Review and Giveaway! Lunch Punch sandwich cutters

I have very fond memories of my childhood. Being an adult is great, don't get me wrong, but man, being a kid rocked! Even helping my mom fold laundry was fun, not the chore that it is today. I want my kids to have great memories of their childhood, too, even if it is just the simple things like snuggling in bed with mom and dad on the weekends or eating sandwiches that I cut into cute little shapes. Yes, that's right, I'm now one of those moms who can now brag on Facebook about how much work she put into making sure her children had sandwiches cut into little dolphins for lunch while secretly knowing that it only took me about 10 extra seconds to make them thanks to the crazy-cool little sandwich cutters from the Australian company Lunch Punch! Click on Read more below for my full review and for details on how you can win some of these one-of-a-kind sandwich cutters for your family!

Review based on a 4-star scale:

Functionality *** - We've all seen sandwich cutters before. In fact, buried somewhere in one of my drawers, I believe I have a dinosaur cutter that I picked up one day at Target. It worked ok, but I felt like it wasted a lot of bread, and it didn't always cut all the way through the sandwich. The sandwich cutters by Lunch Punch are extra large to help minimize the amount of bread wasted. I was already cutting the crusts off sandwiches when I make them for my kids (yes, they're spoiled, I know,) and I've found that the Lunch Punch cutters really only cut off the crusts plus a little extra bit here or there. There's truly very little waste as long as you use sandwich style bread. If you use a loaf of what I identify as "grown-up" bread, the kind with more rectangular shaped pieces, you'll find that there's a little bit more wasted along the sides.

There is just the tiniest bit of a learning curve with these sandwich cutters. My first elephant mom and baby didn't really look like it was supposed to, but with a little practice, ok, and also by following the very simple directions, my shape cutting has gotten a lot better. You can see the evidence below. I've also found that pb&j cuts a little bit easier than other types of sandwiches, but I've experimented with both peanut butter and ham and cheese, and the cutters definitely work on both types. It's also important to be patient when you're popping the sandwiches out of the cutter, too, or pieces like the trunk on the elephant will fall off. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I've just been throwing mine in on the top rack of the dishwasher. So far, there's been no warping or any damage whatsoever! Definitely an important perk!


Here's the dog I made for Isaac's snack today. If you follow the directions of using a perfectly flat surface and twisting the cutter just a little bit, you'll find that the Lunch Punch cutters work really well. You can see, "grown-up" bread was on sale this week. There's a little extra waste when working with wider slices, but on sandwich style bread, you only lose the crusts.

And, here the little pup is standing up. How much fun is that? Clearly we don't live by the "don't play with your food" motto at our house. And, yes, both of my kids actually DO eat more when their sandwiches look like something out of the ordinary!

Even the puzzle piece shapes come out perfectly! And, they do fit together, too.

Style **** - Like I said, I've seen shape cutters and even interesting cookie cutters before, but never ones like the Lunch Punch. Right now, you can choose from the Critter Cutters set which includes a dog in a dog house, an elephant mom and baby, a butterfly and a cutter that cuts out two separate dolphin shapes, OR the Puzzle Shape set which includes four different puzzle piece designs. Nadia, my true little Pinsky child, adores puzzles, and spends probably too much time playing with her lunch when I serve it as puzzle pieces, but I don't really mind. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Landwich Range (continent shapes) which will debut in 2010 as well as the new car shapes sets, too!

Price ***1/2 - You can get these adorable little gadgets online here in the U.S. at Spatulatta, a kid's cooking website, for only $10! (Although, it appears that they might be out of stock right now.) You can also find them at Sweet Mady's online for $14, at Mommy MD online for $14.95, and at Lindentree Boutique online for $16. None of these are an outrageous price for something so easy to use and that will bring your children a little extra smile everyday!

Overall Rating ***1/2 - Invented by an Australian inventor-mom, whom you can read more about here, the Lunch Punch is an almost perfect product! The sandwich cutters are a unique, not-too-expensive, relatively easy to use, and fun way to brighten up lunch for your children every day. They seem incredibly durable, and I'm guessing they will last for many, many sandwiches. Or, you can even use them for cutting cookies or toast or cheese or even playdough!Even in a time when I'm trying to watch what our family spends money on a little more closely, I can justify a purchase like this. It's just a simple way to bring a little extra happiness to Nadia and Isaac's day, and hopefully they will remember back to those little dolphin sandwiches fondly, or even if they don't, that they will grow up feeling that they are special and very, very loved.

Want to win a set of Lunch Punch sandwich cutters to brighten your child's day? We're going to give away a set of Critter Cutters and a set of Match & Munch puzzle shaped cutters! To enter, please leave us a comment about something simple that you do to show your children that they are special and loved. Your comment will enter you to win a set of either the Critter Cutters or the Match & Munch cutters. All entries must be received by midnight on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. Winners must be 18+ and a resident of the U.S. You can read our giveaway rules HERE. Thanks for reading and Good Luck!