Tools for home baking
Whether you are just taking up baking for your family and friends or you are enrolled in an online baking course, you need to make sure your kitchen is ready. Baking will make use of traditional kitchen equipment, but if you are looking to bake frequently and with a variety of different recipes, you may want to invest in these helpful baking tools:
Digital scale – Epicurious, an online resource for home cooks, suggested a digital scale for more precise measuring. Many baking recipes include specific ingredient weights as part of their proportion suggestions because baking is a science that needs exact measurement to achieve proper results.
Digital thermometer – Another Epicurious suggestion is a digital kitchen thermometer for baking. Most meat thermometers don’t have the range necessary for baking. it is an important tool for making sugar syrups and creams.
Offset spatula – This tool is very handy and cost efficient. Having offset spatulas in a variety of sizes could prove beneficial but even one will help tremendously when it comes to frosting cakes, spreading ingredients and lifting and loosening serving slices.
Cookie spatula – As you advance in the baking arts, you want to make use of more specialized spatulas. Cookie spatulas have a specially designed sturdiness and shape to prevent damage to cookies when removing them from the tray.
Silicone rubber spoon shaped spatula – If you plan to use a spatula for mixing, Martha Stewart Living suggested you use silicone rubber. It is heatproof and the slight bending will make sure you can reach mixed ingredients in every inch of the container.
5-quart mixer – If you are looking to bake often, you may want to invest in a 5-quart electric mixer. Babble, a home management advice site, recommends the 5-quart model as it is well-sized for thick batters and it can offer a variety of useful attachments.
Whisks – Whisks are important for mixing dry ingredients. BBC Good Food described how a balloon whisk’s ability to aerate and give volume to foods is beneficial for cake recipes. Whisks can also be used to whip cream and whisk egg whites.
Oven thermometer – Ovens, especially older ovens, might not actually be the temperature you set the dial for. Since the proper heat is essential to successful baking, obtain a thermometer you can place in the oven to see the exact temperature reading.
Rimmed baking sheet – A strong sturdy metal or silicone baking sheet will ensure that heat is being distributed evenly. The Daily Meal suggested owning at least two so you can swap out easily and get a lot done during large baking projects.
Parchment Paper – Parchment paper eliminates the need to grease the baking sheets and makes removal of the finished product much easier.
Cooling rack – A metal wire rack with legs can be placed anywhere in the kitchen to let the finished product cool evenly. Babble also recommends them for glazing. Place the baked good on the rack over a baking sheet to catch the extra drippings.
Pastry brush – Once a baked good is finished you can use a pastry brush to apply powdered ingredients such as sugar. It can also be used to glaze a dough with egg or milk.
