to slice the diamond pattern into the dough. To move the dough to your pie, you'll lift the tray away from the lattice cutter base and slide or flip your dough directly onto the pie. In a fraction of the time that it would take to slice and weave strips of pie dough into a lattice pattern, you've got a clean and consistent lattice top pie. Note Before You Begin: These designs, with the exception of the baked cookie cutter shapes design (step 3 below), all go on top of an unbaked pie. So start with your pie already filled and ready for a pie dough topping. After topping with your designed top crust, bake according to the pie recipe you’re using, such as this apple pie, apple cranberry pie, caramel pear pie, or other pie recipe.