It's here! It's finally here! Fall—also known as Ree Drummond's favorite season. It's full of colorful foliage, cozy sweaters, and so many reasons to turn on the oven. "Pies, sweet rolls, cookies... man, does my baking cabinet get a workout from now until December," she explains.
And she's right: One of the best things about the chillier weather is the baking! But before the hustle and the bustle of season starts, it's best to take stock of your kitchen to be prepared. That includes organizing your pantry, stocking said pantry with all the essentials, and making sure all your baking tools are in order.
One such tool that's a must-have is a pastry cutter. If you don't have one yet or aren't sure just what to do with one, kindly introduce yourself to The Pioneer Woman Simple Craft Pastry Dough Cutter. Ree calls a pastry cutter "essential" when making her Perfect Pie Crust, and it's only $6!
"Even if you only pull it out once a year to make the crust for your annual Christmas pie, it's worth having one. Sure, you could use your fingers, two knives, whatever, but a pastry cutter makes cutting the shortening into the flour so easy," she explains. The five durable stainless steel blades effortlessly blend doughs while the ergonomic handle keeps your hand comfortable.
Of course, you can use it for more than just the best pie recipes. Anything where you need to cut cold butter (or margarine or shortening) into a dry mixture, a pastry cutter will allow you to efficiently incorporate the fat without over mixing the dough. Think: biscuits, scones, cobblers, and dessert bars with a bottom crust. It helps flaky recipes stay flaky and tender recipes stay tender as intended.
Ree's cute turquoise cutter won't take up a ton of storage space because it's only about five inches wide. And it's dishwasher safe, so you don't have to worry about getting any leftover dough off the blades when you're done. It's a $6 tool you didn't know you needed until, well, you needed it! And trust us, you'll need it for peak baking season, so it's time to add this to your tool collection now.
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