Sometimes I discover a tool or product that blows my socks off, and I find I don't want to live without it. Such is the case with this new innovative biscuit cutter that I first read about in one of my favorite cooking magazines, Cook's Illustrated.

Here's the deal: When you roll out and cut biscuit dough with a conventional cutter, you always need to re-roll and re-cut the dough scraps multiple times. Besides being time-consuming, this overworks the dough, leading to biscuits that are tough, dense, and chewy. But now there's a biscuit cutter that solves this problem.

The product the magazine's regular column, "Equipment Corner," featured was the Hexagon Biscuit Cutter by Ateco ($9.49 to about $12, depending on where you find it). It's a grid of six hexagonal cutters (each 2 5/8 inches across) linked together like a honeycomb. This grid formation allows you to cut nearly all the biscuit dough in one go.

The chefs at America's Test Kitchen (the folks that produce Cook's Illustrated) wondered if this cutter was just another gimmick or a true solution to the above-mentioned issues, so they gave it a thorough testing. They reported they had terrific success with this tool, which is why I went ahead and paid the extra money and bought it. And just as the pros said, this biscuit cutter keeps it promise!

The first six biscuits were cut in one swoop. After gently gathering and re-rolling scraps from the periphery, I cut the last two biscuits with one more push. This sturdy, stainless-steel cutter sliced crisply, and produced tall, tender, flaky pastries. It's an efficient tool well worth the cost that I simply don't want to live without!

Now in closing, a suggestion: Consider creating a chapter in your Cook'n 11, entitled "Tools and Equipment." This is where I collect important kitchen management information, such as the names of my tools and appliances, the location and phone number of places of purchase, submission dates of all warranties, any special instructions or discoveries I've made as I've used these tools or appliances, etc. I use one New Recipe form per tool or product, and I fill in information like this:

RECIPE NAME: Tool: Ateco Hexagon Biscuit Cutter ($9.49)

RECIPE:

• Spoons n' Spice
• 2274 So. 1300 E., Suite G9 (in the Sugar House Shopping Center)
• 801.263.1898

INSTRUCTIONS: This cutter also works well with my yeast dough when making rolls. I dip it in flour before cutting, just as I did my other biscuit cutter. LOVE it and plan to gift it!