We asked pro bakers to dish on the essentials they feel all home kitchens "knead." (Getty Images)(Getty Images)
Apple pie-scented candles are all well and good, but let's be honest — nothing beats the aroma of the real deal as it's taken out of the oven. Sure, I might be a little biased because a) I'm a baker, and b) as a sugar obsessive, the thought of smelling a dessert without the promise of being able to taste it is just a cruel, cruel tease. And with the chilly temps keeping us inside, there's no time like the present to whip up cozy homemade treats.
Since winter offers a prime opportunity to take on more involved culinary projects, I thought to reach out to some fellow professional bakers to see what they consider their must-have, desert island kitchen tools. Some of the items that made the cut might surprise you.
No, you won't find things like a rolling pin or a pricey stand mixer on this list (a wine bottle can be swapped for the former in a pinch, and many mixing tasks can be done by hand if needed). Instead, simple basics like bench and dough scrapers, food scales and spatulas are what these culinary experts reach for. Keep scrolling to see how you can stock your kitchen like a pastry pro.
I always bake my pies on these No. 1 bestselling trays, for several reasons. First, because I can preheat the tray in the oven before I pop my pie in, which gives the crust a quick zap of heat right away. Plus, pies can be drippy, so the tray is there to catch any filling that oozes out. Much easier to clean the tray than the bottom of my oven!
Rather than mixing butter into my pie dough with my hands, I cut it into my flour using this trusty tool. This way, the heat from my hands won't make the butter too soft — butter needs to be cold if it's a flaky crust you're after. Once my crust has been rolled out, I slide my bench scraper underneath to cleanly lift it from the rolling surface and into my pie dish. So much easier than trying to pry it up with my hands!
"A plastic bench scraper!" exclaims Erica Pais, the baker behind Paistries. "I use it so much in home baking (learned about it working in a professional kitchen) and my non-baking boyfriend is ALWAYS using it to clean up messes he makes. I use it mainly for making pie and galette dough. It’s a perfect tool because, with those doughs, you want to keep them as cold as possible; so the bench scraper, in a way, acts as my hand. I scrape dough together with it so that my hand doesn’t warm up the butter as quickly. It’s how I can make sure no dough gets left behind on the counter after using the fraisage technique."
"It’s also how I clean up my counter after making those doughs. When I fold the edges of a rolled-out galette dough, I use the scraper to get under the dough and make the fold. It makes for sharp corners that give the galette a kind of funky aesthetic. I’ll use the scraper in savory applications too, within baked goods and just with regular cooking. After chopping vegetables, like onions to be prepped for a savory galette, I use it to scoop them up into a bowl or to scrape them off of a cutting board into a hot pan. I also use it to cut and portion pie dough when I make a big batch."
My friend Daniel Aubry, head baker at Levain Bakery, also swears by "a flexible, nonstick nylon dough scraper," adding, "I think when I'm at work, it's the tool I turn to the most, but also at home."
According to Christina Lower, owner and operator of Bake Bake Philly, "a kitchen scale by Escali" is a non-negotiable. "Creating consistent bakes and measuring accurately requires a good scale. They’re dependable, affordable and have a long life. And you can get them in cute colors."
How fun is this pink? Another benefit: You won't have to wash a zillion measuring cups and spoons.
My immersion blender is a pretty blue hue, but you can also snag it in this bright red or neutrals like black, gray, navy and white.
To finish things off — in the most literal sense — "A mini offset spatula for the win," writes Marissa Touch of Dandelion Bakes. These small yet mighty tools are fab when it comes to frosting cakes, cookies ... anything, really!
Because the blade is placed lower than the handle, it's easier to spread icings and batters in a smooth layer without your hand getting in the way — and since it's so thin, I also like using mine to slide cookies off of my baking sheet and onto a cooling tray.
My Oxo oven mitt is one of my most-reached-for kitchen essentials. Its silicone upper offers excellent grip and heat protection, but it's not rigid — I can easily move my fingers when they're inside the glove.
I try to minimize waste in the kitchen as much as possible, which is why these reusable silicone baking mats come in clutch. Not only do they help keep my parchment paper costs to a minimum, they also protect my sheet trays from caked-on gunk.
The nonstick material is a breeze to clean, and I find that I can still achieve a nice golden brown on the bottoms of my cookies when I use them.
For recipes that require caramelizing sugar or frying in oil, a candy thermometer is crucial — temperature can make or break the outcome of these types of treats!
This model has a unique curved design that allows it to sit neatly against the side of your pot, and I appreciate that the clip is made of heat-proof silicone rather than plastic — I've had one too many mishaps with the latter melting!
And for larger batches, this heavy-duty scale can measure up to 8,000 grams at a time. "Weights and ratios are so important in baking, but especially sourdough where a small deviation in weight of an ingredient can make a huge difference in the dough," says Zach Posnan of Brass Monkey Bread Co. "All bakers should have a scale."
