This post may contain Affiliate Links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something. Please check our Disclosure Policy for more details.
If you’re a new home baker or trying to level up your home baking game, these are the only tools you need to stock in your kitchen for all your baking experiments!
As much as I enjoy purchasing new gadgets and tools, I find that there are a set of tools I always go back to when I’m baking. The rest of them just collect dust on the shelves.
There are a ton of fancy tools around, and I’m all for experimenting with them, especially when it comes to new techniques and trends, but you really don’t need all the fancy tools.
Here is a list of my ride or die tools, that I would recommend all home bakers to have in their arsenal to accomplish 90% of all baking projects.
Once you bake more and more, you’ll know the tools that you use the most!
Stand mixer
First on the list is the coveted stand mixer. While I did bake for years without one, if you are looking to level up your baking, a stand mixer will definitely help. I find it especially useful for doughs, meringues, and other recipes that require a longer mixing time.
It is especially useful for all my macaron recipes, so my arms are not tired whipping the egg whites, or when making any fluffy frosting!
Hand mixer for smaller bakes
Sometimes you only want a small batch of cookies or brownies or need to quickly whip frosting, that’s where my hand mixer is my go-to sidekick. I use it all the time in the kitchen!
Variety of baking trays and pans
- Cookie Sheets – A rimmed cookie sheet is vital to all the cookies I know you will be baking. Opt for something like this Nordic Ware cookie sheet, that is not prone to warping. Of course, they’re multipurpose – I also use them for my macarons and toasting any ingredients.
- Square brownie pan – A 9-inch by 9-inch pan is ideal for most brownie or blondie recipes. Or even for a quick coffee cake!
- 2-3 Round cake tins (6 inches) – If you are trying your hand at layered cakes, then round cake tins are ideal. A 6-inch cake is a great starting point, and you’ll want 2-3 in your cabinet to achieve the right cake height.
- Cupcake tin (12) – Most cupcake recipes make at least 12 cupcakes, so this is a great size of pan to have. You can also use these for muffins, or individual cheesecakes.
Mixing bowls
Most recipes require more than one bowl, or require different sizes of bowls.
If you’re in a small kitchen setting look for bowls, such as this set of mixing bowls by the Flour Shop that are:
- lightweight
- have a grip at the base (so they don’t move around)
- nest together for easy storage
- have a lid – so you can chill things like cookie dough easily, like in these espresso chocolate chip cookies.
Silicone Spatulas
Silicone spatulas are one of the most useful tools. I recommend getting a variety of sizes to scoop ingredients out of jars, or batter out of bowls!
They can help get all the batter out of the bowls, and are great for finishing a cake or cupcake batter that you do not want to over mix!
I love that they are often colorful, or come with fun patterns like this sprinkle spatula!
Silicone mats
For anything that bakes in my sheet pans, like cookies, or macarons, I love using silicone mats. It’s easy to clean, and I’m not wasting single-use parchment paper!
Offset spatula
An offset spatula is the best tool for so many things. Smoothing out cake batter in your pan or smoothing frosting on your cake, or creating those pretty swoosh patterns on top of dips.
It’s like a butter knife without sharp edges, so it is perfect for smoothing frosting or pushing cake or brownie batter to the edges of the pan.
Trust me, once you have it, you’ll wonder what you did before it!
Bench Scraper
A bench scraper has so many uses. Picking up ingredients, clearing flour from your work surfaces, and even smoothing out the sides of a layered cake.
I recommend one with a handle and is made with stainless steel (not plastic), with a little weight for more precision, like this one from Williams Sonoma.
Digital scale
If you, like me, believe that baking is more science than art, then measuring ingredients is crucial to your scientific experiments. There are so many factors that go into baking, from the weight of the ingredients to the technique to temperature. One of the easiest parts to control is weight, and a digital scale is vital to this!
And if you’re obsessed with making macarons, you most definitely need one!
Measuring spoons/cup set
If you’re not ready to weigh all your ingredients yet, a set of measuring spoons and measuring cups will definitely be a necessity. Baking is more of a science than art in my opinion. and accurately measuring ingredients is way more important in baking than cooking.
I love these Pyrex measuring cups for liquid ingredients, or a simple set for dry ingredients.
They also can make for beautiful additions to your kitchen, like the ones below!
Cooling Racks
Cooling racks will allow your cookies and cakes to cool faster, without letting them sit in the moisture when you take them out of the oven.
Honorable Mentions:
- Sifter – For the more delicate recipes, like cakes and macarons, sifting your flour is important so you don’t get clumpy ingredients.
- Oven Thermometer – Most home ovens are never calibrated to the right temperature. Even if your oven dings and says it’s ready, I guarantee you it’s not the temperature it says it is at. An oven thermometer is the best way to have more control over the baking process.
Let me know if there are any baking tools that you cannot live without!
Find me on Instagram @sprinklesandscribbles for more dessert inspiration and baking tips!
Leave a Reply