I found another metal option for making own cookie cutters

I have seen many different ideas of what type of metal to use to make my own cutters and started researching this a few months ago. I loved bakinccâs idea to buy a large heart or round cutter and reshape it, but alas, no Hobby Lobby here and I was hoping for longer strips. I loved SweetDreamsATâs ideas to find a metal place to cut copper strips, but nobody around here did that. I found an aluminum cookie cutter making set, but wanted to find something at a better cost. I didnât have any luck with any metal at Home Depot/Loweâs as I was told by the different manufacturers of specific productsI researched that it wasnât approved for use with food. . So⦠I decided to find something that I could order (as I canât find anything here) at a good price that I knew was safe for cutters.

After much searching, I have found a metal I ordered to make cutters. I decided to go with a food-safe stainless steel from Speedy Metals (866-938-6061). It doesnât oxidize over time like aluminum, is sturdy and costs less than copper. If you ever decide to order, Joe is the one to talk to. We played with different widths and weights and I went with the 26 guage cut into 1" by 48" strips. I have made several cutters yesterday and this morning and am very happy with it. It is flexible enough to work with the needle nose pliers, I can also bend it by hand when I need a rounded area and holds its shape when pressed down upon. The only down-side is that edges are too sturdy to turn over for that ârolled-edgeâ and although it isnât sharp enough to really cut my hand when I push down, it can smart a little when I do a lot of cookies. So, I now file the edges at about a 30 degree or-so angle in order to try to round the top a bit and then file over it quickly across the top.

Joe and I were brainstorming about how to put a buffer on the pushing edge (gluing foodsafe rubber like you see on the large Wilton cutters, pushing down with something on top, wearing an oven mitt - that got old really fast! - etc) and we came up with this. Buy a pack of Sliding Bar Report Covers (I got mine at Office Depot for under $3) and cut a few lengths that will fit on long edges of the cutter. When you push on that part, it is no longer an issue of discomfort of the unrolled edge of the metal. When done, you can slip them off and use them on another cutter (as long as the size fits, of course!). I have attached a pic in case I didn't explain it well enough.

Pros and Cons: So the down-side is that there is no turned-over edge, but the report cover edges solved that. The big upside is the cost. For a 1" by 48" strip, it is $1.02 for a 48â strip before you figure in shipping. I like that price! I ordered a good amount, so with shipping it ended up being $1.27 for a 48â strip. I got two large cutters out of 2/3 of a strip yesterday, so it was about .42 per cutter total when I factored in the shipping cost. (Obviously, it would be less if you make smaller cutters.) Shipping is $6.50 for 5 pieces or less or $10 up to 40 pieces, so the more you get, the better the cost in balance with shipping.

If you came across this posting and you havenât played with making your own cutters and you would like to, KHalsteadâs tutorial here on CC on making cookie cutters is excellent. I am posting this in hopes that this helps someone else if they have been having trouble finding metal to make their own cutters. So if you are looking, I do really recommend Speedy Metals. Their customer service was excellent and this ends up being a great price. I told JenWhitlock about it and she is playing with her piece to see what she thinks of it.

**** UPDATE**** I put this in a comment, but thought I should put it here as well in case. I just spoke to Joe and he said that if anyone calls to say you are from "The Cookie Network". I told him it was technically "Cake Central", but you might want to mention both.

Thanks Kim! Any research you do would be great! I just want to make sure that anything I touch is food safe as my hands will then come in contact with the dough as I pick it up, form it, etc after I press down on the cutter. A beading on the top has great potential, expecially with cutters that have many small, sharp turns. Thanks for checking!

Hi Bettinashoe - I remove the binder before washing the cutter and wash them each separately as it is easier to make sure that there isn't any soap hiding in the binder edge that way. The report cover edge is plastic, so I haven't seen any problems washing it so far. This is all new as I just did my first cutters yesterday with this new idea, but, so far, so good and it will make my Halloween designs so much easier to do compared to using templates with a large amount to cut.

UPDATE - I just talked to Joe and he said if anyone calls, say you are from "The Cookie Network". I told him it was "Cake Central", so you might want to mention both. Also... another benefit... this won't rust like my aluminum cutters so I now don't have to dry them in the warm oven after drying them by hand like I do with the aluminum. Whoo hoo! (Of course, I won't be held resonsible if someone leaves their cutter submerged in water for days on end. ) I just hopes this all helps! That is what we are all here to do - help and encourage each other!