I have a lot of cookie cutter in my collection but the ones that I really love working with are the Wilton Comfort Grip ones. They are generally oversized cutters that are great for making highly decorated treats or cookies that you coat with royal icing. Of course you can use these to make plain cookies but personally, since these are about four inches high and wide, I like to make them as colorful as possible. These cutters may cost a little more than the metal or plastic ones but once you try them and use them a couple of times you will wish that all cookie cutters had the Comfort Grip tops to them. Since they are strong and well made you can also use them to cut up Rice Krispie Treats, home made granola bars, Jell-O, sandwiches, brownies and pretty much anything else that is about an inch and a half thick. Stay away from anything with nuts or hard chocolate chips in it though - these items can and will dent the edges of the cutter. Even though this is listed as a gingerbread boy cutter, when you see the size of it it’s kind of hard to imagine it as anything but a gingerbread man.

Wilton Comfort Grip Gingerbread Boy Cookie Cutter 2310-602

If you’ve never seen these types of cutters they are a lot like the older Grippy cookie cutters that Wilton used to carry. Most of them are four inches by four inches with about a two inch depth - this means that they can be used to cut out a variety of things including angel food / sponge cake, sandwiches, pancakes and more. This one has a very clean design to it and it’s the basic gingerbread ‘person’ shape - two arms, two legs, head and torso. The real beauty to this is that since it is on the larger side you can get intricate when you decorate it. There is a recipe that comes with it but I didn’t care for it when I tried it; I suggest a nice sugar cookie dough or something that is going to come out of the oven a little on the hard or crisp side. Since this is large you don’t want something that is going to fall apart when you remove it from the baking sheet and transfer it to a cooking rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before you handle them or start decorating them so they won’t fall apart or lose a limb.

The bottom of the cutter isn’t sharp so this is safe for kids to use but you will have to show them how to properly use it. Yes there is a right and wrong way to use these - you want to distribute even pressure when you are using this; if the cutter is too large for you to press down on, grab a small book or block of wood and place it on top of the cutter. You don’t want to just slam this into the dough, putting it into a little bit of flour first will ensure that none of the edges stick to the dough and that you get a nice looking cookie when it’s done baking. Make sure that you don’t roll the dough too thick either; if it is too thick you will end up with hard burnt edges and a raw center. The metal portion of the cutter is strong and sturdy but it shouldn’t be used to cut through hard things like dried fruits, chocolate or peanut butter chips or nuts. If you want to make chocolate or peanut butter chip cookies with this, consider making a sheet cookie then cutting out the shapes while it is cooling on the cookie sheet. Allow them to cool completely before you remove the excess pieces.

Care

These can be tossed in the dishwasher but I like to soak them for a couple of minutes then hand wash them to make sure that all the dough is removed from them. If you are going to put them in the dishwasher try to remove them before the heat / drying cycle starts to keep them from getting too hot or having the Comfort Grip melt or get warped. These hold up well even after a lot of use and as long as they are stored correctly, the metal edges don’t bend easily. If you do get a kink or manage to bend a section you can try to work it out with some needle nosed pliers but if it is too mangled then you might have to toss it out [or use it for decoration] and buy a new one. I keep these in a large plastic storage box so the metal section doesn’t get knocked around, you can also store them in cookie cutter cases but that’s only if you are ultra paranoid about them getting destroyed.

Price

These cost about three dollars when you can find them in retail stores like Michael’s and occasionally the Super Wal-Mart locations. To me it is really worth it to spend a little bit of extra money on these because they are nicer to work with, have a larger size and if you are making a ton of them you don’t get hand cramps. If you are having trouble finding these locally you can pick them up for $2.99 from the Wilton Online Store. They have these in stock year round and also carry other Comfort Grip shapes for almost every season as well as general baking. Besides that, it has the Wilton name on it so you know that it’s going to last a long time!

The Bottom Line

This cutter is a nice buy if you are planning on making a lot of gingerbread boys or men; the size allows you to be able to decorate them as much as you like - or just serve them as is. If you are planning on making cookies for a school function this cutter is ideal - you can write each child’s name on them or for sports - add a soccer ball or football to it. There’s really no limit to what you can do with this cookie cutter and for three dollars it is a must have type of item for anyone that does a lot of baking. The Comfort Grip area makes it easy to press out the dough or when working with other foods, it cleans up nicely and you can use this for a long time before you get hand cramps or sore wrists. Wilton carries a nice line of Comfort Grip cookie cutters and they are always changing the designs and shapes so be sure to check out the website and online store to see what’s new!


As always, thanks for the read!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2005 Freak369


Other Comfort Grip cookie cutters from Wilton ...

Wilton Bear Comfort Grip Cookie Cutter
Wilton Heart Comfort Grip Cookie Cutter
Wilton Crinkle Comfort Grip Cookie Cutter
Wilton Snowman Comfort Grip Cookie Cutter
Wilton Ghost Comfort Grip Cookie Cutter




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 2.99