If you go into a kitchen store, or even Target and Walmart, you can completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of kitchen equipment and gadgets. And if you like to cook and bake, you can definitely overdo on the equipment and gadgets!

When I taught baking classes at my shop, my goal for each thing I taught was that you could take the recipe with you on vacation to a rental place and make it. No special equipment, just the basics that most rentals provide. Clearly, this doesn’t work for cupcakes or macarons, which do need some basic/special equipment, but if you learn to bake with as little equipment as possible, you’ll be able to take your skills anywhere!

Here’s a helpful list on basic equipment:

Measuring cups - they can be cheap plastic ones. If you can find one with “weird” measurements (1/8c, 2/3c and 3/4c) you’ll be surprised how much time it saves you along the way. If you plan to bake a lot, get 2 sets so you aren’t always having to wash things.

Glass measuring cup — at least one 1 cup Pyrex or other quality brand. A 4 cup is helpful as long as it has all the delineations (in quarters and thirds) for all 4 cups. Cheap plastic ones from a dollar store can be very far off accurate measurements, so get a nice glass one.

Measuring spoons - again, these can be inexpensive! Try to have 1/8tsp through 1 tbsp. A 1 1/2 tbsp one is super helpful, as is 3/4 tsp, if you can find it (check Amazon!)

Bench scraper — while metal ones are best, you can get plastic ones for $1. These help you with pastry, to clean off your counter, to cut up your scones or biscuits, and a whole lot of other things.

Digital scale - once again, cheap is totally ok. We had 3 from Lidl ($5/ea) at the shop, and they were fine for smaller cups and bowls, but not as great for medium to large bowls because you can’t see the digital screen easily. If you can spend $15-30, get one where the pad on which you put the bowl/cup is raised above the screen.

A set of bowls - plastic or metal are lighter and easier to deal with, but glass is fine. Most sets have 3-5 bowls, and that will set you up for anything you’re baking. If you want to add one more to your collection, get a larger bowl than the largest in the set — this is helpful if you’re making something that will rise.

A large-hole hand strainer - yes, like you’d use to drain pasta! We prefer ones that are available at Walmart for about $5. What you DON’T want is one with small holes (think screen door size). You are going to sift everything from sugar to flour to powdered sugar — the smaller the holes the more of a pain the sifting is! And that small is absolutely not necessary. These are WAY easier than a traditional sifter with a crank handle.

A mixer — Stand mixers are, of course wonderful. And expensive. (To be fair, a Kitchenaid will last you forever, but you can pick up a hand mixer for $25, where you’ll pay $350 and up for a stand mixer.) If you do get a stand mixer, get a minimum of 4 quarts, and 5+ would be better. (Costco carries a special version that’s a 550, or 5.5 quarts, which is a good one and 6 quart after-market accessories will fit.) If you’re going with a hand mixer, you can go with an inexpensive one, as long as you’re not planning to run it for many hours every day. Black & Decker and Sunbeam make perfectly good ones that won’t break the budget.

Silicone spatula — my favorite ones were $5 each at Hobby Lobby. Again, you don’t need to spend a lot!

Rubber spatula — Walmart has wooden handled rubber spatulas (more flexible than a silicone) for just a couple of dollars each.

Whisk - get a medium sized whisk without a ton of tines. You will almost never need a small one, and a long handled one is hard to use. One with a ton of tines is probably only needed if you’re going to hand-whip cream or eggs… Which I don’t recommend! (See mixer note!) Again, you can get these at Walmart or a dollar store for a couple of bucks.

Baking sheet (AKA cookie sheet) - if you have one that’s not too flimsy, that’ll work. You do want one that’s got some heft to it, or things won’t cook properly. If you’re buying one, get the biggest one your oven can take and still have a few inches all around. You can always use it for just a few things, and you’ll be glad when you have a lot. Baking sheets can also be used for cake when you want a big but thin sheet, like for a yule log/roll up.

Pie Plate — you can get disposable ones, and if you’re making gifts that’s what you want. But it’s nice to have a pretty one. I suggest a clay/pottery one (Pampered Chef has them). You can get a clear glass one, but if it’s a baked pie, you’ll need to make adjustments for the glass (down 25 degrees). Go ahead and get a 9” pan vs an 8” pan, and deep dish vs a shallow metal one, if you can.

Cake pans — My go-to cake is a 9” layer cake. You can get cake pans in literally every size, but if you’re just making cake for friends and family, get two 8” or 9” cake pans. I do not particularly like non-stick — I prefer a sturdy, and straight-sided (this is important - most home-baker cake pans have slanted sides for some unknown reason!), pan. Wilton makes them, and all the hobby supply stores have them, as well as Amazon. If you want more pans, I’d get two 6” pans for nice small cakes, and a 9x13” (not glass) straight sided sheet pan.

Cupcake pans — If you plan to make cupcakes or muffins, you obviously need standard sized cupcake pans. My only no-no here is cheap, flimsy ones, which will burn your bakes. You’ll be using liners for cupcakes or muffins, so it can be non-stick or not. My home oven will hold a 24 cupcake pan, which is great, since you can make any number up to 24.

Baking rack — you can find these at any price point, and some cookie/baking sheets come with one that fits inside. Don’t get a flimsy one, as it will lose its level and you could get sagging cakes and cookies. (Voice of experience here!) I like a somewhat small hole or grid pattern personally, and some feet along the middle to help it stay nice and level

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Bundt cake pan — if you plan to make pound cakes or unfrosted cakes, a nice pretty bundt pan is helpful. Again, you want some heft to it. A non-stick here can help, especially if it has a lot of design (nooks and crannies) to it.

Loaf pan — if you’re making quick breads like banana or zucchini, or sandwich style yeasted bread, a good loaf pan is a good investment. If you don’t make those often, you can get foil ones at the grocery — those can be washed and reused until they lose their shape.

Mini cupcake pans — if you have kids, you might want a mini cupcake pan for those bite-sized goodies.

Immersion blender/stick blender — I had one of these for a few years (and had never used it) before I started the bakery. We actually used it ALL the time, especially for glazes. It’s hard to get all the lumps out of powdered sugar once you add liquid to it, but the immersion blender makes it a snap! We also mixed our quiche filling with it, so that the eggs were really beaten well.

Square or other shaped baking pans — I much prefer a round cake because it is so much easier to frost. But square cakes can be interesting too, so go for a 8” or 9” square.

Pans with removable bottoms — these can be springform pans in any size (8-10” is standard), which you use for things like cheesecake; tart pans, which also come in all sizes; or other smooth shapes where you can remove the sides from your bake. These are good for tiramisu, entreme cakes, and other layered desserts where things like mousse are involved.

A cake turntable — you can get one for about $10 at a hobby store, or spend $60 on a cast iron one. I use a very inexpensive plastic ones and have decorated literally hundreds of cakes on it. If you plan to do many cakes (more than 2, ever! hahaha!) I’d get one, because it makes it SO very much easier to frost and decorate.

FROM YOUR KITCHEN

You probably already have these in your kitchen, and will use them often for baking:

Large sharp knife
Paring knife
Potato/apple peeler
Zester or box grater
Spoons, forks, and knives
Microwave
Pastry brush (AKA basting or bbq brush)
Small cereal-size bowls
Lemon squeezer (if you don’t have one, get one — they’re so helpful for so much!)
Portable fan (you will use this for decorated cookies and macarons, if you make those)

And that’s it!

It may seem like a lot, but really, you can pick it all up very inexpensively, or you may already have it for general cooking. Almost everything can do double duty in your day to day cooking — cookie sheets are good for french fries, you can make baked egg cups in a muffin/cupcake pan, 9x13” pans are perfect for lasagne (as are loaf pans, if you are feeding a smaller group), etc. Some things are worth spending money on, of course, because they will last forever - a pretty pie plate, a Kitchenaid stand mixer, a nice knife. But you don’t need any of that to bake, so don’t let it stop you!

What Equipment Do You Really Need?

OPTIONAL

FROM YOUR KITCHEN

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