Tips & Tools
My Basic Baking Essentials
I want to start this post with an anecdote. When I decided to come to the United States, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay here or not, so I bought a ticket for four months to allow me to have different experiences and make a decision. I had already lived here five months before because I was doing my internship, so I knew the pros and cons of being in this country. Before those four months, I started to make a list of things I had to bring, thinking that they would be useful and that there was a possibility that I would return to Colombia. Well, guess what things were indispensable to me on the trip? My pastry tools. Yes, I traveled with a mixer, spatulas, piping bags, etc. The truth is that even though I came with my bag full of utensils, it was the best decision I could have made. During those four months I cooked a lot, and when I decided to stay, I had my utensils at hand.
Thinking about essential tools in baking is not an easy task, especially when you know that more gadgets are invented every day. However, there are certain basic instruments that someone who enjoys baking can have and they can be handy not only for sweet preparations, but also for savory ones.
MIXER
For me this is the #1 the most essential, especially when you want to make preparations that require a lot of whipping such as meringues or buttercreams. I have a stand mixer and it is a great help to me. As time goes by, I have been buying different accessories that simplify my time in the kitchen. If you love cooking, I recommend you to buy one of these mixers. Its price is a little high, but its usability and durability will make the investment worthwhile. If you are a person who occasionally cooks, a hand mixer will fulfill the function you need and will be more than perfect.
Here is the link to my mixer.
KITCHEN SCALE
Unlike savory food, there are many pastry and dessert recipes that need precision in their ingredients as the final result depends on it. That is why for me a kitchen scale is essential. Although many recipes come with the measurements in cups, especially in the United States, having a scale gives you the possibility of preparing an endless number of recipes. If you search on Amazon you will find a great variety of kitchen scales, with different capacities and different sizes. I advise you to buy one that is small, that allows you to weigh at least 5 kg, and that has the option of weighing grams, milliliters and ounces.
MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS
As I mentioned before, when you do pastries and desserts you need precision when measuring the ingredients and a good way to do it is with measuring cups and spoons. Although I prefer the kitchen scale, many recipes come with their measurements in cups, so having them will always be very useful.
Here is the link to my measuring cups and spoons, which also have a design that makes them super versatile and easy to fit in any kitchen space.
SPATULAS
This is one of my favorite utensils in the kitchen! Spatulas are so practical and useful. They are ideal for mixing preparations when you don’t want them to lose air, for stirring different ingredients or for cleaning the walls of a bowl, pot or saucepan. There are many brands, shapes, and sizes.
Recently, I discovered one that I love because it also removes all the excess of my stand mixer paddle attachment. Here is the link.
SILICONE MAT OR PARCHMENT PAPER
I try to take care of the environment from small acts that together make a difference and for that reason I love to use silicone mats. They are practical, reusable and easy to wash. In addition, they take away the worry of thinking about having something that is going to detach or remove easily from the surface. I usually use them when making cookies, chocolate decorations, macarons or even when preparing savory food. Nevertheless, sometimes I prefer to use parchment paper, especially when I am making cakes because I can cut the paper to the size I want and put it on the surface of my cake pan to avoid accidents when unmolding it. Depending on your needs you can make the decision to invest in a good silicone mat or to buy parchment paper.
I advise you to check which one could be more useful for you or if it is necessary to have both available in your kitchen. Here is the link to my silicone mats.
WHISK
When I was a kid, I was dying to have one. I always saw the chefs on TV using it and I thought it was incredible. It is very useful and gives you a hand when you want to beat but you don’t want to use the mixer or you just don’t think it’s necessary. It’s perfect to emulsify preparations, whip cream or mix some cake batter that doesn’t require much effort or technique. I use it when preparing savory and sweet preparations, for example, to prepare vinaigrettes, beat eggs or make blondies. My recommendation for buying one of these is to make sure the sticks are very firm.
