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Baking is an art and science, and the industry offers a plethora of gadgets and tools. Don’t be like me spending thousands of dollars throughout the years! Some are obviously necessary others are just conveniences. However, spending unnecessarily can be avoided, especially if you’re on a budget. Here are the top 25 baking tools that are essential for a cottage bakery:
1 – Mixing Bowls
Get a mix of bowls made from glass, plastic, or stainless steel (not aluminum-acidic foods react with it) in various sizes depending on your baking needs. If you occasionally bake, small to medium sizes are good. If you find you’re taking larger orders, get medium to large bowls. Make sure you get a few stainless ones. For example, when making homemade whipped cream it’s easier to chill the stainless bowl in the freezer.
2 – Electric Mixer
I love my red 8qt KitchenAid mixer! It’s very powerful to handle larger recipes and has lasted me years. I do recommend getting an extra bowl, makes it easier if you have to bake a different flavor or make the icing. Save the dishwashing for later 😜 Also have an electric hand mixer on hand for smaller batches.
3 – Baking Pans
There are odd and even numbers for pans. When I started, I didn’t understand why there were odd numbers of pans. As I got more experienced in baking, I noticed every time I did an even number pan and place it on the cake board there wasn’t much space for icing the edge (Who knows, maybe that’s how the naked cake style was discovered?!) Most stores have even-numbered cake boards, so it ended up being 2 inches larger. I prefer the edges of my cake to have a one-inch icing thickness covering the whole cake board and cake nicely. That’s when I started using the odd number pans to solve this problem for me. For example, when I use a 5-inch pan, I can get a 6-inch cake board that covers the cake board completely. I purchased most sizes from 3-inch to 15-inches. However, my most popular size was the 5 through 11 inch pans, so I purchased 2-3 of each size to bake more at the same time.
4 – Sheet Pans
I was so used to baking in a commercial-style kitchen in baking school. I mistakenly purchased full sheet pans, but when I went to use them they didn’t fit 😳 I forgot to measure my oven! I didn’t return them because I could still use them for my rack to cool multiple cupcake pans, let sugar flowers dry, or let other baking items cool, but don’t forget to purchase the half and quarter-sheet pans instead to fit the typical oven.
5 – Cooling Rack
The best purchase you can make, you may have seen the tall ones in a commercial bakery, however, they have a half size which I love! I get to store many desserts without sacrificing my counter space if I want to continue baking. This is certainly important if you decide to bake for markets and holiday sales. Basically, this creates extra space in your kitchen! Also, when I’m done I store my baking pans when not in use.
If you like to work with real chocolate or candy, this is necessary. Some recipes call for certain degrees like making caramel. There’s the candy thermometer; some recommend staying away because the glass can break, however, I use that as my backup when my others seem to not work anymore. I’ve also used the wire one, which tends to stop working after much use. I use the pocket version.
7 – Work Prep Table (optional if you have the space)
When I started my cottage cake business, I was lucky enough to have the space to separate and convert a portion of my dining room into my bakery corner. (A post coming soon about my baking layout at home.) I like to keep my baking separate from my kitchen for a few reasons. I didn’t have an island or large kitchen, but I didn’t want to use the counter space just in case the family needed to cook food. Plus, I wanted to avoid cross-contamination. Another option is those mobile kitchen islands like the ones in IKEA.
8 – Scale
Another important tool in the kitchen is if you bake recipes using ounces/pounds or the metric system. Since going to baking school, I’ve continued to use this system (check out my measurement blog post.) This may not be necessary if your recipes call for measuring cups, however, if you test recipes from pastry books you will need this tool.
9 – Food Bins
For food storage, I use commercial plastic bins, however, you just need ones that have a good sealant. I’m crafty as well, so I used my Cricut to create cute labels for them. I suggest getting larger ones for ingredients that you know are in all recipes like flour and sugar and smaller ones for those you won’t need as much like.
10 – Turntable
As a baker, this will assist you in icing or decorating desserts better and faster. There are plastic and metal ones. There’s also some that angle. It doesn’t matter which one, but pick one that suits you. I still have my plastic Wilton one that I’ve used for over a decade. The stainless steel is heavier and sturdy enough to handle larger cake sizes.
11 – Flour Sifter
As a flour sifter, I use a mesh strainer instead and YES, it’s best to sift your flour every single time you bake.
12 – Pastry Brush
Make sure you get a few for separate uses. I like to keep a brush for butter/oil, one for sugar (some recipes cannot get a touch of grease), and one for egg wash.
13 – Food Processor
A great investment, you can prep with ease and can save time. You can make fruit puree, chop nuts, mix, blend, or knead recipes.
14 – Serrated Cake Knife
In the beginning, getting a cake slicer/leveler is more of a convenience. However, if you’re starting to build your business purchasing a cake knife is a better investment. Also, if you don’t happen to have one on hand at least, you know the alternative. It does take practice to cut straight, but there are plenty of videos to help you.
Smaller Tools to Have Around the Kitchen:
15 – Baking Beans/Weights
If you bake a lot of pies or tarts then I suggest buying these. However, if you don’t make them often, you can get away with getting a bag of dried beans.
16 – Whisks
17 – Cutting Board
18 – Spatulas
19 – Rolling Pin (I like the straight-edged ones)
20 – Dough/Bench Scraper
21 – Pastry Blender
22 – Measuring Cups and Spoons
23 – Zester
24 – Straight/Offset Icing Spatulas
25 – Piping tips
While it may be tempting to purchase specialized tools, curbing expenses is vital for business owners. My advice is to spend your money on the essentials and buy specialty ones when specific orders require them. Though, when purchasing a new tool always ask yourself can I use this tool again in the future? Always search online for alternative ways and seek hacks from the baking community!
I’ve purchased most of these tools from Webstaurant, like the rack, electric mixer, sheet pans, food bins, work prep table, and Fat Daddio for my pans. The other’s I’ve purchased from Amazon.