Food Prep: Essential Baking Tools for Your Kitchen

by Eliana Ramos on August 12th, 2011 | No Comments »

Food—When it comes to cooking and baking, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the multitude of kitchen tools found on the shelves of home goods stores. From apple corers to corn zippers to tomato knives, there’s a gadget for just about every kitchen task. And it’s easy to think you need all of this super specialized equipment in your life. As far as baking is concerned, I like to keep it simple. Not only will my small kitchen be less cluttered, but I will also be left with my money in my pocket.

What follows is a list of all of my go-to baking equipment. These are the things I use over and over and over again. And probably the things I would want to take with me to safety in the event of a fire.

If you’re thinking about venturing into the world of baking, here’s a great place to start.

Essential Baking Tools

Timer – After many batches of forgotten cookies, timers are a MUST in my kitchen. Since I am always multi-tasking in the kitchen, my timer helps me make sure that my baking dreams don’t turn into baking burn-outs.
Rubber Spatula – I don’t know where I would be without my collection of rubber spatulas. Made out of silicone, they can be used in high temperatures. Since they can be used for both cooking and baking, they get more use than anything else in my kitchen. In baking, they are great at helping me scrape the last bit of batter from my mixing bowls.
Mixing and Prep Bowls – Bowls are a baker’s best friends. They help us keep everything organized in the kitchen. For mixing bowls, I go with different sized bowls that nest into one another for easy storage. Some may not consider small prep bowls vital. But in baking, organization is key. And having small prep bowls handy to hold premeasured ingredients will ensure fast execution of just about any recipe.
Measuring Spoons and Cups – Measuring takes the guess work out of the baking process. When looking for measuring spoons, look for a set that has 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon measures. For cups, you will need one set to measure dry ingredients with 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup and 1 cup measures. And you will need another single cup, usually with a spout and handle, to measure wet ingredients.
Hand Mixer – While stand mixers are powerful and versatile, unless you are making bread, hand mixers are just as effective (and a lot more economical) for home bakers. They will also take up a lot less space in your kitchen.
Pans – Once your ingredients are measured and mixed, there are a plethora of pans you can bake them in. The ones that get the most use in my kitchen are a standard 12-well muffin/cupcake pan, a loaf pan for sweet breads, a bundt pan for easy cakes, an 8x8 inch square pan for brownies and cookie bars and a half sheet pan for cookies.

What are your essential baking tools? What is your favorite kitchen gadget?

Photo courtesy of How To: Simplify.

Eliana Ramos is living the sweet life as author of A Chica Bakes – a blog that explores her baking adventures sprinkled with a little bit of life and Latin Flair. A self-taught baker, Eliana loves sharing tips and tricks to help her readers live the sweet life too. You can find her online at A Chica Bakes and @AChicaBakes.