Exploring the world of baking raises a vital question: what baking tools and equipment truly matter? Let's dig into the must-haves for your baking journey.
Considering a home baking business or commercial kitchen? Well, the burning question remains: what exactly are the essential baking tools, equipment, and investments you need? Let's uncover the answers.
Today's post features tried and true bakery tools. I'll share my insights, and for untested items, insights from experienced bakers testing brands.
Tailor your choices based on your needs and circumstances. Here are some essential baking tools and equipment needed.
|Knowledge Base: Baking cups Vs metric system: The ultimate guide you need
Household Essential Bakery Tools
Blow Torch
Blow torches caramelize desserts for a beautiful golden finish in baking. Bakers often use it for crème brûlée, meringues, and custards.
The torch's heat melts and caramelizes sugar, forming a crispy layer that enhances texture and flavor.
Ruler
You'll need a ruler to measure rolled dough's diameter. This applies to pie dough, tart dough, pizza dough, or any different dough sheet you wish to measure.
A ruler is handy for drawing straight lines or cutting the dough into uniform sizes.
Safety Gloves
Safety gloves provide protection from heat, as well as protection from sharp tools and ingredients. They also help keep hands clean, especially when handling raw ingredients.
Gloves also help protect against any potential allergens that may be present in a recipe.
Tweezer
Tweezer is a great tool for any baker. They can be used to pick up and place small items such as decorations or sprinkles or to transfer hot ingredients from the pan to the plate.
They are also helpful for removing crumbs from baking pans and creating intricate decorations. Tweezers are an important part of any baker's equipment.
Kitchen Essential Bakery Tools
Baking tools and equipment are the backbone of successful baking. Let's explore some essential items that elevate your baking game:
Aluminium Foil
Aluminium foil, a baking essential, keeps food moist, ensures even cooking, and prevents burning. It's also useful for lining baking sheets and wrapping foods for warmth, like baked potatoes.
Furthermore, aluminium foil can tend pies and cakes to avoid excessive crust browning.
Cake Jars Glasses
Cake jars and glasses are a great way to store and serve homemade cakes. Glass is usually the material for making them, and it helps maintain cake freshness for longer periods.
Lids facilitate easy transport, perfect for carrying cakes to potlucks or parties.
Furthermore, you can adorn jars with ribbons or stickers to create a charming display.
Chopping Board
A chopping board provides a clean and safe surface for preparing ingredients. Chop fruits, veggies, nuts, and more before adding to your recipe.
Chopping boards prevent cross-contamination by separating raw and cooked foods.
Also, they provide a stable surface for kneading dough and rolling out pastry.
Cling Wrap
Cling wrap covers rising dough, prevents sticking during rolling, and wraps cakes for cooling. It also helps keep food fresh by providing an airtight seal that preserves moisture and flavor.
Drinking Straws
In baking, you can use drinking straws to create decorative effects on cakes and cupcakes. Straws create tiny holes in cakes for filling with icing or decorations.
Straws create spirals, stripes, and patterns like circles on cake surfaces.
Food Processor
A food processor swiftly mixes ingredients in baking, like creaming butter and sugar. It can also knead dough or crush biscuits for a crumb base.
Attachments fit onto the food processor for mixing, chopping, slicing, and grating.
Grater
A grater is a kitchen tool that grates ingredients such as cheese, vegetables, and chocolate. For baking, it can create fine layers of ingredients like cheese or chocolate for decoration or flavouring.
It can also create fine crumbs used as a topping on cakes or different baked goods.
Kneading Bowls
Bakers use kneading bowls to mix and knead the dough in baking. They keep ingredients contained and offer ample surface for kneading.
Kneading bowls simplify dough transfer without spills or mess. They can also use them for proofing, rising, and storing dough.
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Measuring Jug
Mixing bowls are accessible in different sizes and are essential tools for baking. They mix ingredients, such as wet and dry ingredients, to create doughs and batters. They can also cream butter and sugar together or beat eggs.
Measuring Spoons
Measuring spoons are essential tools for baking. They make sure you use the precise ingredients in recipes. Using measuring spoons ensures consistent results between batches.
Measuring spoons provide precise measurements, including teaspoon, tablespoon, 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, and occasionally 1/8 teaspoon and 1/16 teaspoon.
Microwave
Microwaves are great for baking because they can quickly cook food without the need to preheat an oven. You can use them for baking cakes, brownies, muffins, and other desserts.
Also, microwaves are handy for melting chocolate or butter for frosting and toppings. They can also make quick bread like banana bread and pumpkin bread.
Microwave Bowls
Bakers use microwave bowls for baking cakes and different desserts. Designed for even heat distribution, preventing cake burning.
They can also quickly and evenly melt chocolate or butter without stovetop use. Microwave bowls are an easy way to bake delicious treats in a fraction of the time.
Mixing bowls
Mixing bowls are essential tools for baking. They blend wet and dry ingredients to make doughs and batters. They can also cream butter, sugar, or beat eggs.
Mixing bowls vary in size and material, allowing you to choose the perfect one for any recipe.
Paper Towel
Paper towels absorb excess liquid in baking, like from dough or batter. Covering the dough with a paper towel while it rises prevents the surface from drying out.
Also, paper towels can line baking pans and trays, preventing sticking and making cleanup easier.
Pizza Cutter
A pizza cutter is a slicing tool used to cut dough into slices. You can use it in baking to cut and portion dough, such as for pies or tarts. It can also slice bread, cakes, and different pastries.
The pizza cutter's blade is typically sharp and round, allowing for quick and even dough cutting.
Plating Material
Bakers use plating material to give a decorative finish to cakes, pastries, and other baked goods. It can create intricate designs or simply add a gleaming shine.
Popular plating materials include eating gold leaf, cocoa butter, and chocolate. These materials can help make your baked goods look more pleasing and appetizing.
Rolling Pin
Bakers use rolling pins to evenly roll out dough when baking. They have a flat surface and two handles, making it easier to roll out the dough without sticking.
Rolling pin makes dough even better baking.
Saucepans
Saucepans melt butter, and chocolate, cook custards, and sauces, boil water, and poach fruits. Saucepans excel in creating caramel sauces or syrups for dessert toppings.
Scissor
Scissors help you accurately measure and cut dough. You can also use them to snip herbs, chop nuts, and open packages of ingredients. Scissors are also great for cutting paper paper into shapes or sizes that fit your baking pans.
Finally, they can trim excess dough from pies or other baked goods.
Sieve
Sieves are used in baking to sift dry ingredients such as flour, cocoa powder, and sugar. straining breaks lumps, ensuring even ingredient distribution.
It can also help to aerate the ingredients, giving a lighter texture to the finished product.
Silicon Brush
A silicon brush is a useful tool for baking. It can spread butter, oil, egg wash, and other liquids on dough or pastry.
It's also great for brushing melted chocolate over desserts or cake tops. Silicon brushes are heat-resistant and easy to clean, making them ideal for frequent use in the kitchen.
Silicon Spatula
A silicon spatula is a great tool for baking. It's heat-resistant and flexible, making it ideal for stirring, scraping, and folding ingredients.
It won't scratch pans, so use it worry-free. Silicon spatulas are also easy to clean and store away.
Small Bowls
Bakers commonly use small bowls in baking to measure and mix ingredients. You can also use them to melt butter or chocolate and separate egg whites from yolks.
Small bowls are perfect for creaming butter and sugar together, preventing messy mixing.
Toothpick
Toothpicks test the doneness of cakes, cupcakes, and other baked goods. Insert a toothpick into the center of your cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Toothpicks can also be used to help assemble layered cakes and pastries.
Wired Rack
A wired rack is an essential tool for baking. It lets air flow for even cooking, no sogginess. It cools baked stuff fast, and heat escapes through wires.
Wooden Skewers
Wooden skewers test cake doneness and ingredient temperatures like melted chocolate.
You can also use skewers to shape the dough and form pastries. Lastly, they add decorative touches to cakes, making patterns or holes in the dough before baking.
Essential Baking Equipment
Hand Blender
Hand blenders, a must-have for your baking toolkit, swiftly mix ingredients with ease. They can also whip cream, beat eggs, and blend batters. Hand blenders are useful for precise control over dough or batter consistency in small batches.
Also, hand blenders are much less messy than traditional stand mixers.
Hand Mixer
Hand mixers quickly blend ingredients like creaming butter and sugar, or cake batter. They also help incorporate air into the mixture, improving the texture of baked goods.
Hand mixers are less expensive than stand mixers and take up less counter space.
Kitchen Weighing Scale
A must-have in your baking tools and equipment, kitchen weighing scales ensure precise recipe following for consistently delightful outcomes.
Weighing scales save time by eliminating separate ingredient measuring.
OTG
OTG stands for oven, toaster, and grill, and it finds its place in baking tools and equipment. It is an electric oven that uses convection and direct heat to cook food. The OTG allows you to bake various cakes, cookies, pizzas, bread, and more.
It also has features like temperature control, a timer, and automatic shut-off for convenience.
Oven Thermometer
An oven thermometer is an essential tool for baking. It helps to ensure that the temperature inside your oven is accurate and consistent. This helps to prevent under or over-baking your baked items.
You can find oven thermometers at most kitchen stores, and they come at a relatively low cost.
Probe Thermometer
Probe thermometers are an essential tool for baking. They allow you to accurately measure the internal temperature of cakes, bread, and other baked goods.
This helps ensure that your food is cooked through and not under or overcooked. They also help you determine the perfect doneness for different meats and vegetables.
Stand Mixer
A stand mixer handles tasks like kneading dough, creaming butter, whipping cream, and beating egg whites.
Stand mixers are perfect for baking, delivering consistent results with less effort than hand-mixing or electric mixers.
Tins & Molds for Baking
Baking Trays
Baking trays bake items such as cookies, cakes, bread, and other baked goods. They provide a flat surface for the food to be placed on and help ensure even baking.
Baking trays also help keep the oven clean by preventing spills from reaching the floor.
Chocolate Molds
Chocolate molds are used in baking to create chocolate shapes. They come in various sizes and styles, allowing you to make chocolates shaped like animals, flowers, letters, numbers, or even custom designs.
Chocolate molds can make candies, truffles, and other desserts. They're also great for creating decorative pieces for cakes and cupcakes.
Cake Tins
Cake tins are an essential tool for baking cakes. They provide a structure for the cake to bake in, allowing it to rise and keep its shape.
Cake tins ensure even heat distribution, resulting in a delicious and evenly baked cake. Different cake tins are accessible for cakes, such as round, square or rectangular shapes.
Loaf Tins
Loaf tins are a type of baking pan specifically designed for baking bread. They are usually made from metal and have a non-stick coating to help quickly release the finished loaf.
They also help keep heat during baking, resulting in an even bake throughout the loaf. Loaf tins come in different sizes for baking large or small loaves as needed.
Muffin Liners
Muffin liners are used to line muffin tins when baking muffins and cupcakes. They help keep the batter from sticking to the pan, making it easier to remove the finished product. Muffin liners also give the baked goods a more professional look.
Muffin Tray
Bakers use a muffin tray for baking muffins and cupcakes. It consists of a shallow metal pan with several cups designed to hold one portion of the batter.
The cups are usually round or oval in shape and come in various sizes. The muffin tray makes muffins even and cool shapes.
Piping Bags
Piping bags are baking tools to pipe dough and icing onto cakes, cupcakes, and other baked goods. The bags are made from strong plastic or cloth and come with various tips for creating different shapes and patterns.
Piping bags make it easier to create intricate designs on the surface of baked goods.
Sil Pat
A Silpat is a non-stick baking mat made from fiberglass and silicone. It can line baking sheets, cake pans, and other cookware to prevent food from sticking.
Silpats are also great for rolling out dough, providing an even surface, and preventing sticking. They are reusable and easy to clean.
Tart Molds
Tart molds are used for baking tart shells. They come in various sizes and shapes, allowing you to create beautiful desserts easily. Tart moulds ensure even and flat cooking of the shell.
Also, they let shape dough for quiches or other baked dishes.
Other Essential Bakery Tools
Now, let's explore more must-have baking tools and equipment to raise your baking skills like a pro.
Acetate Paper
Bakers commonly use acetate paper in baking to create edible decorations. It's a thin, see-through plastic sheet for shaping and decorating cakes.
When heated in the oven, the acetate melts and leaves behind an edible decoration. It's a great way to add creative flair to your baked goods.
Bench Scraper
Bench scrapers are essential tools for any baker. A bench scraper cuts, shapes dough, and clears excess flour. Also for dividing dough, lattice strips, and transferring cookies.
Cake Board
A cake box is a container to store, transport, and display baked goods. Usually, you can decorate cardboard with artwork.
Cake boxes shield the cake and enhance its appeal to customers. They are essential for any bakery or cake shop.
Cake Box
A cake box is a container used to store, transport, and display baked goods. It is usually made of cardboard, and can be decorated with printed graphics or other artwork.
Cake boxes protect cakes and make them more appealing to customers. They are essential for any bakery or cake shop.
Cakesicle mold
A Cakesicle mold is a baking tool used to make treats look like popsicles. Two-part design: tray with cake cavities and insertion sticks. The result is a delicious cake-on-a-stick treat perfect for parties and special occasions.
Cookie Cutters
Cookie cutters are used to cut shapes out of cookie dough. They can be made from various materials, such as metal, plastic, or wood. They make it easy to create fun shapes that are consistent in size and shape.
Measuring Cups
Measuring cups are a baking must-have for accurate ingredient measurements. They come in different sizes and typically include 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup measurements.
Measuring cups ensure your recipe has the perfect ingredient ratio for the best results.
Offset Palette Knives
Offset palette knives are used in baking to spread icing, cream, and other thick mixtures evenly. They are also used for smoothing surfaces and creating decorative designs. The offset handle allows the baker to get into hard-to-reach places with precision.
Parchment Paper
Parchment paper is a must-have when it comes to baking. It helps prevent sticking and burning, keeps your pans clean, and can be used to line cake pans, cookie sheets, and other baking dishes.
It also eases cleanup and offers the advantage of multiple reuses before disposal.
Plastic D-shaped Scraper
A plastic D-shaped scraper is a helpful tool for baking. It is designed to scrape and mix the dough, as well as to shape it. The scraper can also clean surfaces such as pastry boards or worktops.
Also, the scraper's shape makes it easy to reach into corners and other hard-to-reach areas.
Serrated Bread Knife
Baking enthusiasts value a serrated bread knife as a must-have tool. It's crafted for easy slicing through crusty and dense bread. It is also great for slicing cakes, pies, and other pastries.
Its sharp, serrated blade ensures a clean cut with minimal crumbs. Also, the wavy edge helps keep the item's shape intact when cutting.
Silicon Mat
A silicon mat is a versatile baking tool that can line baking sheets, roll out the dough, and provide a non-stick surface for cookies, pastries, and other baked goods.
It offers an alternative to parchment paper and can be reused multiple times. Silicon mats are heat resistant up to 480°F and are easy to clean with warm soapy water.
Straight Palette Knives
Straight palette knives are used for a variety of tasks in baking, including leveling off cake batters, smoothing icing and frosting, and spreading ganache or other fillings.
They are also great for creating decorative swirls on cakes or cupcakes. The straight edge ensures you can get a clean, even cut when needed.
Turntable
A turntable is a fine tool for bakers to have in the kitchen. It helps them evenly spread frosting and decorations on cakes, cupcakes, and other desserts.
The spinning surface lets you easily reach all sides of the cake, clarifying the decorating process. Turntables keep your workplace neat, gathering all your decorating tools in one convenient spot.
Whisks
Whisks are essential bakery tools in baking. They help to combine ingredients, aerate mixtures, and whip cream or egg whites. Whisks can also make a roux, a thickening agent for sauces and gravies.
They are available in different sizes and shapes, so you can choose the best suits your needs.
To sum up, having the essential bakery tools and equipment for baking is important to successful baking. Many tools can be used depending on the type of baking that you are doing.
These items should always be in your baking toolkit, from mixing bowls and measuring cups to cookie cutters and rolling pins. It is also important to keep them clean and well-maintained to ensure that your baked goods turn out perfectly every time.
