Kitchen Essentials: Baking Utensils 101

When I first moved out on my own, I started baking and cooking a lot more – but without the proper tools, it was a frustrating endeavor!

All I wanted was delicious results that were insta-worthy. I mean, how hard can it be to concoct a proper croquembouche with a spoon, an uneven pan, and a baking sheet made out of tinfoil? Answer: CAN’T TALK NOW, SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY ON FIRE!!

With some trial and error and years of pastry school and kitchen/bakery work, here are a few simple items that are really worth your investment:

Heat Safe Rubber Spatula
If you haven’t tried one yet, you’ll be shocked as to how much you’ve been missing (and wasting!). While a spoon does an OK job, a rubber spatula will catch every last bit of your hard work. Before you buy, make sure to check the label – the heat safe ones are the best so you won’t have to worry about it melting while you cook your pastry cream or caramel.

Scale
To get perfect results every time there really isn’t any other choice – weigh out your ingredients, and make use of that ‘TARE’ button on your digital scale. It’s especially useful when you’re chucking everything into one bowl, saving on clean up later.

Measuring Spoons
Most scales aren’t sensitive enough to tell you whether or not you’ve weighed out ¼ teaspoon of salt. So in these instances, a proper measuring spoon (and not a teaspoon used for tea) is really useful. Plus, it will save you time rather than eyeballing your measurements.

Thermometer
Sometimes a few degrees can be the difference between success and food poisoning (no joke). There are a few different styles of thermometers – I prefer the type that has a metal probe, to get a more accurate reading of internal temperature.

Stand Mixer
Back in the day, I wouldn’t buy a whisk because I thought I could do it all with a fork and a little extra elbow grease. Over time, I figured I wouldn’t have to buy a stand mixer because I could do it all with a a whisk and a little extra elbow grease. Then a mysterious mixer showed up at my door almost 7 years ago. It literally had MY name on the box with MY address, and it was shipped from the company direct! I still have no idea how it got to my front door, but it changed my life! I mean, I can’t think of a single recipe where it wouldn’t be helpful at some point. Freeing up your hands means freeing up your time, and that’s the real saving grace here!

Are you missing any of these items? Give them a try and let us know what you think! Or maybe you have your own list of kitchen essentials. Leave us a comment below and let us know!

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