keep all of your shapes organized when you’re not using them. Sifter Most flour comes pre-sifted these days, but since baking is all about precision, a sifter is a must- have for accuracy. A sifter lifts and separates powdered sugar and flour, adding air as a secret weapon to your light and flaky baked goods. Plus, it’s a great tool for dusting donuts and powdering cakes. Knives Every kitchen needs an assortment of basic chef and paring knives. Make sure they’re sharp for easy and safe slicing. Measuring Cups and Spoons Choose from stainless steel, silicone or plastic, but be sure you have a set of both measuring cups and measuring spoons at your disposal for solid and liquid ingredients. Look for a set with markings that are easy to read and won’t wear off over time.
to cooling rack, wooden spoons, a pastry brush and a candy thermometer. A pastry blender is a nice addition, although your fingers are just fine for mixing butter into a pie crust dough or muffin mix. Rolling Pin Wood, marble, silicone or metal — a rolling pin is a baking necessity. Cookie Spritzer If fancy-looking cookies are in your arsenal of holiday treats, a cookie press will be your best friend. With a variety of disks that easily slide in and out, you’ll be pumping out dainty wafers shaped like flowers, trees, words and lucky charms. Cookie Cutters Cookie cutters are a great tool to get kids involved in the baking process. Whether they’re making holiday-themed treats for Santa or apple-shaped cookies for a class treat, your kids will love picking out shapes and decorating them after they bake. Just make sure you come up with a storage system to
looking). Of course, cooling racks are functional, as well, allowing your breads, cakes and cookies to cool with the right amount of air circulation. Bakeware Baking sheets, or cookie sheets, are a must-have for making cookies and breads. Any serious baker will round out their bakeware inventory with bar pans, loaf pans, pie dishes, muffin tins, plus several round, square and rectangular options. If you plan to make a lot of cakes, consider investing in a fluted pan, as well. These come in myriad material options, such as metal, glass, ceramic and silicone. Mixing Bowls Sure, you could use any bowl you have in your cupboard, but mixing bowls are specifically shaped for easy mixing and often provide extra convenience features such as a thumb hole for easy gripping and a pour spout. Ideally, keep a few different sizes around for wet and dry ingredients. Utensils Gadgets are great, but a few basic utensils are really all you need to cover your essential baking supply needs. The list includes rubber or silicone spatulas for scraping bowls, whisks, metal spatulas for moving cookies from sheet
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