Top 10 baking tools

Hello everyone. In case you haven’t met me yet, my name is Diné, and I’m an engineer by day and an avid baker by night. Recently this strange combination of pastimes have overlapped, resulting in The Science Behind baking series that you may have seen on Spatula. I don’t have any science for you today, but what I would like to share with you are some of the kitchen tools that I just can’t bake (or live!) without. Here they are.

1. Digital kitchen scale – I was discussing this with a fellow baker the other day and we both agree that the digital scale is an absolute miracle! Not only does it mean that I can follow recipes accurately to the last gram but the ‘add and weigh’ feature means I end up using (and washing up) less containers.

2. Silpat mat – Maybe you’re not sure what all the fuss is about, but trust me, my Silpat mat changed my life. Cookies and meringues bake so much more evenly on it and they are also less likely to burn on the silicon. Plus, it can be used to make things like chocolate collars for cakes. Amazing.

3. Stand mixer. You probably don’t need any convincing on this one, right? Those KitchenAids are just so beautiful. My pink stand mixer is definitely the best gift I’ve ever received.

4. A good spatula. I cannot live without my favorite spatula; scraping the sides of the bowl thoroughly is just too satisfying. If you’ve never experienced that satisfaction, you are missing out.

5. Measuring cups and spoons. I’m always surprised at how many people bake without proper measuring cups. Come on people, accuracy is key here! I am very attached to my lovely set of measuring cups and spoons.

6. Candy thermometer. When making sweets (like fudge, Turkish delight, nougat, toffee and marshmallows) it is very useful to monitor the temperature of the mixture. Enter the candy thermometer. This handy tool means I can make candy even if terms like ‘hard ball’ and ‘soft ball’ mean very little to me.

7. Palette knife. It is so much easier to ice a cake with one of these, I am so glad I purchased one. My palette knife is most important when it comes to making beautifully iced cakes.

8. Piping bag. This is the second ‘must have’ when it comes to icing cakes, in my opinion. I use mine to ice cupcakes, or to add some detail to a big cake. I love my pastry bags.
9. Pastry brush. This tool comes in handy when finishing off pies and the like. Although I seem to use mine to make scones, more than anything. I do love a freshly baked scone.

10. And last, but not least, every baker loves some beautiful recipe books for inspiration, not so? Some of my favorites are Cakes by Callie Maritz & Mari-Louis Guy and Cupcakes by Martha Swift & Lisa Thomas. I love browsing through Yuppiechef’s book section, they have such beautiful books in there.