Baking Basics: My Essential Baking Equipment
A huge run-down of all the pieces of baking equipment, big and small, that I keep stocked in my kitchen for everyday use, as well as special projects.
Hello hello!
Happy Tuesday and welcome to another Baking Basics installment!
This week I’m doing a little spin-off of a previous post on my pantry essentials and cluing you in to all of the different pieces of equipment and gadgets that I keep stocked in my cabinets for baking. While it might seem like a long list, for me these are *mostly* essentials – tools that I turn to on a weekly basis that make my kitchen time go much more smoothly.
Enjoy browsing!
COUNTERTOP APPLIANCES & ELECTRICS
I use each of these on an almost daily basis, with the exception of the immersion blender and the waffle maker, however they are truly awesome to have when I need to puree a soup or want some waffles for breakfast!
1. Blender (Vitamix Professional Series 500)
2. Food Processor (Breville Sous Chef Food Processor)
3. Hand Mixer (Cuisinart 7-Speed Hand Mixer)
4. Immersion Blender (KitchenAid Pro Line Cordless Hand Blender)
5. Slow Cooker (Crock-Pot 6½-Quart Programmable Touchscreen Slow Cooker)
6. Stand Mixer (KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer)
7. Waffle Maker (Breville Smart Waffle Maker)
STAND MIXER ATTACHMENTS
8. Ice Cream Maker Attachment (KitchenAid)
9. Pasta Roller Attachment (KitchenAid)
COOKWARE
Below are my most commonly used pieces of cookware. The ones I use on a nearly daily basis are: 10-inch cast iron skillet, 2-quart and 4-quart saucepans, and Dutch oven.
10. Cast Iron Skillets (Lodge 12-inch, 10-inch and 8-inch)
11. Cookware Set (Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel Cookware)
12. Dutch Oven (Le Creuset 7¼-Quart Round Dutch Oven)
13. Enameled Cast Iron Braiser (Le Creuset 3.75-quart)
BAKEWARE
14. Baking Stone (King Arthur Flour)
15. Bundt Pan (Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt Pan)
16. Cake Pans – Three 8-inch round pans and three 9-inch round pans. (Nordic Ware Naturals)
17. Cheesecake (Springform) Pan (Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch)
18. Cookie Sheets – I have three. (Vollrath Wear-Ever Cookie Sheets)
19. Cooling Racks – Again, three of these. (CIA Masters Collection Wire Cooling Racks)
20. Half-Sheet Pans – Yet again, three! (Lincoln Wear-Ever Half-Size Sheet Pans)
21. Loaf Pans – Two of each. (Williams-Sonoma)
22. Muffin Pans – Two of each size. (Wilton Avanti Everglide Non-Stick Standard and Mini)
23. Pie Plates – Three 9-inch glass Pyrex plates, two 9-inch ceramic Le Creuset plates (no longer found online) and one 10-inch ceramic Le Creuset plate.
24. Rectangular Baking Pan – I have one straight-sided 9×13-inch metal pan for baking (Williams-Sonoma), as well as a traditional Pyrex casserole dish and a Fiestaware casserole dish.
25. Square Baking Pans – One 8-inch and one 9-inch. (Williams-Sonoma)
26. Tart Pan (Kaiser Bakeware Round Quiche Pan with Removable Bottom)
UTENSILS/TOOLS
27. Bench Scraper (OXO)
28. Biscuit Cutters (King Arthur Flour – Round and Square)
29. Box Grater (Cuisipro)
30. Candy Thermometer (ThermoWorks ChefAlarm)
31. Cherry Pitter – If you ever bake with fresh cherries, this is a must! (OXO)
32. Citrus Zester – Perfect for oranges, lemons, grapefruits, etc. Takes all of the zest without the pith. (Microplane)
33. Cookie Scoops – Two large, one medium and one small. (OXO)
34. Cutting Boards – One 15-inch, one 10½-inch and one 7½-inch. (OXO)
35. Fine-Mesh Sieves – One 8-inch and one 6-inch. (OXO)
36. Grater/Zester (Microplane)
37. Instant-Read Digital Thermometer (ThermoWorks Thermapen)
38. Kitchen Scale (OXO 22-lb Capacity Scale)
39. Kitchen Torch (Williams-Sonoma)
40. Mandoline (OXO)
41. Measuring Cups (Dry) – I have multiple sets of measuring cups, but my favorite set is Amco.
42. Measuring Cups (Liquid) – 1-cup (two), 2-cup and 4-cup glass measuring cups. (Pyrex)
43. Measuring Spoons – I have at least five sets, but Cuisipro is my favorite.
44. Mixing Bowls – I have a set of nesting glass bowls (Pyrex) and a variety of stainless steel bowls (Vollrath).
45. Oven Thermometer (Cooper-Atkins)
46. Pastry Blender (OXO)
47. Pastry Brush (Winco)
48. Pastry Mat – Great for kneading and rolling out dough. (King Arthur Flour)
49. Pizza Cutter – I not only use this for pizza, but also for cutting bars and brownies. Clean cuts every time! (OXO)
50. Pizza Peel (EXO)
51. Potato Masher – Useful for more than just potatoes! (WMF)
52. Potato Ricer (OXO)
53. Spatulas (Offset) – These are invaluable for spreading icing, toppings, ganache, cookie, dough, etc. I have multiple sizes. (Wilton)
54. Spatulas (Rubber/Silicone) – I have a large assortment of rubber and silicone spatulas, and as far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many! My favorites are the Rubbermaid models.
55. Spatulas (Metal) – These are perfect for transferring cookies from baking sheets to cooling racks, flipping grilled cheese sandwiches, and everything in between. I have a variety of sizes and brands with no real preference.
56. Whisks – I have a large balloon whisk, a medium whisk, a small whisk, and a flat whisk, as well as a dough whisk.
57. Wooden Spoons – I have a huge assortment of bamboo wood spoons and spatulas.
KNIVES
58. Bread Knife (Wusthof)
59. Chef’s Knife (Victorinox)
60. Paring Knife (Wusthof)
61. Santoku Knife (MAC)
62. Slicing Knife (Wusthof)
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This is a pretty comprehensive list of everything I keep stocked for baking (and just about all of my cooking). I included brands and sources where applicable, but again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask below!
I hope this has provided inspiration for adding some fun toys to your kitchen!
BAKE ON!
Check out more posts in the Baking Basics series:
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Preparing a Recipe
Flour 101: The Definitive Guide to the Different Types of Baking Flours
Cocoa Powder 101: Natural Unsweetened vs Dutch-Process
Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: Everything You Need to Know!
Why You Should ALWAYS Weigh Your Ingredients
A List of My Must-Have Ingredients
(Disclaimer: This post contains some Amazon affiliate links. Thanks so much for reading!)
Can you make this list of baking equipment printable. Would love to have a copy for purchasing later. Thanks.
I love that you did this, I bet it took a lot of time! Such a fun and informative post! Thank you!!!
Hi Michelle,
Great list! I have many of the same items and sometimes the same brands! If any of your readers are interested in getting some of these fantastic suggestions, a website called http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com has items like those great Vollrath cookie sheets in various sizes for a fraction of the price I could find them elsewhere! While I was on the site, I was also able to pick up the 8″ Victorinox chef’s knife (an ATK favorite) for half the price of other sites. Sadly, that website seems to be going out of business but their liquidation prices are even better than ever not just for what I’d mentioned but stainless mixing bowls of all sizes for 1 or 2 dollars!
Thank you for all you do, Michelle!
Great post, thank you!
Debbie
Thanks so much for this it really helped me but I don’t have most of these items how do I get them
Boy, would I love to see how you store all that stuff! I basically have the same, some different brands, but I can’t seem to organize it all. Could you take pics and show us how you do it?
Hi Vivian, My pantry is a disorganized disaster at the moment, but once I get it straightened out, I will definitely share!
Such a fun post — I love reading about baking equipment! There’s nothing like a good long browse on Amazon after reading a post like this! :-)
Wow, you have a lot of baking equipment! That’s great! I also have several sets of measuring spoons because I often bake more than one thing in a day.
Please change this format to the previous version
I cannot read it in this long format
I will have to unsubscribe
Hi Janice, I’m not sure what format you’re referring to?
I really like this list! It is really nice having a look at how your kitchen is stocked.
Clicked on the KAF link for your pastry mat and immediately got a laugh because one of the very first things it states is not needing to use a ruler with this mat . . . I always use a ruler and just noticed that the markings are wearing off from washing it so often. Next order to KAF will be sure to have the pastry mat included :))
I just ordered that mandolin . . . I’ve never used one, and will confess I’m a little worried, but will be CERTAIN to always use the guard.
I love reading your blog every day you have such great ideas and easy recipes. I would like to suggest if you have the chance please try USA Pan they have the absolute best cookware ever and there pans are outstanding. They have a second sale twice a year with one coming up in the Fall. Outstanding prices on everything they offer during the sale. You definitely will not be disappointed if you have not already check out there FB page. The company is local located in Crescent Twp.
I would love to see more about your vitamix! I wanted a food processor and my in laws gave me a vitamix. So far I have only made subpar milkshakes, an over-processed dough, and a few other minor successes I feel could be done with a $40 blender. What recipes s d tricks do you have?
Hi Lindsey, In complete honesty, I received it from the company free of charge and I love it, but I don’t do anything at all fancy with it! Milkshakes, some purees… never dough though. I do use my food processor way, way more often than the Vitamix!
I having been reading your blog for years, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this regular weekly segment “Baking Basic”. It is now my favorite post on your blog each week. Thanks so much.