Welcome back, bakers! My main goal with this blog is to inspire the everyday woman to try new recipes and become more confident bakers. Men can obviously enjoy my content, too, but according to Google Analytics 90% of you reading this are female ;) I love getting comments on Instagram or the blog saying how my posts have motivated you to improve your baking skills or step outside of your comfort zone. I realize many of you aren’t super experienced when it comes to baking, so I plan on sharing more tips and tricks in the future. Today I thought we’d start with 10 essential tools you’ll want to have in your kitchen if you plan on baking frequently:
- Measuring cups and spoons. Baking is a science, so having the correct measurements is key! You’ll want to have a set of measuring cups and spoons, plus a liquid measuring cup. I recently bought this set from Target because the colors are so cute and I love how they snap together. And for only $2?! Yes, please. This copper set is also really cute!
- Nesting mixing bowls. Most recipes require multiple bowls—typically one for wet ingredients and one for dry. I got a set of pink KitchenAid mixing bowls as a gift from my mom years ago and I still use them for everything I make!
- KitchenAid stand mixer or hand held mixer. My grandma gave me a pink KitchenAid mixer for my college graduation and can’t imagine baking without it! Obviously a KitchenAid mixer is quite the investment, so a hand held mixer is a great alternative. Most recipes start by beating butter and sugar together, which is hard to do with just a spoon and some elbow grease.
- Cooling Racks. Once your baked goods come out of the oven, you typically let them cool for a few minutes in the pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack. If you leave them in the hot pan or on a hot baking sheet they will continue to cook and become overdone. A cooling rack allows air to get under the cookies, cake, etc., and helps cool them faster and evenly.
- Quality pans and baking sheets. The baking pans and sheets you use can have a big impact on how your treats turn out. We received this Anolon 5-piece bakeware set as a wedding gift and I’m very impressed by the quality and how well it holds up. Three years and still going strong—our marriage and the pans ;)
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Parchment paper is perfect for lining cake pans and baking sheets so that your baked goods don’t stick. Silicone baking mats, like this Silpat baking mat, also work well.
- Oven Thermometer. All ovens are different, so just because you set it to 350F doesn’t mean it’s actually 350F. It’s important to understand your oven and adjust the digital temperature setting accordingly. If the oven thermometer reads 340 degrees when you preheated it to 350 degrees, then I would add 10 degrees (i.e. set it to 360F) to get the ideal temperature.
- Rubber spatula. Basically every recipe you make will require a rubber spatula. Typically I use them for scraping down the sides and bottom of my standing mixer in between additions to make sure all ingredients are evenly incorporated. You’ll also need it to get all of the batter out of the mixing bowl. Then lick what remains ;)
- Whisk. You’ll need a whisk for all sorts of things! I have a few on hand so that I’m not constantly washing them. My favorite is a pink KitchenAid one. Are you starting to see a pattern with my pink baking tools?? haha
- Sifter. I’ll be honest, sometimes I get lazy and don’t sift my flour or powdered sugar. However, it does help your batter and buttercream be free of lumps. Plus it makes measuring more accurate since there aren’t any dense clumps. I find it especially necessary when using cocoa powder since it ends up getting packed down in the container. You could use a hand held sifter with the crank or a fine mesh sieve.
Happy baking!
