Videos

Wait—*That's* How Cookie Cutters Are Made?

The satisfying video we didn't know we needed. #ASMR

October  9, 2019
Photo by Mark Weinberg

I’m like a straight up Luddite.

I steer clear of technological advances with the firmness of an iron rudder. I tend, rather, to find wonder—and often beauty—in the sheer dexterity of the human hand. You’ve probably seen me wax ad nauseum on this very site about the various reaches of human culinary capacity.

My aversion to technology can often feel unwarranted. But then a video like this comes along and I retreat, reassured, to my bubble of fear and self-righteousness.

There are, however, exceptions to every rule. Even I must sometimes recognize the immense good that technology has ushered in: The internet holds a megaphone to previously silenced voices; modern medicine has saved gaggles of lives; and there are machines that make cookie cutters in a few swift swoops ... and they’re pretty much the coolest things I’ve seen in a long while.

Think about it. No, really, think about it. Do you know how cookie cutters are made? Well, neither did I. Not until this video came along, anyway. It’s not necessarily new, but it really started making the rounds online towards the end of the summer.

Here’s a tweet that showcases the bizarre, but beautiful, process in action.

You know how sculptors often say that blocks of clay and marble are just sculptures waiting to be let out? Well, in this case it’s a strip of metal being coaxed into its fullest potential by a machine. With a jab here and a punch there, the arrows, with a precision I could only dream of, bring dainty pineapples and Christmas trees to life.

I obviously needed to know (and watch) more. A YouTube video from Business Insider lays down some hard facts. They visit the Ann Clark Cookie Cutters factory in Vermont where they learn that the magic machines pump out around 2,500 cookie cutters an hour.

There’s a lot that’s cluttering our feeds and minds these days. And it might seem like there are things more important than a video of a really freaking cool machine making cookie cutters. And there probably are. But there’s something to be said about things that take our minds off the hard stuff.

With holiday (and cookie) season approaching, this video proves even more relevant. The next time you see a quirky cookie, at least you’ll know a bit more about how it was made.

Did you know that this is how cookie cutters are made? Talk, talk in the comments below.

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

Valerio is a freelance food writer, editor, researcher and cook. He grew up in his parent's Italian restaurants covered in pizza flour and drinking a Shirley Temple a day. Since, he's worked as a cheesemonger in New York City and a paella instructor in Barcelona. He now lives in Berlin, Germany where he's most likely to be found eating shawarma.

1 Comment

cyndilurks October 8, 2019
That was truly fascinating! I never even thought about how cookie cutters are made.