Expandable dough cutter #Giveaway

When I test gadgets, I try to keep an open mind about who the target audience is, whether it's a family with kids or older folks with cranky hands.

But when I tried Fante's Cousin Danielle's Expandable Dough Cutter, my first thought was, gee, I think they made this just for me.

The first thing I used the expandable dough cutter for was making kouign amann, which requires a laminated dough to be cut into 4-inch squares.

Some people might be able to perform this task with precision, and maybe even by eye. But I've never been able to cut a decently straight line, whether it's for pastry, for pasta, or for wrapping paper.

The dough cutter doesn't help with the wrapping paper, but it's great for pastry and pasta. It has five cutting wheels, so you can cut up to 4 strips at a time, and adjusts to cut dough in widths from 3/8 inch to just shy of 5 inches. A simple wing nut holds the cutters at the set width.

THIS is kouign amann

Besides being able to set a precise width for cutting, the wider stance from multiple wheels means that there's less of a chance of making wobbly cuts - the wheels want to roll in a straight line rather than wandering off to make curvy cuts.

I have to admit that with some gadget reviews, I have to go out of my way to use the products enough to give them a decent test, but this is one that I've been using regularly since it arrived. After the kouign amann, I used this for cutting strips of pasta to make cavatelli. After that, I used it to cut biscuits.

If I had one thing I'd change on this cutter, it would be finding a slightly larger wing nut for a better grip when setting the cutting width. but that's a minor thing. And if I poke around in the garage, I'll bet I could find a wing nut I could ... ahem ... borrow.

If you seldom make pasta or precise pastries, you probably don't need one of these. A pizza cutter, pastry cutter, or sharp knife works well enough for occasional use. But if you make a lot of bread sticks, noodles, or pastries, this makes the job a lot more precise, and a lot faster. I was able to cut my 12 4-inch squares of kouign amann pastry with just two cuts, and the squares I cut were actually square.

Who's it for: People who often work with dough.

Pros: Straight lines! Fewer cuts!

Cons: Obviously, people who don't work with dough a lot aren't going to be very excited about this.

Source: I received this from Harold Import Company; they also supplied one for a giveaway, which is now OVER.