The Ultimate List Of Must Have Baking Tools

Whether you’re a novice home baker or a professional baker there are basic tools and equipment that you should undoubtedly have readily available that help to make baking a more streamline process.

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Digital Kitchen Scale

The best way to ensure you’re making a consistent product each time you bake is by weighing out the ingredients using a digital kitchen scale. Most digital kitchen scales can measure in grams and pounds. A digital kitchen scale is more accurate than a analog balance scale. Adding this tool into your bag of tricks will help take your baking to the next level. My favorite digital kitchen scale that I’ve used in professional kitchens as well as my home kitchen is the Escali Primo Digital Scale. This scale offers quick and accurate readings as well as an easy to use two button interface.

Electric Mixer

Electric mixers are a bakers best friend. This is a tool you’ll find yourself reaching for time after time. There are many baked goods that can be made with hand mixing, however the electric mixer steps in and mixes ingredients to a consistency that you just simply can not achieve with hand mixing. Think of an electric mixer as your sous chef in the kitchen.

An electric hand mixer is going to be your more affordable option, however this type of mixer requires you to babysit your batter. A stand mixer which is my go to mixer allows you to go hands free and complete other tasks while your batter or dough is mixing. A stand mixer also offers more power and can handle thicker doughs and batters with ease. My favorite brand when it comes to electric mixers is Kitchenaid whether it’s a hand mixer or a stand mixer, Kitchenaid offers reliable equipment that’s easy to use. This brand has been in my rotation for years as a professional baker and has never steered me wrong.

Measuring Cups & Spoons

Measuring cups and measuring spoons are a basic yet essential tool for every baker. This is a tool where you don’t need to over spend on, unless you choose to. There are two different kinds of measuring cups; dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups. Dry measuring cups are used to measure ingredients such as flour, and sugar while liquid measuring cups are used to measure liquids like vegetable oil or water. The standard size dry measuring cups that come in a set are 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and 1/4 cup. While the standard size measuring spoons are 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, and 1/4 teaspoon. With these standard sizes you can measure out ingredients for any recipe.

Silicone Spatula

A silicone spatula is a must have tool for every baker. However not all silicone spatulas are created equally. In my opinion the best silicone spatulas are heat resistant and are made from one single piece of silicone as opposed to the spatulas that have a silicone base and a plastic handle. These spatulas that have a plastic handles can be hard to clean and will not be as durable due to the plastic handle not being heat resistant. Silicone spatulas have a hundred different uses in the kitchen, some of the tasks they can be used for is to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl, stir ingredients, and smooth batter.

Oven Thermometer

One of the best things you can do as a baker, whether you’re a professional baker or a home baker is to get to know your oven. Not all ovens are created equally, which means all ovens cook differently. You can take the same baked goods and cook it in two different ovens and I guarantee you will see obvious differences. One of the best ways to get to know your oven is to invest in an oven thermometer. Just because you set your oven dial to 350 degrees does not mean that the temperature inside your oven is a consistent 350 degrees. The most accurate way to monitor the temperature inside your oven is with an oven thermometer.

Rolling Pin

Tapered rolling pins are my preferred choice of rolling pins. The tapered ends make it easy to grip when rolling out your pastries. Tapered rolling pins offer the most control while rolling out your dough. Tapered rolling pins are offered in marble, stainless steel, and wood. I opt for the stainless steel rolling pins because they are easy to clean and do not stain.

Silicone Baking Mats

Silicone baking mats are a must tool have for every baker. These baking mats are perfect for baking treats such as cookies and macarons, With silicone baking mats there’s no need to use any nonstick cooking spray or oil. These baking mats are the perfect reusable nonstick baking sheet liner. Silicone baking mats are dishwasher safe and easy to clean.

Fine Mesh Sieve

Fine mesh sieve also known as a sifter is the tool that you’ll reach for when you need to sift your dry ingredients. A fine mesh sieve is made with a mesh basket and a handle attached. Passing your dry ingredients through a fine mesh sieve ensures there are no large particles in your mixture. Another plus of sifting is that it aerates your dry ingredients. This ensures a more consistency when measuring.

Mixing Bowls

Mixing bowls are a must for bakers, they are multipurpose in the kitchen. They can be used during prep to measure ingredients, mix your batters or proof your dough in. You can even use these bowls for storage. I recommend purchasing a set of heat safe mixing bowls in various sizes. Heat safe mixing bowls can be used in place of a double boiler when making puddings, or tempering chocolate. Go for the stainless steel mixing bowls, they are the most durable, easy to clean, and will not crack or chip. Stainless steel mixing bowls are also heat safe and lightweight, they are the go to choice in professional bakeries.

Pastry Bags & Tips

Pastry bags and tips are great for frosting cakes and cupcakes, filling macarons, decorating cookies, and even writing on baked goods. Take your pick between reusable silicone pastry bags or skip the clean up and grab disposable pastry bags. Pastry bags are available in many different sizes. 12-14 inch pastry bags can handle most jobs, however for larger tasks 16 or 18 inch bags are best.

Piping tips come in both plastic and metal. Plastic tips are beginner friendly however the metal piping tips will give your designs cleaner edges. There are many types of piping tips to choose from however when you’re starting out I recommend grabbing a few different types of tips. Purchase round piping tips in a larger size and a smaller size, these will be great for decorating cookies, cupcakes, layered cakes and even writing. Round tips will carry you through with many different projects. A few other piping tips you should add to your collection when you’re first starting out are star tips, drop flower tips and petal tips.

Whisks

Whisks are absolutely one of the must have baking tools. I recommend purchasing two types of whisks, a balloon whisk and a French whisk. These whisks both serve different purposes. A balloon whisk is quite literally a balloon shaped whisk. This whisk is great for blending and aerating ingredients in bowls due to the wide curved shape. The wires of a balloon whisk tend to be more flexible and springy allowing for more movement which is ideal for incorporating air.

On the other hand French whisks are more narrow and have slightly thicker and sturdier wires. This means they are perfect when blending thicker batters or whisking ingredients in a sauce pot. The more narrow frame of the French whisk allows for you to reach into the tight corners of the sauce pot..

It is important to choose the right whisk for the task at hand. Choosing the wrong whisk can make for an unnecessary headache. While there are other types of whisks to choose from, balloon whisks and french whisks will carry you through most baking tasks. These two whisks are staple tools that every baker should own.

Scoops

Not to sound like a broken record but this is another multipurpose must have baking tool. Scoops can be used to evenly portion batter, to create melon balls for fruit salads, scoop ice cream or cookie dough, and so much more. Scoops are offered in various sizes, so when you’re first starting out I recommend buying a few different sizes.

The sizes that I recommend purchasing are the #60, #40, and the #20. The #60 scoop is on the smaller size and is perfect when making smaller bite size cookies. The #40 scoop is a medium size scoop and is perfect when making standard size cookies. The #20 is a larger scoop and is great when making larger bakery size muffins. These three size scoops are a perfect starting point, additional sizes can be purchased if you deem it necessary.

Cooling Rack

A wire cooling rack is great for cooling hot baked goods straight from the oven. You may wonder “why can’t I just place the baked goods on my counter to cool” and the short answer is that you can. However a wire cooling rack is elevated and allows air to circulate around the entire baked good while cooling. This prevents the bottoms of your baked goods from becoming soggy. It’s best to look for a cooling rack with a tight grid design, this prevents your baked goods from sagging while cooling on the rack.

Baking Pans

When it comes to baking pans there are so many different kinds to choose from. Baking pans come in different sizes as well as different materials. Let’s talk about what the essential baking pans are that you should have in your kitchen.

First lets go over material, baking pans come in a variety of materials such as metal, glass, stoneware and silicone. Each material conducts and distributes heat differently so let’s talk about what the differences are and which one you should choose. Glass bakeware is heavier and heats much slower than other types of pans. Although glass heats slower it tends to hold on to heat longer which often results in overly browned sides and bottoms of your baked goods. Stoneware bakeware is oven, freezer and microwave safe and is quite durable and affordable. Stoneware heats quickly and cooks evenly however stoneware is prone to chips and its rough exterior can scratch surfaces. Metal is a great heat conductor and cooks more evenly than glass which makes it a more all purpose solution when baking cupcakes, muffins or brownies. Metal bakeware is the way to go.

Next let’s go over which baking pans sizes you should purchase. There are many different types of pans that you can purchase but there a a few staple pans that you should without a doubt own. For all the treats you’ll be creating you should have a 9 inch round cake pan, a 9×9 inch square pan, a 9×5 inch loaf pan, a 9 inch pie dish, and last but not least a 12 cup cupcake/muffin pan.

Sheet Trays

Sheet trays also known as baking sheet is great for baking cookies, sheet cakes, roll cakes, and so much more. Aluminum is the standard material that most sheet trays are made out of. Aluminum is a great heat conductor and its light color allows for more even cooking.

Offset Spatula

An offset spatula is a multipurpose, must have baking tool. An offset spatula differs from a regular spatula because the blade of the spatula is bent at an angle allowing you more control when using it. Offset spatulas are great for icing cakes, and smoothing batters. The angle of the blade allows for you to maneuver batter and icing into tight corners with ease. Every baker absolutely needs this tool in their kitchen.