If you’re new to baking or just considering taking your first steps, you need to make sure that you have all of the baking essentials you need.
The popularity of baking has soared in the UK since the arrival of ‘The Great British Bake Off‘ in 2010. Amateur bakers have challenged themselves to recreate the bakes from the show, and there’s been a huge rise in influencers across social media. From baking simple cakes for a family birthday through to more ambitious endeavours such as entremets, baking fever has well and truly taken hold.
Getting set-up needn’t be expensive – sure you can buy top of the range but do you really need to? Carry on read for our Top 10 baking essentials.
What baking essentials do you need?
We’ve pulled together a list of 10 of the baking essentials you simply can’t do without. We’ve explained each of these below and added links to where you can buy them. There are lots of options out there, and you can pick these up in supermarkets, Lakeland, Hobbycraft and tons of other places. There are lots of great places online to get them too and we’ve provided Amazon links throughout this article.
1. Mixing bowls
Let’s start with something really simple – mixing bowls! When you advance in your baking, you can graduate to mixers such as a KitchenAid, but to start with a good basic mixing bowl will do the trick. You can pick these up relatively cheaply and choose from plastic, ceramic glass or stainless steel. We prefer stainless steel ones and it’s advisable to get a variety of sizes! We recommend a stacking set with lids and attachments, which should last you a long time.
2. Whisks
You’ll need a whisk do you can incorporate all of your ingredients in your mixing bowl. It’ll also help you aerate mixtures such as double cream if you want to make some whipped cream. It’s always a good idea to have a few of these on hand as you may need to mix different things. A set that features a few different sizes is a great idea!
3. Piping Bags & Nozzles
You can easily spend an absolute fortune on piping bags and nozzles. Unless you’re a professional pastry chef, there really is no need to. A starter kit that includes some bags and some basic nozzles will do the trick. Mastering using a piping bag is a real skill so take your time, start cheap and give it a go. You can pipe buttercream, ganache, royal icing and even macarons.
4. Rolling pin
You won’t get very far in the kitchen if you don’t have a rolling pin. You’ve probably seen super expensive ones online and fancy ones where the middle turns but the handles don’t. Honestly, you can’t beat a basic rolling pin. It does the job and rolls out your dough, just as good as the top end ones.
5. Cake Smoother
You might have seen these used on TV shows. Cake smoothers are actually magic. You can use them to smooth your fondant once you’ve rolled it onto your cake. Handy tip – if you get two of them, it makes the job a lot easier. You can use them together to get super smooth edges and get rid of any of those pesky lumps and bumps you might see when you first apply your fondant.
6. Greaseproof Paper
It may be obvious but don’t underestimate greaseproof paper. You can pick this up in any supermarket and it’s pretty inexpensive. You’ll need this to line your cake tins and trays, to ensure that your bakes don’t stick.
7. Offset Spatulas
You don’t always need to pipe your fillings so it’s handy to have a couple of offset spatulas to hand. These make it very easy to quickly add a lot of filling to your cakes and you can use them to smooth it too. A very simple tool but super effective!
8. Modelling Tools
Now you’ll definitely have seen these on TV! Modelling tools are close by for every cake decorator. These basic plastic tools do a range of things and help you add detail to your bakes. Double-ended, they can be used to make indents, highlight features and add stunning details to fondant and modelling chocolate.
9. Cake Scraper
If you want to cover the sides of your cake with buttercream, you’ll need a cake scraper. Doing it with an offset spatula is possible but it’s hard work. A cake scraper allows you to get an even and smooth finish on your cakes, so they look stunning (and professional). You simply gently apply to the end of your cake and use a turntable to go all the way round the sides.
10. Baking Tins
Baking tins (and trays) come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most common is likely the round one so you can make cakes like a Victoria Sponge or a Chocolate Cake. Like with all of the things we’ve highlighted, you can pay a lot of money for them but you don’t have to. You’ll want to have lots of these in your cupboard but we suggest starting with two round ones.
What are you waiting for? Get baking!
If you equip your kitchen with the baking essentials recommendations we’ve made, you’ll be well on your way to having what you need to successfully make your first bake. Baking is an investment. These tools will be used time and time again and it’s important to get the right ones for you. Once you have a stocked baking cupboard, you’ll be amazed at what you can do and thanks to YouTube, learning to bake has never been easier!
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