My Beloved Pastry Blender, I’m So Sorry I Forgot You Exist

I’ve only mentioned my love for my pastry blender briefly, in this 2020 Gift Guide, but in the past few weeks I have fallen even more in love with this perfect tool. I haven’t been making pastry dough, but I have been making dog treats, and kneading the dough for the treats together was destroying my manicure. Yes, I was worried about my nails looking truly horrific, but I was more worried about not noticing a chunk of my manicure going into the dough and ending up baked into a treat. I’m selling these treats for charity, so it would be especially bad if some charitable person’s dog ended up eating a hunk of chipped off dip powder.

I made many batches of treats before I remembered that not only do pasty blenders exist, but I own one. I got my OXO Pastry Blender out and it was miraculous. No more kneading ingredients by hand, no worries about dip nail powder toxicity in dogs. I started using my pastry blender for my protein balls too. Incredible. I was baking treats every day and having to hand wash my pastry blender because I was using it multiple times a day. I honestly considered getting a second one because I don’t want to hand wash anything ever.

But the real test is how this affected my RA-addled hands. Granted I have finally found a medication that is working great, but I have had ZERO ill effects from using my pastry blender so often. It is a repetitive motion, which is never good, but the cushioned handle does a great job of absorbing some force and making it comfortable to hold. If you mix up anything - whether it’s dog treat dough, protein balls, or just mashing up some bananas, a pastry blender is worth your $15. You’ll save time, energy, and your manicure.