Let’s explore the best baking tools for beginner bakers:
White shiplap kitchen with windows lining the whole wall and an Alexa playing us nostalgic country on warm Spring days while we experimented in the kitchen. Baking old fashioned angel food cake— it was more like a biscuit and had the most delicious reduced strawberry jam, and whipped cream— delicious.
This is what me and my friends did growing up, we baked cookies and we made big breakfasts upon waking up. My best friend’s parents came downstairs and started making just about a dozen eggs for us, scrambled nicely. Milk, coffee and tea was served, so beautiful.
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Baking has been a big part of my life, a way to connect with nostalgia and to express myself. This is probably what lead me to writing my seasonal cookbooks honestly. I realize though now, that our high school kitchen crafting gave us quite the advantage. We learned so much in our teen years as beginners that I take for granted now that I use it professionally. You may not have these same advantages and I want to ensure that, if you are ready to learn how to bake, for hobby or for work, you have a kitchen that is ready to work for you. One that is properly supplied to withstand the equipment of most recipes you will come across as you learn. So without further ado, here are my top recommendations for the best baking tools for beginner bakers.
The Best Baking Tools for People Just Learning to Bake
1.) Baking Scale
Having a baking scale isn’t necessarily a must have, as you can learn to change grams to cups and can create fairly accurate recipes using this method, but truly— starting out— I wish I would have set myself up for success by just buying a scale. Having one makes recipes extremely, no precisely accurate, and saves the time it takes to convert grams to cups.
Grams are primarily used for sourdough, and other bread baking but I often find that most recipes have flour in grams, even if the remaining ingredients are displayed in cups and tablespoons/teaspoons. Having precise flour measurements will set you up for success as a beginner baker.
I waited two years before buying one and wished the entire time that I had just bought one to start with.
2.) Mixing Bowls
Having a set of mixing bowls at all different sizes is super useful in the kitchen. I know we all have one or two but just ensuring we understand how important this one is. Having different sizes is helpful too. You don’t want to use your biggest bowl for a sauce or syrup, it is better often to have a few smaller mixing bowls for this use. This makes clean up time shorter and more manageable.
I always buy stainless steel, glass or ceramic bowls and try to skip out on plastic in the home and certain types of sealers. My favorite bowls all come with lids (the material is less important to me here since you aren’t mixing or scraping at the lids like you are the bowls).
I also love the aesthetics of the items that I buy so I always try to find cute ones:
- Stoneware Cream Ceramic Mixing Bowl Set
- Glass Bowl Set with Lids
- Stainless Steel, Large Set, with Cream Lids
I feel like having a good set is just a good place to start. But another great way to get a set is thrift stores, this encourages underconsumption and also is a great way to save money and find some unique items— paying close attention to materials.
3.) Baking Sheets & Parchment Paper
The third of 11 of the best baking tools for beginner bakers is the good ol’ baking sheet. Having two or three on hand, again stainless steel is important, you don’t want anything coated.
Three might seem excessive but baking cookies and similar goods goes much more efficiently if you have one in the oven, and one loaded with cookie dough to place in the oven when done. Take the baked cookies out, let them sit on the baking sheet for two minutes, place the loaded one in the oven and use the third to add new dough. This can cut your time down dramatically and is a helpful tip for professional bakers.
Another type of baking dish is one that has walls. This way you can bake casseroles and cakes!
Along with this make sure that you have a good parchment paper as well. I used to rely entirely on cooking oils and they do not produce a quality cookie the same as parchment paper. Parchment paper doesn’t add any extra flavor like a cooking oil can, and it also does not add any moisture like cooking oil does. Find my go to here.
4.) Cooling Racks
Cooling racks is going to seem like a silly, unimportant essential to bring up. This is because we, like mixing bowls and baking sheets, all generally have one and if we don’t we can set a plate or towel out to cool things on.
While this is a good alternative, the actual effects of cooling things on a cooking rack are lost when you use anything that doesn’t generate the same air flow over the entire cookie, bread or other baked good. So, ensuring your food doesn’t turn soggy, grow condensation against a plate, and continues to cook and then cool evenly, get or have on hand at least one cooling rack.
5.) Measuring Cups & Spoons
When me and my friends first learned to bake we didn’t have too many measuring spoons laying around and would often use dinner spoons as our tablespoon and teaspoon alternatives. This is absolutely doable, but I am here to set you up for success, not just to get by, and sometimes it’s as simple as buying measuring cups and spoons. Buying a set that has extremely specific measurements like ‘1/8 ths’ is what I recommend, this way you are always getting accurate measurements instead of guesstimates.
I am, once again keeping with my stainless steel baking tools trend, and am recommending you find a natural metal to use or wooden. The wooden tend to only come in cups and are generally found in pairs of four, which removes the uber specific measurements.
This set above includes extremely specific measurements and is a sleek design, they also include some extra pieces that can make baking easier with conversation charts and more.
6.) Whisks, Spoons and Spatula’s
Whisks and spatulas are super useful tools for baking, as we all know. Though we often opt for hand mixers and stand up mixers having good whisks on hand is super important. Making sure you have alternatives to electric items, for one reason, and secondly having a few whisks can ensure you don’t have to constantly stop and wash your hand mixer attachments to mix something else.
Spatulas are used to remove warm items from hot baking sheets and to fold in larger items into a dough. This is what spoons are often used for as well. Using either of these to fold chocolate ships into a muffin dough can save your hand mixer and your stand up mixer lots of trouble.
7.) Loaf Pans
Next on our list extends to baking breads. Having loaf pans can be the difference between the ability to make bread and not make bread. Without loaf pans there are ways to learn to make round loaves and also French breads and baguettes, but practically we often eat and use sandwich bread more than any other kind. I absolutely recommend having a loaf pan or two on hand, as this widens your baking ability to include more breads and flavored dessert breads like zucchini, banana and lemon breads.
What types should you get?
- Ceramic
- Glass
- Stainless Steel
Again, make sure you avoid any non stick pans, they are not long lasting and they also can emit harmful chemicals, stick to more natural materials.
8.) Rolling Pin
Another important, of all the baking tools for beginner bakers is the rolling pin. Rolling pins are used more often then you make think for baking. You use rolling pins for baking pizza dough, for baking cookies, for baking pies and for baking other pastries. If you want to bake any of these and more (ex. Croissants and scones) you should make sure to have one on hand.
9.) Pie Dish
Pies can feel intimidating but I always add pie dishes to baking tools that beginners should have on hand. The idea of having these 11 baking tools, is to ensure that if you decided one day to make a pie, that you have everything you need to do this successfully. By just having a dozen tools on hand I want to make sure you can do the most, this includes pies.
I recommend one pie dish and pie weights. Pie crusts often fall in the pan, and I struggled with this so often when I started making pies, like the baking scale, I wish I would have just ordered them to begin with.
- Pie Dish (plain white here)
- Pie Weights
10.) Cupcake Pan and Liners
Just like the pie pan, it is important to have a few specific items on hand that are specific to a type of dessert or baked good. Cupcake pans are one of these items. They can also be used for more can cupcakes. Of course they can be used to make muffins, but I also use them to make mini pies. Ensure that you also have liners on hand!
11.) Icing Piping Set
Lastly, piping bags and tips. Icing scones, cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more can teach you an incredible skill and add lots of character to your products.
This was 11 baking tools for beginner bakers. I hope that you found it extremely useful, as you learn what is best to have in your kitchen to take on this hobby and set yourself up for success.
If you made it this far, comment below an item you might need from this list or what you plan on baking.
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