Guitar Candy Cutter

check with foodpump.

Don't go too cheap....

Sometimes you can find used ones on chocolate websites like 70%., but not often.

D & R (design and reaization) in Montreal carries the "Savvy" brand from France.  Although this band is expensive, (I think around 2 big ones for the basic)  it won't give you much grief.  Cheaper ones have a plastic (nylon) base.  Not good.  Better ones have an aluminum base, Good.  Better ones are a snap to take apart and clean, cheap ones aren't.

Ther are single cut and double cut guitars.  Single are cheaper, and in my opinion,better.  True, you have to move the slab you're cutting twice to get squares, but with a double cutter, if the base ever gets dropped or damaged, both frames will rub against the base and the wires will snap.

The cutters are only good for ganaches, pate de fruits, petit fours--anything soft.  No-go with hard candy, caramel, anything with nuts or candied fruit pieces

I still haven't got one yet.  It's on my "wish list", but I make do.  I buy pizza cutters with a 4" wheel for 2 and a half bucks--by the dozen-- and pop out the wheels.  I make some handles and some spacers,and thread it through a length of 1/2" all-thread rod, s/s acorrn nuts at either end complete the job.  If I pop this contraption in the oven for a minute or two, it cuts like a knife through butter--or ganache....

Hope this helps

Foodpump,

Don't they make a large version of the accordian cutters? Like 12 wheels. I have the smaller ones but also have to tweek them.

I have to put C washers on the axal to prevent wobbling.

I'm thinking it's probably cheaper food pumps way. Lose adaptability though...

I was thinking of making something like this http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/cheese-cutter-video/1647.html but if pizza cutters work, I'll get one of those and a yard stick.

The thing with acordian style or "bicycle" cutters is that the wheels are pretty small.  This is no big deal if you're cutting thin, dense stuff like dough, but the wheels bog down in thicker (typically 1/2" thick or more) things like ganache.

Secondly, the wheels never keep thier accurate spacing.  With ganache centers, you're cutting strips anywhere from 1/2" to 1`", and if the spacing between the 2nd and 3rd wheel, or the 4th and 5'th wheel is off by an 1/8" it really shows up.  I have seen people drill out the rivets on the accordian and instead screw the whole thing to a strip of wood.  This way the wheels are "locked in", and can never shift out of order.

I gotch ya.

You can use a rolling cutter to mark off a slab of caramel though.

I use a heavy knife to cut caramel, no oiling needed. The thing to remember is to keep the knife moving, as long as it moves, the caramel won't stick.  You can also toss the caramel slab in the fridge to firm up before cutting as well.

The thing with nuts or candied fruit when using a guitar is that the wires won't cut through the nut, but drag it throught the rest of the slab, as this is softer than the nut, leaving you with jagged edges.