The South has always been known for its delicious biscuits. Every kitchen had a variety of biscuit cutters in sizes to fit the menu, such as the melt-in-your-mouth breakfast biscuits, biscuits for stews, shortcakes, etc. The breakfast biscuits were cut with tiny two-inch metal cutters and others might be up to three inches.

The cutters were used for cookies as well as biscuits. Mother’s nice warm cookie with a center filling was a special treat after school. For special occasions, the larger sugar or ginger cookie would have crinkled edges. Now that was really special.

The smaller biscuits were favored in the South while the whopper size was what the farmers in the North and West liked. When biscuits for the meal were brought to the table, the urgent word went out to “butter them while they are hot.” It was a very neglectful housewife who would serve a biscuit cold. They had to be piping hot right out of the oven served with butter ad jelly or jam or maybe maple syrup or honey.

Recently, I was asked to make cucumber sandwiches for a tea party. I looked at my cookie cutters. They were all plastic. When the bread was cut with them, it tore on the edges, giving the sandwiches an unfinished look. I tried freezing the bread before cutting the delicate slices, with no better luck.

A trip to a store to buy metal cutters revealed no cutters at all. “Nobody cuts biscuits nowadays,” I was told. So there was no call for them. Visits to other stores revealed the same story. The sales people told me that everybody buys frozen biscuits already cut. Each time I was referred to a big kitchen store, but unfortunately it was hours away, and with the price of gas, it wasn’t practical to drive there.

I remembered that my mother-in-law, who made the best biscuits known to anyone, sometimes used a small glass. I tried it but it didn’t work for me. She sometimes used an empty Calumet baking powder can. It had very sharp edges. I can see her now lightly patting out the dough, made from how it “felt” in her hands rather than by a strict recipe. Then she would place the can on the dough and give her hand a little twist. They always came out perfectly. On the rare occasions she made cookies, the same method was used.

Going through my pantry, I found no can that was small enough or that would make the right kind of sharp edges for the clean cut I needed. So I gave that up.

And, then I remembered the lady in our church who makes all kinds of goodies. While she is noted for beautifully decorated cakes, I thought perhaps she could help me. With her grandchildren, I was sure she made cookies and biscuits.

I asked her and, sure enough, she not only had the size I needed but a whole group in graduated sizes. She was most generous and loaned me the bunch to try out, cautioning me to be sure and give the cutter a little twist of the wrist so the bread would come out fully cut and perfect.

It is comforting to know that some households still have biscuit and cookie cutters. Not everyone has lost the art of making biscuits, cookies or even fancy sandwiches like the ones served with tea.

The next time I am in the big city I think I will visit a kitchen specialty shop for my own cutters. I might need them again sometime.

T&D Correspondent Bettylou R. Terry can be reached by phone at 803-793-3381.

You must be logged in to comment.