Baking Equipment for the Home Cook

So you've decided you want to start baking. It's not hard when you have the right baking equipment. Here is a list of baking equipment no home cook should be without.

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What is baking?

Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked such as cakes, cookies and pies.

While cooking refers to all methods of making food, baking is a sub category that uses dry heat. Measurements have to be precise in order to yield positive results; whereas cooking involves more improvisation.

Baking Equipment

Here is a list of baking equipment no home cook should be without. In the interest of financial well-being, we'll try and keep it to the minimum!

Pans

The first thing most people think of when they consider baking equipment is the pans. You can't bake a cake without a cake pan! But cake pans are only the beginning. Choose your pans according to what you would like to bake.

If you aren't interested in baking bread; then loaf pans are a necessity. Otherwise, the pans that you are most likely to need are a rectangular cake pan (these usually measure 9x13" or 11x7"), a round cake pan (usually 8"), a square cake pan (usually 8" or 9"), and cookie sheets.

Also useful depending on what you want to bake are muffin tins, pie pans, and loaf pans. The material of your cake pans is also something to consider.

Nonstick pans are great for baking because they're easy to clean, but metal utensils will scratch them.

Aluminum pans are lightweight but will rust if not dried properly. Glass is widely used, but it will break if not handled with care.

Also, keep in mind that things baked in dark-colored metal pans generally don't need to bake as long.

Mixing Bowls

Now, you can't very well bake a cake without mixing the batter, either. You'll need several items for the preparation of your baked goods.

To start out with, you'll need several sizes of mixing bowls, ranging from small-large.I love this set with different color lids and bottoms. They're slip resistant and I never grab the wrong size lid!

While it's not necessary to buy an entire set of bowls, the different sizes will come in handy.

There's not much point in beating one egg in a gigantic mixing bowl, and you certainly can't mix up a whole batch of cookies in a small bowl.

Measuring Equipment

Measuring equipment is also very important. Purchase a good set of measuring spoons. The silverware you have in your kitchen drawers will not measure the same as an actual measuring spoon.

You'll also need a set of dry measuring cups and a liquid measuring cup. Dry measuring cups are the kind that usually nest together, and liquid cups commonly look like a pitcher.

It's important not to use your dry measuring cups to measure liquid and vice versa because the ingredients will not measure out properly.

Mixer

For the actual mixing, the easiest thing to use is an electric mixer. You can get either a stand mixer or a handheld one. For the beginner, a handheld electric mixer is probably the best bet.

They're small, easy to store, and much cheaper than a stand mixer.However, handheld mixers don't handle thick dough or large quantities of ingredients as well as a stand mixer will.

It is, of course, possible to mix with a regular old spoon, but it's so much easier to use an electric mixer.

Mixing utensils

For certain recipes, you will need spoons. Large size wooden or metal ones work well and are very durable. Having several sizes on hand is nice, but not a necessity.

A whisk is a good item to have on hand, but is also not absolutely needed. Whisks are wonderful for mixing items with a thin consistency, such as eggs. You should also invest in a good thin-bladed spatula or scraper.

These can be used for mixing, and are also wonderful for scraping batter out of the mixing bowl and into the pan.

Silicone spatulas are more expensive than the regular rubber ones, but they are much more durable and stand up to higher temperatures without melting.

Cooling Racks

Depending on how much money you'd like to spend and what you're planning on baking, several other items could come in handy.

Cooling racks are used to place pans on to cool, but you can always use the stove for that.

A cooling rack will allow items to cool more quickly and evenly because the air can circulate, but they are not a necessity. They're great for items like cookies and quick breads.

Rolling Pin

A rolling pin is necessary if you'd like to bake pies or cookies that need to be rolled out. There are many gadgets and gizmos designed to make life in the kitchen easier, but most of them are totally unnecessary.