Tag: baking essentials ingredients

8 Baking Essentials For The Home Cook

Getting into baking as a home cook can be pretty daunting, especially when faced with a plethora of options and tons of confusing advice. You might just be standing in the store staring at the different products wondering whether you're supposed to buy a mixing bowl or a souffle dish. Believe us; you wouldn't want to end up with drawers full of unuseful stuff. So if you are a newbie looking for some advice for your baking journey, besides taking up some bakery courses, continue to read on and learn about some essentials you need. List of Top 8 Lucrative Baking Equipment For Home Cook 1 - Measuring Cups This one might be a no-brainer, but many people skip the basics when starting with baking. If you're wondering why you can't save some money by just using the same cup to measure everything - well, there are different measuring cups for wet and dry ingredients. Mixing those will make accurate measuring difficult and mess up your whole recipe. For sticky ingredients like honey and peanut butter, you can look into adjustable measuring cups, which are super convenient and prevent product waste. 2 - Spatulas There are varying uses of spatulas when it comes to baking. Whether scraping, stirring, or lathering, you'll find yourself repeatedly reaching for this handy tool. All the options might confuse you, so let's narrow it down to the basics. Ideally, you need spatulas that are: a) flexible and b) heat resistant. Even within those categories, there are many different options you can explore. So if you want to get into more detail, you can find out about the different kinds of spatulas here. As for between wooden and rubber spatulas, we'd recommend rubber. There are specific rubber spatulas that are meant to be heat resistant. So you get the best of both worlds. But if you are looking for more of an eco-friendly option, wooden spatulas are also great. 3 - Baking Pans Pans work as the base on which you start building up your dish, there is no baking without pans, and you can't get away with just getting one and calling it a day. But that doesn't mean you have to start buying every type of pan you can get your hands on. So again, we'll focus on the essentials. Muffin tins are a must and versatile since they can be used to make much more than the usual cupcakes. You can start with a smaller 6-cup pan or go up to 12 if you work with the smaller goodies more often. Loaf tins are also very important to have, and it's a purchase you won't regret. The possibilities are endless, and we recommend going for a non-stick one on the lighter side. 4 - Mixers Mixers are tools that can be a bit heavy on your wallet, but it's definitely worth the price. Many consider stand mixers the best option and have many pros: they're fast, thorough, and all-around convenient. The con? They can't fit into everyone's budget. If a stand mixer doesn't fit your budget, handheld mixers, specifically electric ones, are certainly not a bad choice. They don't hurt your finances and are easy to store as well. While not as fast as stand mixers, they still get the job done fairly quickly. 5 - Kitchen Scales Regarding accuracy, there is no tool better than digital kitchen scales. While you can certainly go for manual ones, the accuracy won't quite compare to digital ones. Measuring weight proves to be much more accurate than measuring volume. Whether your top priority is appearance or taste, accurate measurements are essential for both. It also cuts down a lot of the work you have to put in after you're done baking by decreasing the number of dishes used. If you're an experienced baker, a digital scale is a must since almost all professional bakers use it. 6 - Pastry Brushes Pastry brushes might seem like something you should skip over, but they're an essential item, and you'll regret not getting one. Pastry brushes are best used for tasks that require a more delicate touch, like glazing, coating with melted butter, and greasing pans. They can even be used to clean your dish by brushing off excess coating. They're fairly easy to use and don't make a mess, as the bristle soaks up liquids. 7 - Sifters If you're working with flour and sugar, you need a sifter or a sieve. The fine mesh allows you to sift sugar and flour, which is an important step in making brownies and cakes. Many recipes require your flour to be super fine, and the sifter is the perfect tool for achieving it. Dusting the tops of cakes or similar baked goods with icing sugar also becomes super easy when you have a sieve. Plus, it's very affordable and can last for years. 8 - Rolling Pins Getting a rolling pin seems fairly straightforward, but a fair amount of options are available for different preferences and types of recipes. Rolling pins with no handles and tapered edges are preferred because they can give you super smooth and even dough. These are called french style pins. Pins with handles are great for speed since you have better control over your movements. Going for more than one size will be helpful if you work with a lot of icing. Mini pins help when you need to be more careful and work with an intricate design. When it comes to material, wood is the best way to go since the flour sticks to it, making the process a lot easier. Conclusion So here's our list of baking essentials you need if you're a home cook! We understand how stressful it can be to be faced with so many options and wanting the best while trying to stay within budget. Still, if you stick to the basics, you're already equipped for most recipes. You can add to your tools as the need arises, and that's how you make sure you aren't getting things that will do nothing but take up space. We hope you found this helpful and happy baking! Additionals: Which Edible is Right for You?Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe