Have A Heart - In Fact - Have Six!
Written: Feb 21 '03 (Updated Jun 13 '03)
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Pros: Great value, easy to use, clean up nicely.
Cons: The smallest one is tricky to use.
The Bottom Line: This six piece set of cookie cutters is not only a great value but sturdy, easy to work with and a cookie makers “must have”.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Wilton Nested Heart Cookie Cutter Set Of 6 |
I’ve owned this set for a few years and must say that they get the most use out of all the cookie cutters that I own. I picked these up at Michael’s Craft Store and in all honesty can’t remember the exact price that I paid for them – somewhere in the $3.00 - $4.00 dollar range. I got these after seeing a show on Food Network about making stacked / sandwich cookies and decided to give it a try. It took me a while to get used to using these over the larger metal cutters but after a few minor mistakes they worked like a charm.
The Basics
This is a six piece set of heart shaped, plastic cookie cutters. There is a small rim around the outer edge of the cutter that makes it easy to press down firmly and evenly as well as to remove it from the dough. These are great for kids to use when helping out in the kitchen since the rim sticks out about an eighth of an inch from the cutter.
Sizes
From the largest to the smallest, here are the sizes of the cutter with the measurements taken from the widest section. These measurements are taken with the cutter flipped over, not the rim to rim measurements. Each cutter is one half inch deep so making big fluffy cookies won’t be a problem.
1. 4 1/4 inches
2. 3 3/4 inches
3. 3 1/8 inches
4. 2 1/2 inches
5. 2 inches
6. 1 1/8 inches
Having this range of sizes will allow you to make tons of different shaped cookies as well as using the largest size to make very cool sandwiched cookies. Simple take melted chocolate and brush on a very generous amount on the back side and press another same sized cookie to it. Allow to dry for at least six hours or until the chocolate is set.
End Result
The final result will all depend on what type of dough you are working with. I found that a basic dough recipe is the best but this also works well with sugar cookie recipes. The heart shapes will be a little puffy and won’t have extremely sharp edges [like the cutters] but they will turn out great. If you are trying to make cookies that most resemble hearts makes sure that you roll the dough out as evenly as possible to about a quarter inch thick [remember – on a well floured surface]. If you are going for a puffy, softer look you can have the dough rolled out to about a half inch but make sure you leave enough room on the cookie sheet for them to expand.
Cleaning & Storage
After using these it is pretty important to make sure that they are completely clean before storing them. I use an old toothbrush to make sure that there is no left over ingredients on them. Soak them in soapy water, clean thoroughly and air dry. I have never used these in the dishwasher so I have no idea how they would hold up to that type of cleaning. Since the smallest cutter is destined to get lost, I found it to be extremely helpful to use a ball chain [the metal kind that come with some key chains] to store these so none of them get lost. Just loop the ball chain through the middle of the cutters and you are set. I previously stored these [and other] cookie cutters in plastic zipper style bags and then placed them inside a large tin, this made it a real mess when trying to find the cutters I wanted so using the ball chain I can hang them up on the wall and have them easily accessible when ever I need them. As the name of the product implies, these are ‘nested’ meaning that they all fit neatly inside each other. While this sounds like a great idea – storing these like this isn’t very practical unless you have a massive kitchen with dedicated space for such items.
Uses
When using these as standard cookie cutters you might want to have a small plate of all-purpose flour handy, dip the bottom of the cutter into the flour and tap off the excess before pressing it into the cookie dough. This will allow you to get a clean cut and keep the dough from sticking to the cutter. I had to learn the hard way that trying to whip out a lot of cookies in a short period of time is impossible. The cookie dough would stick to the cutter and when I would pull it out the dough would look more like a kidney than a heart [no pun]. Outside of the cookie realm, these are great for cutting small hearts inside of pancakes [allow them to cool first], for making decorative layered cookies [stack the smaller ones on top of the larger ones] or for making my favorite cookie – the heart cut out. This involves a little bit of time so don’t try to do this when you are in a hurry. Take the largest cookie cutter, press it into the rolled out dough and take the smallest cutter and make cuts into the heart shaped uncooked cookie. You can get about three cuts into the largest cutter but this makes it a little tricky to get on to the cookie sheet so make sure you are working on a well floured surface.
Since these are pretty inexpensive they also make great things for kids to play with. If they want to make Valentines cards or birthday decorations, I suggest flipping them over so the rim is facing down. This allows them to trace the heart without worrying about the image being distorted or uneven. I’ve also found that making chocolate chip heart cookies is easier when you make and entire sheet of chocolate chip cookie dough, bake it, allow it to cool for about ten minutes inside the baking pan or on the cookie sheet then use the cutters to make the heart designs. The chocolate chips will still be warm enough to cut and will eliminate harsh edges that you might get from trying to use these on uncooked dough.
The Bottom Line
So far these have held up to a lot of use by the boys as well as myself. I use these more during the holidays but some times I can’t resist making some heart shaped pancakes just to see the boys get red faces. As I said in the beginning of the review, these cost about $3.00 - $4.00 and I have more than gotten my moneys worth from them. Providing that you take care of them, keep them stored together and don’t abuse them – they will last you a long time. If you are looking for a variety of heart shaped cutter, I highly suggest you check out the Wilton Nested Heart Cookie Cutter Set.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Wilton product reviews …
Wilton Spooky Cookie Cutter Set
Wilton Hallow Mix
Wilton Spatch-It
Wilton Nested Heart Cookie Cutters
Wilton Nested Heart Cookie Cutter Set
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): See Review
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