Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumI'm already thinking of next Christmas - so what's the best cookie press out there?
Not to mention - best spritz cookie recipe!
Warpy
(111,339 posts)for hospitals and prisons at Xmas. I think she'd have second mortgaged the house to get her hands on an electric cookie press.
The prices vary widely, from $39 to over $200. Surprisingly, a couple of the cheaper ones have good recommendations over at Amazon.
The small ice cream scoop can't be beat for drop cookies.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Once you make a dough log with the wax paper you can just slice the cookies individually. It also makes it easier to store unused cookie dough and there's nothing to clean up afterward.
Warpy
(111,339 posts)and skip the waxed paper and log rolling. The scoop is not difficult to clean (once I've licked all the dough off), only slightly more difficult than a knife.
Cleanup is restricted to the scoop sitting in the bowl in the sink.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)If I'm making the entire batch at once that's the way I'll do it, but around the holidays sometimes I will make the dough up ahead of time and freeze it or keep it in the fridge.
Warpy
(111,339 posts)Otherwise, it's just wasted time and energy.
You think about this stuff differently when you've got RA.
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)in a container for storage? I'm thinking of doing that, as most recipes make at least 4 dozen cookies, which is too many for home consumption, but a dozen or so fresh cookies would be a treat. Ah, the things I could do with more freezer space.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)How commercial chocolate chip cookie dough manufacturers do it is they simply form the dough into a block that is scored for individual portions. I'd think you could do that easily enough with a pizza cutter or a knife.
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)My mom had one, and she never did get the hang of it, nor did either of my sisters. I was the only one who could make "gun cookies" work for me easily. There's a rhythm involved: once you've done the first cookie, you just keep putting the gun down and squeezing the same (brief) amount of time and move steadily from one cookie to the next. If you stop, the dough will keep oozing and then it's like starting all over again.
I've got a Wilton Cookie Press II, and it's okay -- it's a mechanical press where one squeeze = one cookie. The trick there is getting the dough consistency right. Minimal or no chilling is necessary.
In some ways, the ones you simply screw by hand to get the "fatness" of cookie you want work best: the dough consistency/temperature they work with is broader when with the "squeeze" type cookie presses and you don't need the "timing" it requires to make an electric press work.
And yes, scooping cookie dough is a big win for me. I have scoops a couple of different sizes and use them all the time. That, plus parchment paper (you can buy a box of flat sheets at restaurant supply stores), really makes the baking go smoothly.
Warpy
(111,339 posts)She was wonderful in the kitchen
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)I have also tried an Italian cookie press (it was an Atlas) but the most reliable cokie press is still the old Mirro brand. You can buy one at Goodwill or another thrift store. They might be tricky at first, but once you figure it out, they are the best at making Spritz cookies.