So you’re looking to bake the perfect cake for your mom’s birthday next week? That’s a great idea, bake something delicious as well as give it a personal touch!
Baking is a fun activity which brings people closer and strengthens bonds. It becomes easier and more enjoyable with the right baking tools in your kitchen.
Sure, most baking tools and equipment look fancy and expensive, but that does not mean you need to spend a bomb to bake a great cake, or a soft yet firm loaf of bread!
What you do need are a few appropriate tools for specific functions, which will enable you to achieve the desired results with the recipe.
In this post, we look at a few baking tools that every at-home cook must have in her arsenal to bake up a storm.
1. A Large Mixing Bowl
Rest assured that every time you bake, you’re going to be working with a lot of batter and/or dough. Almost all baking recipes involve mixing them, and further adding several ingredients to turn simple recipes into tangible delights. With a large (or even over-sized) bowl, your batter/dough and ingredients will have all the space they will need to merge properly.
You won’t even have to worry about the dough spilling out of an over-sized bowl. Just ensure that you buy a high-quality, glass bowl which will make baking experiences pleasurable. Now, that’s stress-free baking!
2. Spatulas
Image credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Silicon_Spatulas.JPG
Spatulas are important as they allow you to mix various ingredients in your mixing bowl. A spatula also helps distribute them evenly into the batter, without letting the air escape.
Mixing and the distribution of all raw materials are crucial to the success of your recipe. It is the secret to delicious and well-baked cakes, cookies, breads, and other items.
Using a sturdy, rubber or silicone spatula to fold cream into a dough/batter helps create a light crumb that simply melts in your mouth.
3. Measuring Cups and Spoons
The art of baking also incorporates some amount of science, which is why measurements need to be accurate.
If you want to get your proportions right, make sure you have measuring cups and spoons handy. You don’t want your cake to turn out extra sweet, or soggy instead of moist.
These are readily available in sets, so you need not buy them separately. A set of good- quality measuring tools will ensure that you don’t go wrong with your recipe.
4. Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats
You’re going to need parchment paper or butter paper every time you bake. Both are quite similar functionally, and are used for lining baking trays or molds before pouring the batter into them.
Typically, trays and molds are greased with butter/oil and then lined with parchment paper so that the batter does not stick to them. It also provides the cake with the required support at the time of removing it from the tray.
Silicone sheets or mats are non-stick in nature, and can be used in place of parchment/butter paper. They are perfect for baking cookies, pies, and meringues.
Silicone sheets also help spread the heat equally in the food, as well as in the hassle-free removal of the baked item without damaging it.
5. A Whisk
Image credit: http://pixabay.com/p-184815/?no_redirect
One of the most important baking tools, a whisk is used to blend several ingredients together, while allowing some air to seep in. That is the reason bubbles form when we cream butter, sugar, chocolate, eggs, etc. together.
A good whisk, whether manual or electronic, can also help with smoothening out the lumps in the batter, thereby creating a light and moist cake.
6. A Rolling Pin
A good rolling pin is bound to come in handy when you’re rolling out dough for pizza base, thin cookies, and pies. Pick a rolling pin which has a long body with two handles. A French rolling pin which tapers on both sides and does not have handles is also a good option.
A rolling pin is a must-have in a baker’s kitchen as it helps soften dough which is too cold, or even beat cold butter.
7. A Digital Scale
If you want to get your baking recipes to turn out absolutely perfect, we would recommend you use a digital scale to weigh your ingredients.
Apart from using measuring cups, you can use a scale to be sure about the proportions and negate the possibilities of incurring a baking catastrophe.
8. Pastry Brushes
Pastry brushes have multiple uses. They can be used for greasing your baking tray/mold, egg-washing, applying syrups and other liquids to sponge cakes, brushing butter and melted chocolate on ingredients, glazing, and applying water to fondant.
You can opt for silicone brushes as they are easy to clean. Nylon brushes work well too, as long as their bristles aren’t too tough, which can destroy your delicate preparation.
9. A Chef’s Knife
Do not overlook or underestimate the power of a sharp chef’s knife when it comes to baking. It is an important part of the baking kit as it is great for neatly trimming the dough, and chopping fruits and chocolates when baking pies or decorating cakes. These tasks seem like a struggle with a cheap, ordinary knife.
10. An Oven Thermometer
Image credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/356628864214092330/
You will do well in purchasing a digital oven thermometer to be sure that you’re baking your ingredients at the right temperature, especially if you feel that your oven’s temperature is error-prone.
You don’t want to end up with a cake whose crust seems cooked, while the inside is still undone. An oven thermometer will prevent such situations from cropping up.
Conclusion
A kitchen that is well-stocked with the right baking supplies will make it easier for a home-baker to feel motivated and ambitious enough to bake frequently, and get better at it with each attempt. Make sure you invest in the above items to ensure a brilliant cake for the most memorable celebration.