【Reading】ぬきがた

【English Name】Cookie cutter / Decorative mold

A nukigata is a cooking tool that presses a metal frame against an ingredient to cut out a specific shape. While "katanuki" refers to the work or the set of tools, the frame itself is called a "nukigata" or "nukiwaku." In the Japanese-cuisine and sushi setting it is used to shape carrot, daikon, cucumber, and the like into flower or star shapes for garnishes and decorative cutting, enhancing the appearance of the presentation. The material is often stainless steel or tinplate, and seasonal motifs such as plum, cherry blossom, autumn leaves, and folding fan are standard. At sushi shops it is used for decorative vegetables on chirashi-zushi and oshizushi and for shaping gari (pickled ginger), as well as widely in shaping Japanese and Western confectionery.