Essential Baking Equipment

A properly equipped kitchen will save you time, money and headaches. If your kitchen is equipped with everything that you need, you won’t find yourself scrambling in the middle of a recipe only to realize you don’t have that tool to begin with. Getting quality kitchen tools while equipping your kitchen will save you money; you won’t be running out to buy something just because a recipe you’ll most likely make one time calls for it. This is not to say that if you are going to jump into more complex recipes and techniques that you won’t find yourself lacking a piece of special equipment, I simply mean that for everyday baking you will find yourself well prepared to tackle the home-culinary world!

Baking

There are a few essential items you will need if you plan to do any baking at all. My collection of baking tools is pretty extensive as I do a lot of baking, however, if only a cake or batch of cookies is to be prepared every now and again, your baking equipment is minimal. Here is what I find to be essential:

*Mixing Bowls- Get a set of metal or glass bowls. Be sure to get a set that comes with an extra large bowl. I don’t recommend plastic as meringues don’t do well in plastic and plastic has a tendency to break or crack after a while.

*Whisk- This will not only help you with baking, but with making gravies and sauces, dips, dressings, etc. My favorite whisk is completely stainless steel and has a lot of loops. I would recommend a large and a small whisk. Nothing is more irritating than to be whipping up some dressing in a small bowl with a big whisk.

*Mixing spoons- I do not recommend wood for this. My favorite mixing spoons are a pack of 3 $.97 deals made of a hard resin. They have a short, medium and a long handle. If a heavy batter were to snap one, $.97 cents isn’t a huge loss.

*Rubber Spatulas- These help in scraping the bowls to be sure you get everything well incorporated and evenly spreading cake batter. Nothing can really replace these for the scraping bit. I recommend a set of 3 with a large, medium and small spatula.

*Cookie Sheets- Do yourself a favor with these and do NOT get nonstick. Get a heavy aluminum cookie sheet for even cooking and heating. I recommend at least 2. I have a standard size oven and use half-sheet sized. Spacing cookies 2 inches apart, I can fit about 18 cookies on a sheet. These will also come in handy when baking pies and casseroles to catch spill-over.

*Pie Plates- I recommend glass here. Metal tends to darken crusts a little sooner than I would like and gets yucky looking after awhile. You can get away with 1, unless you plan to bake more than 1 pie at a time- you can’t bake a pie, take the pie out and then reuse it. Also, be sure to get 8inch plates, if you’re to be using store-bought crust most come in sizes to fit 8 inch plates. Most homemade crust recipes are for 8 inch plates also.

*Baking Pans- These are what you’re typical cake and brownie recipes are going to be cooked in. I prefer glass to metal and again NOT non stick! If you buy no other size, get at least a 13x9x2. I also recommend an 8x8x2.

*Measuring Cups & Spoons- These will be used for cooking and baking. Get a quality set of measuring cups to be sure the handle doesn’t come off when you’re scooping something heavy. I recommend a set of heavy plastic or stainless steel that is 1 piece. Floppy handles are going to break, so spend the extra buck and get quality. Also, be sure to get a 2 cup measuring cup for liquids and a set of dry measuring cups.

*Mixer- There are a million different options for this piece of equipment. I recommend that, in the very least, you get a 7-speed hand mixer. This will allow you to make cookies, cakes and brownies with ease. If your budget allows, I definitely recommend checking out stand mixer options. A stand mixer will allow you to do big or small jobs easily and many come with numerous handy attachments. To find out which stand mixer is right for you, see my hub How To Buy A Stand Mixer.

*Loaf Pans- You may not plan to go all Sara Lee and make loaf after loaf of bread, however, the fancy may strike you to try it just once. Or, perhaps, you need to make a quick bread like banana bread. For these, you’ll need a loaf pan. Again, no nonstick. Get at least 1 heavy aluminum, standard sized loaf pan.

*Knives- Hopefully you’ll have a set of knives in your kitchen, but if you’re thinking you can probably get away without them, please reconsider! I use my knives for cooking and baking. I use a 7 inch Santoku knife daily as well as a 3 inch paring knife. If you cannot afford an entire knife set, at least invest in a quality Santoku (or Chef’s) and a paring knife.

*Pots and Pans- This is a bit out of the baking realm, but you do sometimes need a good saucepot. I recommend heavy stainless steel and NOT nonstick. I would be sure to find a set that includes 2 saute pans, a large and a small size, 2 sauce pots- at least 3 quart, and a large “soup” pot, 6+ quarts. I prefer glass lids with stainless handles so that I can see what’s going on in there. I also like to have a deep skillet for things like sloppy Joes and the like.

*Cupcake Pan- This may not be a necessity but they are certainly nice to have around. Again, heavy aluminum with at least a 1 dozen capacity.

With this list of basic items you will be well equipped to produce some delectable treats. There isn’t a need for specialty, uni-tasking items. Everything on this list will help you not only bake up a delicious dessert, but can help you whip up the main course as well. Keep in mind quality and functionality as you shop.

Other items that I have on hand at all times include: Bundt cake pan, non-stick cooking spray, parchment paper (NOT waxed), oven mitt, dough scraper, SilPat and timer.