Have you seen this? Cricut (the die-cutting machines I wrote about here) has a food version. It cuts out sheets of edible materials like gum paste, cookie dough, and frosting sheets. The cutouts can then be used for decorating cupcakes or cookies. And just this week, Martha Stewart introduced a collaboration with Cricut Cake. The Martha team has come up with 3 cartridges full of gorgeous designs.
I’m fascinated with the idea of these precise food cutouts. They look so pretty — and I can imagine all sorts of gorgeous creations made from them. But I secretly wonder if this preciseness will signal some sort of food backlash — where the newest, coolest cupcakes will be sloppily slathered with something yummy in a very un-precise, undecorated way. : )
What do you think? Are you a food cut-out fan?
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
cutest ever
Neat, isn’t it?
Sounds like a neat idea, but I have a feeling this would be one of those kitchen toys that gets purchased only to gather dust after one or two uses. I can see myself getting pretty frustrated just trying to prep the dough/fondant/icing so that it is even & thin enough to go through the machine. I can’t even roll out a pie crust without half of it sticking to the silpat mat. ;)
I was totally wondering about that, Jess. Do you think you can buy the sheets ready made? That was my guess — because getting them to the perfect consistency seems daunting.
I saw this at the store and just about died. Where was this expensive creation when I was slaving away making my son’s first birthday cake? The finished product might have been pretty had I used it!
I have one child, who only has one birthday a year, and I work full time so there is no real need for me to own this. But if I did, and had about a million free hours that do not exist, I’d be decorating the prettiest cupcakes and mini birthday cakes!
Good point, Sarah. It seems like the kind of tool that should be owned by a group of friends or neighbors so that it gets passed around and used often.
Ooh! I love the idea of it getting passed around. I’m have four siblings, we’re all married with kids. Could be useful. But then what happens if someone breaks it? Hmmm…
cool idea but whatever happened to just making a simple cupcake or cake from scratch? no fancy tools necessary. i made the most adorable monkey cupcakes for my sons first birthday without using any fancy machinery….
i think i would get frustrated with this machine, if i wanted something that pretty i would probably leave it to the baking experts at my locan bakery.
See below for my monkey cupcakes with no machine necessary.
http://bradysmithandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/01/logans-first-birthday-party.html
I think it would be pretty cool if I was going to DIY a wedding & all it’s accompanying events or was regularly throwing events where I needed something like this, but I can totally see the backlash too.
I went through that a few years ago with the whole gift wrapping thing. It all got too perfect, programmed and boring for me so I went rustic, messy and imperfect. It ended up seeming artistic because it was against the norm. LOL. I’m starting to feel the same about clothing fashions and home decor right now.
I love the Cricut!! I’ve used it for scrapbooking and I was super excited that they came out with one for cakes and whatnot! I especially love the color of the machine itself!
I’m intrigued by this (by all Cricut machines, actually) but I wonder how often I would use it. Honestly, my kids care much more about taste than decoration.
How easy is cleanup?
All of the little expenses (cartridges, new blades, special tools, etc.) can really add up too. Do you think the cost is worth it?
Have you seen the cake tattoos that are for sell now? They are from a food network guy… found the link at Michaels. Though they sound like it might be hard (has to transfer to smooth frosting… it is hard to get buttercream that smooth – even though it says it works with buttercream!)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=bk0410
I think pretty is pretty. I think it is cool that things are getting easier to do… it is definitely trendy now though and trends change.
I couldn’t justify purchasing one, but if I happen to win the one they’re giving away on The Crafts Dept. blog, I’ll gladly accept. :)
Ya, I’m with the previous poster who said maybe for a wedding but otherwise not worth it. Plus I’m not really sure I’d want to eat any kind of frosting or fondant that can be fed through a machine…so why not use the paper? I think I have a bias against perfect looking desserts–I just figure they’re not going to be as tasty as something more homemade and rustic looking. Here’s the backlash cake…(that I want to make)
http://bit.ly/dAExMi
What happened to the joy of doing something yourself? What happened to just simple and fun? Why not take a cake decorating class with a GF at Michaels instead? To me, the more “custom” a cake is the more I appreciate it. Nothing beats good ol’ hard work and the sense of accomplishment to fill up the soul!!
There is such thing as *too* perfect. Although the idea doesn’t bother me as much as the whole photo-real printer sugar transfers! Ugh!
nooo way!!! what are they going to come up with, next?! this is awesome!
my feelings on the matter: i’d rather save the money and cut out cute things from decorative cardstock and glue that around a tooth pick and stick it into a cupcake. maybe it’s because the whole cricut thing is new to me. i’ll stick to my tooth picks!
I saw this demonstrated on our local tv about 2 mo.s ago. FANTASTIC! Isn’t it amazing?!
My sister, Jordan (http://jordanferney.blogspot.com), is working on a demo video for the product. I can’t wait to see it!
I love it! I would love to create an amazing desert table with this fun machine. On the other hand nothing can replace a good ooy-gooey cupcake that looks like it was made by my five year old. Oh, but the possibilities!
Ooooh! A fancy dessert table would be perfect for this. Great idea, Heather.
Super cute! But to be honest I don’t think I would really use it that often. If would be fun once or twice but I think I would go back to good old handmade versions.
I am sad to say that cricut stole this idea from my friend’s mom, Linda McClure. She then got a less than reputable attorney and in the end, she ended up with nothing. I love the idea, but because I know this family and the situation I can’t bring myself to bring to buy into any of it.
I recently got my own cricut machine. Can I use it for this idea, or is it a whole other machine than the one that cuts paper. Since I already have the machine, it would be fun to try cutting edible stuff!
Hi Janet! I have a Cricut too and I believe they are separate machines. But maybe someone that know for sure will chime in.
I’m kind of pulled in two directions by this. On the one hand, the side of me that likes things neat and pretty thinks it’s awesome. But the side of me that rails against contrived perfection (particularly as a mother of 2 girls who will have enough examples of “perfection” against which to compare themselves without the race entering the kitchen as well) thinks it’s totally ridiculous.
I made personalised mini bunting for my Olive’s birthday cake using tiny triangles of fabric. And that still appeals much more than machine-cut sugar paste I have to say. Although we did have some difficulty eating mine ;-)
Absolutely lovely dust collector… Garage sale item in several years when I can’t stand looking at it and feeling guilty about not using it anymore. :(
On the other hand, I love the idea of sharing these kinds of things with a large group of people. Like a Yudu machine. Oh how I am yearning to have one of those too, but again…
Thumbs down from me, unless you’re a professional or decorating some seriously fancy dessert tables. In my experience, the prettier the frosting, the worse it tastes, so even if technically edible I usually end up picking off the “pretty” parts of a cookie, cake or cupcake. For that reason, when it comes to making my own, I’m fine with decorating with paper on a toothpick — just makes the picking it off that much easier for my guests who really wanted to get to the good part of their cupcake anyway. : )
I watched the QVC presentation the other night and felt like I had to have one! Once I came back to reality I realized that like many, while I would be cool, I just don’t have the time or patience.
I don’t know about this. It’s adorable, but I tend to just slap on the frosting and shake some sprinkles. I do use the paper version occasionally, and I’m interested in using it to cut fabric. -Just discovered you could do that.
love the idea of it … hate the price of it – - you would have to make lots of cupcakes and cakes to justify the price of the machine plus the $30 per catridge.
This just seems wrong to me. Please! Don’t put the bakers out of business! I need to be able to drop by and get my fix of wedding cake whenever the urge strikes me! : )
(Um, how do you clean it? I’m imagining my old play-dough gadgets where you’d always find rock hard bits in your fresh pressings no matter how well you tried to clean it…)
I gasped when I saw the photo since the butterflies would be so perfect for my baby girl’s birthday party I am planning. I do have a feeling it would not be used as much as I might think it would though…