Essential Tools for Dessert Lovers
Many people say baking is a costly skill. Indeed, there are so many tools, so many expenses, and so many ingredients, so many expenses.
Different desserts require different tools and ingredients. For beginners, it can be confusing: which baking tools should I buy and which ones should I avoid?
- Oven
The oven is the workhorse of baking and an essential tool. Choosing a suitable oven is the first step to baking delicious Western pastries.
A microwave oven cannot replace an oven; the heating principles are completely different. Even microwave ovens with grill functions cannot.
- Baking Trays, Baking Wire, and Heat-Insulated Handles
Most breads, cookies, and cakes are baked on baking trays. It's best to have two baking trays for daily convenience (for example, cookies often don't fit on one tray. Having two baking trays allows you to prepare the second one while the first is baking). Baking wire can be used to bake chicken wings and skewers, but it can also serve as a cooling rack for bread and cakes. Heat-insulated handles (or oven mitts) prevent burns when handling the baking tray or baking wire. These three tools are generally included with the purchase of an oven.
- Hand and Electric Whisks
Whether beating butter, eggs, or heavy cream, a whisk is necessary. A whisk is also needed when mixing wet ingredients.
An electric whisk is more convenient and labor-saving, but beating whole eggs is difficult, so an electric whisk is essential. However, electric whisks aren't suitable for all situations. For example, when beating a small amount of butter, or when mixing eggs, sugar, and oil without beating, a hand whisk is more convenient and quicker. Therefore, both types of whisks are necessary.
- Rubber Spatula and Plastic Scraper
A plastic scraper (above) is a small yet useful tool that can be used in many situations. It can be used to scrape off dough stuck to the surface when kneading. It can also help transfer small dough pieces to the baking sheet.
A rubber spatula (below) is a flat, soft scraper ideal for mixing batters. It's the most powerful tool for mixing egg whites and egg yolks in chiffon cakes. It also clings tightly to the sides of the bowl while stirring, scraping off any cake batter that accumulates.
- Stainless Steel Bowls, Glass Bowls
Prepare at least two stainless steel bowls or large glass bowls for beating eggs, as well as several small bowls for holding various ingredients.
- Chopping Board, Rolling Pin
These two items are self-explanatory. However, I should add that for making pasta, it's recommended to use a non-wooden chopping board, such as a metal or plastic one. Compared to wooden boards, these are less sticky and less likely to harbor bacteria.
- Tin Foil, Baking Paper
Baking paper is used to line baking sheets to prevent sticking. Sometimes, greasing the baking sheet also helps, but using baking paper saves you the trouble of cleaning. Baking paper is less expensive than tin foil. However, tin foil can be used to wrap food while grilling to prevent moisture loss. Covering the food with tin foil after it has browned during baking can also help prevent it from browning too much.
- Flour Sifter
Used for sifting flour or other powdered ingredients. Sifting flour not only removes small flour particles but also makes the flour more fluffy and easier to mix. If the ingredients contain other powders such as cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, etc., sifting them together with the flour will help them mix more evenly.
