Baking Equipment to Stock Your Kitchen With

I thought I would take a break from baking topics and recipes to discuss what equipment you may want to stock in your baking section of the kitchen. Some of you may have a well-equipped kitchen, especially if you have been baking for years. For those of you who don't, here is what I would recommend to start out with:

• Cake pans: either 8" or 9" round, 3 of them (so that you can make a 3 layer cake)
• One 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" square pan (good for brownies and other small cakes)
• One large rectangular pan, approximately 9" x 13" (good for making sheet cakes)
• Bread pans: "standard" size, at least 2 of them as some recipes call for splitting the batter into 2 pans)
• One standard sized muffin pan (You can make a lot more than just muffins in these; popovers or cupcakes, for example.)
• 2 or 3 cookie sheets, the largest size that will fit in your oven (Even if you don't want to get into baking cookies, cookie sheets are used for other things, such as jelly rolls for example. I have even used them to dry pumpkin seeds in the oven!)
• One 10" tube pan (This is a pan that is in 2 pieces and is round. Used for pound cakes, angel and chiffon cakes, etc. The two pieces are designed for easy removal of delicate cakes)
• One bundt cake pan. (These days they come in different shapes. Essentially it is a mold. Choose one that has a design or shape that appeals to you. Some people even collect these as some can be quite elaborate)

The items listed above I recommend in heavy gauge metal, but not Teflon coated. Teflon, in my opinion, alters the baking slightly, and eventually scratches. If you purchase good quality pans they will last you for years, perhaps a lifetime.

• Two 9" pie plates, made of glass (Pyrex). (Glass bakes better pie crusts)
• 1 rolling pin
• 1 pastry cutter
• 1 flour sifter
• measuring spoons and measuring cups, in a variety of sizes
• 1 spatula, silicone or rubber
• 1 wire whisk
• 1 mixer, ideally a stand mixer of good quality. Otherwise, at least a hand mixer. If you can afford it I would suggest having both a stand mixer for large and heavy jobs, and a portable hand mixer for quick or small jobs, or for mixing at the stove.

All of the above list of items will enable you to bake just about anything and everything. If you are fond of baking a particular category of items, you may want to expand on your equipment inventory. For example, if you love baking cookies, you may wish to consider adding cookie presses or molds. If you are into making all kinds of muffins, try adding mini muffin pans, jumbo muffin pans, etc. Then there are specialty pastry pans, and other sizes of baking pans and pie plates. As long as you have the basics you can always add on to your equipment collection as need arises.

I generically mentioned rolling pins and pie plates. I will discuss these in a little more detail when I get into Pie Making.

Whether you are just starting out and need all or some of the basics, or if you are advancing into specialty items and want a particular piece of equipment, take the time to enjoy looking around the bake aisles of the stores, catalogs, or online. You just might find something to spur your interest in a particular area of baking. In the meantime, have a great week filled with tasty treats.

Next week: Cakes