Essential Pastry Tools and Baking Utensils Every Baker Needs

Rolling Pins

Muffin liners are entirely optional. You can bake excellent muffins or cupcakes and remove them safely from pans without using baking liners, as long you grease your baking pans. However, sometimes greasing pans is inadequate and muffin liners could save the baking. Here are a few reasons in the case for using muffin liners:

• Muffins and cupcakes are easier to handle when in liners.
• Using liners is more hygienic (when handling).
• There's no need to grease baking pans when using liners.
• Liners reduce wear and tear on the nonstick finish.
• Easier no-fear removal of delicate cupcakes.

Muffin liners are sold in different sizes but it can be difficult to find some for tiny muffin tins. Not all regular (medium) sizing are the same; sometimes they are on the small side. I've also found that cheaper brands of liners do not always remove well from muffins or cupcakes, so best not to skimp when it comes to buying liners.
Most muffin and cupcake liners are affordable and you can get more than one batch from a pack. There are also special occasion liners if you want to dress up your cupcakes or muffins. Make sure you buy the correct size of muffin liners for your pans. Liners are the same for making either dessert but are called either muffin liners or cupcake liners.

Rolling pins come in all sizes, lengths, and types of materials, but the most common are wooden pins with or without handles. There are also silicone pins as well as fancy (pattern-making) models for specific tasks. 

Regardless of the type of pin you choose, it's a matter of getting used to the feel of it and how much flour it needs to keep the dough from sticking to it. You need a rolling pin if you intend on making pastries, tea biscuits, cut-out cookies, donuts, and other delicacies, but not for cakes, bread, muffins or squares. 

When choosing a pin, consider the length - if you plan on making large pies or several butter tarts, you might want to get a longer one, so you can roll out a larger pastry. That being said, a shorter pin (less pastry) is easier to handle and roll, if you're new to baking.

Mixing Bowls

Whether you bake a lot or only on special occasions, at least one or two large mixing bowls are a must. You can use any type of bowl - plastic, ceramic, glass or stainless, as long as you have enough room to mix a number of ingredients. 

If you plan on making several loaves of bread, you would need an extra large bowl for mixing the dough to the point where you turn the dough out onto a board to knead. You'll more likely want to have more than a couple of mixing bowls and different sizes are very practical. 

When it comes to making cakes, many recipes will call for dry ingredients to be mixed in a smaller bowl, to be transferred later into a second, larger bowl that contains the wet ingredients. Mixing bowls are very versatile kitchen equipment that can be used for serving dishes, salads or left-overs.

Cookie Cutters, Presses, Rosette Makers

If you plan on making cut-out cookies - where you roll out the dough with a rolling pin and cut out the cookies - you'll need a few cookie cutters. Likewise, if donuts are on your to-do list.

A cookie press is used with a simple dough recipe to make pressed or formed dainty cookies, more commonly enjoyed around the holidays. Presses are easy and fun to use, and results look amazing.

Cutters and presses are economical to buy and very durable. Rosettes are a different kind of cookie, deep fried using a rosette or timbale iron.

Baking Sheets, Pans, Muffin Tins

Baking pans come in various sizes and shapes from sheets for baking cookies, pans for cakes, bread or muffins to shaped or Bundt cake pans.

If you want to bake a variety of goods, you'll probably need one or two of each type. For cakes and dessert mixes, you should have a 9"x13" pan for standard cakes, as well as an 8" or 9" square pan for smaller mixes.

While cookie baking sheets are tin or stainless, you'll need to decide between silicone, tin or glass for cake and bread pans. Muffin tins are available in tin or silicone. Tin pans come in either plain or with a nonstick coating which helps with food removal and clean-up, but these pans require more care.

Silicone bakeware is popular with some and not so with others. If you do try out silicone pans, follow my tips for best results and remember that they are not nonstick and should be greased before using as you would do with a tin pan.

Measuring Cups, Spoons

In order to follow any baking recipe, measuring cups and spoons are essential. You'll also find that having duplicate cups can be very handy.

You can choose any type of measuring cups and spoons in plastic, stainless or glass, and you'll find the see-through (glass) one, two and four-cup measuring cups very practical for baking and cooking.

Standard measuring cup sets usually have a 1-cup, 1/2-cup, 1/3-cup, and 1/4-cup measures - and you will use these different sizes depending on the recipe.

Spatulas, Wooden Spoons and Whisks

The term spatula refers to several types of kitchen utensils including rubber or silicone tools to blend or scrape the food from the bowl; metal, silicone or plastic egg turners or flippers. 

You need at least a couple of rubber or silicone spatulas to scrape the bowl, as well as a small metal spatula to serve desserts. A few wooden spoons for mixing and blending are also handy and a spoon rest can help keep your baking area clean.

An icing spatula, which is a long flat off-set knife, makes it easier to ice a cake. A couple of wire or silicone whisks are also very practical baking utensils.

Minute Timer, Candy Thermometer

You can simply use the range timer if yours is so equipped, but having a small minute timer can be very practical. It allows you to take the timer outdoors with you or to another room, so you can hear it and know that you should check or remove your baking. Having more than one kitchen timer is handy when you are cooking and baking.

There are various types of thermometers, but the most common one used in baking is a candy thermometer if you plan on making candies, chocolates or boiled frostings.

Cooling Rack

While you can just cool cakes or bread ​by removing from the pan onto a board, the bottom of the baked goods tends to become soggy.  But if you use a cooling rack, the baking cools evenly because air can flow around it.  If you want to make it easier to store, choose a cooling rack size based on the type of baking items you usually bake.

Pastry Blender, Pastry Cutter

While they sound similar and are often referred to as the same type of pastry tool, a blender is somewhat different than a cutter. A pastry blender is used during the mixing of the pastry dough. It also has lots of other applications, such as blending the flour, sugar, and butter for a fruit crisp or mashing boiled eggs for egg salad. A pastry blender is a basic essential tool for mixing pastry.

A pastry cutter, on the other hand, is used after the dough has been rolled, to cut out shapes as you would do with cookie cutters, or to cut strips of dough with a rotary-type of a cutter, for fancy pie crust tops or other pastry delicacies. Depending on the type of baking you will be doing, you may find having a pastry cutter very convenient.

Parchment Paper, Muffin Liners, Silicone Liners

Some home bakers cannot be without parchment paper to line their baking sheets and pans, while others tend to grease the tins.  Parchment paper helps with cake removal, does make pan cleaning quicker and it keeps them from discoloring. 

Muffin liners are big on convenience, cleaning, and ease of handling. Their low cost makes them very affordable and worth having on hand for cupcakes and muffins. But are they optional or essential?

No, muffin liners are entirely optional. You can bake excellent muffins or cupcakes and remove them safely from pans without using baking liners, as long you grease your baking pans. However, sometimes greasing pans is inadequate and muffin liners could save the baking.

Here are a few reasons in the case for using muffin liners:

• Muffins and cupcakes are easier to handle when in liners.
• Using liners is more hygienic (when handling).
• There's no need to grease baking pans when using liners.
• Liners reduce wear and tear on the nonstick finish.
• Easier no-fear removal of delicate cupcakes.

Muffin liners are sold in different sizes but it can be difficult to find some for tiny muffin tins. Not all regular (medium) sizing are the same; sometimes they are on the small side. I've also found that cheaper brands of liners do not always remove well from muffins or cupcakes, so best not to skimp when it comes to buying liners.
Most muffin and cupcake liners are affordable and you can get more than one batch from a pack. There are also special occasion liners if you want to dress up your cupcakes or muffins. Make sure you buy the correct size of muffin liners for your pans. Liners are the same for making either dessert but are called either muffin liners or cupcake liners.

Silicone baking sheet liners are an alternative to using parchment paper on flat baking sheets. They have become very popular because they help the cookies to bake thoroughly and evenly while keeping pans easy to clean.

Flour Sifters

While flour sifters have gone by the wayside for many who prefer to use prepared cake mixes, home bakers who want to improve the texture of their homemade specialty cakes, still use them. 

And there are other uses for a flour sifter, especially a one-cup size - to dust a cake with icing or confectioner's sugar or add a cinnamon-sugar mix to cakes or desserts. 

You can also use one to dust a pastry sheet with flour or to add flour to thicken gravy. Whether it's an essential baking tool for you depends on how particular you are about your cake textures or alternate uses.

Basting Brushes

Basting brushes are essential for buttering the tops of breads and baked goods after they come out of the oven. Most basting brushes are now silicone rather than synthetic hair and can more readily handle hot liquids. 

While the silicone construction is not as nice to butter with, they do last longer. Basting brushes are handy for more than baking, they're great for basting meats and poultry when roasting or grilling.

Chocolate Melting Pots

An absolute must for melting chocolate and there are different models available, but I like the dual pots the best because this unit allows you to melt both dark and light chocolates. 

A chocolate melting pot removes the fear of burning the chocolate which is very easy to do using a pot on the stove. These small appliances allow you the time needed to prepare and dip your dessert creations. 

Similar to a small electric fondue, it melts the chocolate and keeps it warm for an extended period of time, so you can complete the dipping. It's also ideal to use for a chocolate fondue pot, though capacity is much less than a standard electric fondue.

Cake Decorating Tools & Supplies

Decorating tools are a must if you plan on making birthday or special occasion cakes or cupcakes. Cake decorating tools include colored writing gels and icings, preformed flowers and trims, and the icing bags and tips you need to apply frosting or cream. If you plan on making a lot of decorated cakes, a revolving cake stand makes the task easier and a cake decorating book can give you ideas and help you grow your decorating skill.

Bread Machines

Also called breadmakers, these machines allow you to make homemade bread without having to spend time kneading it. While you can complete the baking cycle right in the bread machine, some models have a dough setting where it will do the mixing/kneading and first rising, then you can take over and shape it plus let it rise, and then bake it in your range oven. 

Even the partial (dough) breadmaking process saves lots of time and effort. And making bread at home saves on your food bill. There's a slight downside, though, most tend to eat more bread when they make it at home - it's so hard to resist, but you can make healthier bread because you can experiment with whole grains to your heart's content. You also get to control the additives that go into your family's bread.

Stand Mixers, Hand Mixers

Either type of mixer is very convenient for mixing cake batter or whipping desserts and toppings (even potatoes), but a stand mixer has an edge over a hand mixer. 

You can turn it on to mix and walk away to gather or add ingredients, work on the project or start cleaning up. If you want to be able to knead bread with a stand mixer, it should have a kneading or dough hook; and for whipping - a whisk attachment.

A hand mixer may more readily fit within your budget and is easy to store, but it must be guided through the mixing stage and turned off to add ingredients.  

A hand mixer does not have enough power to work or mix dough, and is used mostly to mix wet or soft ingredients. If you lack counter space, a hand mixer may be the better choice for you even though its function is limited when compared to a stand model.

Food Processors, Blenders

A food processor can be as much help with mixing the dough as it is processing vegetables and some have had tremendous success letting their food processor do the kneading/mixing for their bread. 

If you plan on making several loaves of bread, you would need a larger processor (14-cup), but a 7-9 cup unit would be sufficient for standard dessert or cake batters. 

A counter or hand blender can be helpful when it comes to preparing sauces, butter tart, and dessert fillings - mostly soft and liquid foods.

Cake Servers, Cake Plates, Muffin Towers

If you want to nicely display and serve your baking creations in style, tableware such as a muffin tower, cake plates, servers, and pie/cake lifters are essential. Find something that works well for your baking.

Find Some Baking Recipes and Get Started

Now that your kitchen is equipped for baking and you have all the pastry tools and baking utensils you need, your next task is to find great baking recipes to try out. 

There's a good variety of baking cookbooks on the market and you can also find lots of recipes from About's Food Guides.