You asked "what is a pastry blender?" - I have the delicious details

Pastry blenders, also known as pastry cutters, are the best kept secret in the culinary world. These simple accessories delivery perfectly crumbly, buttery pastry every time. And you won’t have to get your hands dirty using them either.

Two years ago, when I was researching the best stand mixers, the question “what is a pastry blender?” popped up in my research. I initially dismissed it, but in a relentless search for pastry perfection, people kept asking after this kitchen accessory. So I relented and bought the pastry blender attachment for my stand mixer.

If you want to cut straight to it, a pastry blender is pretty straightforward. As the name suggests, it’s a tool that you can use to make pastry. Rather than using your hands to rub fat into flour (running the risk of melting the butter with your body heat), you use the metal wires of a pastry blender.

It’s a uniquely elegant solution for any aspiring bakers and patissiers. The uses don’t stop there either: I use mine to mash potatoes and shred meats too. So, if you’re thinking of investing in one of these, here’s the bake down of all you need to know.

What is a pastry blender?

A pastry blender, which you’ll also see called a pastry cutter, is used to cut fats into flour. It normally looks like U-shapes of wire attached to a handle, but you’ll also see these sold as accessories that you can clip onto stand mixers and food processors.

The thinking behind them is that you can ‘rub’ butter into flour without the warmth of your hands melting the butter. This means that your pastry will taste more buttery, and crumbly, and it’ll melt in the mouth as if it was made by French patissiers themselves. It’s meticulous, consistent, and really thorough. Now that I have one, I don’t know what I’d do without it.

How do I use a pastry blender?

The beauty of pastry blenders lies in their simplicity. Start with your cold butter or fat — always make sure it’s cold otherwise you’ll get leathery pastry. Cut your butter or fat into inch-sized cubes. Drop these into your flour and then roll the pastry blender in a rocking motion along the U-shape. Experts always recommend a pushing and churning action to maximise all parts of the wire. Keep going until you’re happy with how your dough looks.

If you’re using a stand mixer or food processor attachment, things get even easier. The same applies to keeping your butter cold and cutting it into cubes, but you can turn on the mixer and let it do the work. I have a stand mixer, so this is the method that I live by. However, when you’re using a machine you can still overheat and overwork your dough, so keep a careful eye on it.

The uses of your pastry cutter don't stop with your baked goods. I use mine to mash potatoes, avocados, apple, and shred meats too. It's surprisingly versatile.

What are the alternatives to a pastry blender?

Pastry blenders do their job better than anything else. However, if yours breaks or you want to give it a trial, there are some ways that you can recreate the pastry cutter effect. One of the best-known is using a fork or a knife. For a long time, I thought this was the only way to make pastry, because it’s how my grandma taught me to do it. I might be biased, but her pastry really took the biscuit. I still dream about her Eccles cakes.

If you're happy to stick with simple kitchen utensils, all you need to do is push cold cubes of butter through the prongs of your fork, which is a micro emulation of what your pastry cutter will do. It’s not as elegant or effective, but it keeps a large part of the heat off the fat, which can be really helpful for getting the flaky pastry effect.

There are, of course, more alternatives. you could use a tower grater to create flakes of butter that simply toss into the flour. I love this method because you can get your butter extra cold, even frozen, but when you eventually need to pull everything together, you will have your hands involved, so the pastry will warm up.

There’s one final, very obvious option that you could use as an alternative to a pastry blender. If you didn’t read my oh-so-subtle italics, the answer is a blender. Place your cubed butter into flour in your blender and pulse it. Again, you’ll want to be careful not to overdo the blending, because this will warm up and melt your butter, but it’s still a reasonable alternative. If you need a little inspiration, these are the best blenders and food processors that I've tested and made some delicious pastry in too.

FAQs

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I can still remember when I was the person asking the question “what is a pastry cutter?” And I am very happy to be on the other side. My attachment has been a godsend in terms of time and performance. And now I’m here to spread the word.