A cookie cutting mat?

December 8, 2009 12:49 AM

I need to roll a bunch of cookie dough and then use cookie cutters on them. The problem: the table I'm using is a sectional table with lots of cracks that not only make the surface bumpy, but that all the flour will fall through and make a mess. Does an affordable product (or project) exist to help resolve this - like a large, roll up, mat?

(BTW, I've tried to cover the surface with wax paper or plastic, but even after taping down still end up tearing or not working for other reasons.)

posted by Unsomnambulist to Food & Drink (25 answers total)

How big is your largest cookie sheet? I have a couple of sheets that look maybe 60cm by 80cm, and that's more than enough room to roll out a sheet of dough and cut it. Cookie cutters, unlike knives, start out dull and don't use much pressure, so there's no danger to damaging either cutter or sheet.
posted by d. z. wang at 1:01 AM on December 8, 2009

You might be able to use some kind of silicone baking mat. Here is an example of one. These can be used to roll out dough or as nonstick liners for cookie sheets during baking. You can usually find them in a few sizes.
posted by gudrun at 1:20 AM on December 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

I've got the same problem, and have two solutions depending upon how many cookies I'm making: one approach, suitable for large volumes of cookies, is to use a couple sheets of cardboard, one taped to the table to provide a seamless surface and the other floating above it. On the top sheet I put wax paper on which the dough is rolled and cut.

Second approach, more suitable for smaller quantities of cookies is to roll out a portion of dough no larger than the biggest contiguous area on the table.

As d. z. wang points out, cutters are inherently dull and won't penetrate the wax paper.
posted by Mutant at 1:33 AM on December 8, 2009

Would masking tape work?
posted by zippy at 1:40 AM on December 8, 2009

Best answer: You want a pastry cloth.
posted by nat at 1:56 AM on December 8, 2009 [4 favorites]

Why couldn't you ue an inexpensive yoga mat like they sell at Ross' Dress-For-Less?
posted by motown missile at 2:18 AM on December 8, 2009

When we have to roll out dough for biscuits and such, we always just use wax paper over our table that is similar to yours. Two or three sheets together make a wonderful surface. Also, if you dampen the bottom of one sheet and stick it to the side of another sheet, they will stay together quite nicely. Just dampen and overlap the edges, and make the sheet any size you need. You could even cover the entire table if you need to.
posted by snoelle at 3:51 AM on December 8, 2009

WARNING:
Cookie cutter + Silpat = danger. Silpats are flexible and resistant to heat, but can be chopped with knives, pastry cutters and a wide assortment of sharp edged objects. What's more - Silpats contain fiberglass meshes, meaning that if you do cut them - the product can be deadly to your customer. They are for baking on, not cutting on.

You want a floured Baker's Mat like my grandma used to use. Honestly, 8.99 seems steep, I'd be looking to spend no more than 6 bucks with tax.
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:54 AM on December 8, 2009 [2 favorites]

Best answer: My Mom and I made thousands of cookies on a Tupperware Pastry sheet.
posted by saffry at 4:09 AM on December 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

You could put a cut open plastic trash bag on the floor instead of the table. Or find a piece of plywood, place it on the table and do the same thing. Or, instead of using a large piece of plastic, get an oil cloth table cloth and use that to cover.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:23 AM on December 8, 2009

Also came in to suggest a pastry mat, one of the most useful tools in the (baking) kitchen!
posted by ceri richard at 4:45 AM on December 8, 2009

Back when I had nothing but grooved, uneven counters in my apartment, I used a fairly large (16" x 24") cutting board to roll things out on. This would probably be overkill if you didn't use it for anything else, but if you think you might get lots of other use out of a large cutting board, it might be worth splurging.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:50 AM on December 8, 2009

Wax paper on towels? The pastry mat sounds like the more elegant solution, but you've probably already got both of those.
posted by valkyryn at 5:32 AM on December 8, 2009

I also came in to suggest the Baker's Mat / Pastry sheet (but don't pay Tupperware $23 for one)
posted by mikepop at 5:36 AM on December 8, 2009

seconding oilcloth table cloth, which you should be able to find in the shelf paper aisle at wally world. it has a flocked backing and is large enough and heavy enough not to have to be secured, probably, and the top surface is completely impermeable for rolling out dough.
posted by toodleydoodley at 5:40 AM on December 8, 2009

Best answer: Here's a jumbo pastry sheet for under 7 bucks.
posted by cinemafiend at 7:10 AM on December 8, 2009

How about a large fondant mat?
posted by pghjezebel at 7:20 AM on December 8, 2009

I'd tape down some waxed paper to make a big waxed paper area on the table. Maybe put a sheet of Bristol board from the dollar store underneath to smooth the surface.
posted by twistofrhyme at 7:40 AM on December 8, 2009

No, Silpats are not dangerous. It would be very difficult to cut them with cookie cutters, because cookie cutters are too dull. I use my Silpat for cutting cookies.
posted by infodiva at 7:47 AM on December 8, 2009

I have a largish silicone mat (sold as a dough rolling surface) that works just fine. It does slide around a little though-- I think the oil cloth idea is a great one.
posted by travertina at 8:03 AM on December 8, 2009

You can get a modern version of oilcloth at a fabric store: plastic top, sort of thik, feels like it has a littl padding, flocked back for not much per yard and just cover your whole table. It is not as foldable as oilcloth, but works great.
posted by SLC Mom at 8:18 AM on December 8, 2009

They can't be rolled up, but stone Pastry Boards are cold to the touch, an advantage for working with pastry.
posted by James Scott-Brown at 9:59 AM on December 8, 2009

I've got this 16.5x24/x silicone mat and I really like it. It's huge, rolls ups, doesn't move around on the counter at all in my experience, and is quite unsticky to the dough. I wouldn't use a knife on it, but have used cookie, biscuit, and (not razor sharp) pizza cutters on it with no sign of even beginning to cut the mat itself. That said, I didn't pay full price for it and probably would hesitate to buy it at that $40 price unless you bake fairly frequently. The pastry cloth linked to above looks like a reasonable and much cheaper alternative.
posted by mostlymartha at 10:57 AM on December 8, 2009

Best answer: Self -healing rotary mat. They come in various sizes; you can pick one up at Target or Beverly's. Bonus: you can also use it for sewing or any other projects where you'll need to use a rotary tool or an Exact-o knife.

I just store mine under the bed.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 2:02 PM on December 8, 2009

Response by poster: Many thanks! Lots of good ideas.

Taping wax paper has never worked for me... due to the occasional stickiness of the dough, all too often it rips, or peels up the tape. Maybe I'm using cheap wax paper though.

Regardless, the baking mats are exactly what I had in mind, but didn't know they existed.

Now onto making the dough!
posted by Unsomnambulist at 4:48 PM on December 8, 2009