The Downsides To Using A Cup To Cut Your Biscuits

Whether you're making fluffy Southern biscuits or a recipe with cheddar and chives, you'll want to pay careful attention to how you cut and shape your biscuits. In general, it's best to avoid using a glass cup to cut and carve out individual pastries. You may be tempted to use a cup — which you likely already have on hand — but doing so can negatively impact your biscuit's trademark flakiness.

Cups don't work well with biscuit dough because they essentially smush down the edges of your pastry. This counteracts the creation of all those beautiful flaky layers that define the best biscuits, resulting in a flatter rise and a less aesthetic finish. This impact happens, in part, because the rim of a glass comes rounded. Likewise, when using a cup, you may have to twist the rim to truly cut all the way through the dough. This added step can impede your biscuit's height; you don't want to do anything other than cut straight down and through. Cups have their drawbacks, but your biscuits aren't left aimless. There are a few alternative ways to cut biscuits without harming their texture.

Put down the cup and grab a knife. Just like cups, knives are kitchen staples, so you can make picture-perfect biscuits without running to the store for any special equipment. A chef's knife cuts through biscuits in one fell swoop and comes sharp enough to slice without smushing down the edges. For this same reason, a bench knife also does the job; it slices through dough sharply, allowing biscuits to retain their beautiful layers. Plus, you can also use bench knives to scrape down the countertops afterward, allowing you to clean up the mess with ease.

These approaches, however, mean you're left with square biscuits rather than standard round ones. So, if you'd rather have more traditionally shaped biscuits, opt for a pastry and biscuit cutter. Biscuit-specific cutters work more seamlessly than glasses because, like knives, they come sharp enough to press straight down on the dough — no twisting needed.