I have to say that I find Alton Brown's advice about metal cookie cutters to be the best: don't have them in your kitchen.
That is the only way I know to keep cookie cutters rust-free - just not to own any metal ones.

I have a similar problem with my (cheap) baking sheets. Sometimes I just forget to wash them and they sit in the sink, and get rust spots if there is even a drop or two of water on them.
I 'solve' this problem by leaving them on the counter or stove top to wash before the next meal instead of putting them in the sink. I figure the easiest way to stop the rust is to keep them dry.

won't wet tin foil get rust off?

After drying them off -- I toss them with a little cornstarch before putting them away- it absorbs any left over moisture and can be easily cleaned off when I need to use them again.

I agree with Teacherteacher--the plastic ones or a glass drinking cup solved the problem for me...

Leave metal bakeware, especially tin, out of the sink until you're ready to wash them. Once they're clean, pop them in a warm or cooling oven for a few minutes. This will evaporate any excess water stuck in the crevices.

I leave them dirty until i have the time to thoroughly wash them. It's easier to wash off the dried on dough than remove the rust. Just throw them in the refrigerator until you have time. My metal cookie cutters are 40 years old and going strong. Water is the bane of any metal object.

I gotta tell you, I am the biggest slob in the universe. But there are certain items in my kitchen that I KNOW I have to tidy when I use them: citrus juicer, box grater, mandoline, all come to mind. If you don't clean them the minute after you use them, things will be stuck on them forever.

I am the Queen of Leaving Dirty Dishes in the Sink, but just tell yourself before you even begin cutting out the cookies that as soon as the last pan goes in the oven, you will rinse & dry the cookie cutters. You've got the 10 mins or so that the cookies are baking to take care of it.

Dry them in the warm oven after you wash them. Put them on a cookie sheet or in a metal bowl. Mine are wonderfully rust free and well used.

Metal cutters are made of many different kinds of metal. Stainless steel does not rust; copper does not rust; aluminum does not rust. Tin cutters can rust. Metal cutters provide good, clean cuts and last a long time.

Some of the more popular plastic cutters become brittle and can break over time; my favorite red plastic winter sled cutter shattered in my hand the other day. Also, some plastic cutters do not produce a clean cut. Alton does not know whereof he speaks on this topic (and I am a great fan of his).

Here are some tips to keep tin cutters from rusting:

- do not leave them soaking in water
- dry thoroughly, preferably by hand; do not put a tin cutter fastened with solder in a heated oven.
- do not store tin cutters in a sealed container; let them breath - if you lock any moisture in, it's a guarantee of rust.
- if you live a climate where rust is a severe problem, rub tin cutters ever so lightly with a cloth dampened with an oil that you would eat.

member of the national Cookie Cutter Collectors Club
chairperson of California Cookie Cutter Collectors' Club

Preventing cookie cutters from rusting is an easy thing, after washing put them into your warm oven until dry. Bake them like your cookies!