Welcome to Baking and Pastry School Tips! In today’s blog, we are sharing seven tools every baker should have in their kitchen. Check them out below!
Many aspiring bakers and food enthusiasts will go out of their way and even break their banks to get all kinds of fancy tools for the kitchen. While it is necessary to have a well-stocked kitchen, turning out delicious baked goods definitely does not require a kitchen overflowing with extravagant gadgets. With that being said, it can be hard to know what you really need when stocking up the kitchen; no worries, we’ve done the research for you. Below we have laid out the 7 tools every baker should own:
- Stand or Hand Mixer – Depending on how often you bake and the size of the batches, either a hand mixer (best for smaller batches) or a stand mixer (best for larger batches) will really come in handy for most recipes. They are used for smoothly incorporating ingredients so that the final product is especially delicious and refined.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons – Baking is just as much a science as it is an art. Recipes often call for precise amounts of ingredients and measuring cups or spoons can ensure that your ratios come out just right. There’s nothing worse than using too much baking powder and getting a crumbly, dry cake.
- Heavy Gauge Baking Sheets and Pans – The dough or batter needs something to cook in, right? Heavy duty aluminum sheets and pans, that don’t warp or buckle, are essential for distributing heat evenly and turning out perfectly browned and tender cookies and pastries.
- Mixing Bowls (with nonslip bottoms) – Having a mixer is only the first step, you still need something to mix the ingredients in! Having a few mixing bowls can make the prep stages of baking easier because most recipes will call for mixing dry and wet ingredients separately before combining them. The addition of mix bowls to your kitchen supplies will mean more yummy and fluffy cakes and cookies to go around. If you are working in a professional kitchen, you will probably not have a hand mixer. Instead, you will likely have a mixer with a stand and bowl included.
- Cooling Racks – Never let your cakes, cupcakes, muffins or other baked goods just cool in the pan or baking sheet that they were cooked in; it greatly slows the cooling time and may lead to overcooked pastries. Cooling racks are a necessity so that the cooking process stops when it’s supposed to and your baked goods cool evenly
- Spatulas and Whisks – These tools are used for various purposes in the kitchen, from stirring and mixing, to scraping bowls and spreading frosting, a spatula and a whisk are any baker’s best friend. Spatulas are helpful for smoothing cake batter, frosting cupcakes, and loosening cakes and bar cookies from their pans. A whisk is perfect for blending liquid ingredients, as well as being a great makeshift “sifter” for dry ingredients.
- Rolling Pin – Who doesn’t love fresh, homemade cookies? A rolling pin is a key tool needed to prep the dough before pressing out the individual cookies. The best type to use are slightly heavy and wooden with no handles, because those offer more control and require less force.
Hopefully this list will come in handy while you stock your kitchen and prepare some tasty treats. Happy baking!
Baking and Pastry Arts training at Dorsey Schools
The Baking and Pastry Arts program at Dorsey Schools is designed to develop student’s culinary foundation in the art and science of baking and pastry. This is a “hands on” program which provides students with the opportunity to learn and understand the skills needed to gain the competitive and creative edge within the specialized field of baking and pastry.
Instruction in this program includes:
- Basic food preparation
- Fundamentals of baking science
Bread making - Desserts and advanced pastries
- Plating, decorating, and sugar work
- Healthy baking and catering techniques
- Sanitation
- Industry professionalism
- Inventory control
- Menu planning and costing
- Kitchen management
- And more
Interested in learning more about Dorsey Schools?
Does pursuing a career as a Baker or a Pastry chef sound like the right path for you? If so, then give us a call at 888-422-1188 or Request Info Online
Sources:
http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/baking-101-the-must-have-essentials-every-baker-needs/
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/02/24/14-kitchen-tools-every-baker-needs/
http://food.allwomenstalk.com/unique-kitchen-gadgets-every-girl-has-got-to-have
