10 Must Have Baking Supplies – Baking 101

Ever since I was young, I loved to bake. It all started when I bought my first box of Betty Crocker Cake Mix. When I baked my first cake, I was so impressed with myself because it was so easy. As I got comfortable and interested in the world of baking, I decided to venture outside of the conventional pre-made cake mix and make something from scratch like chocolate chip cookies. It was then that I realized how much equipment I was missing. To simplify the process for all of you who are interested into getting into baking, I decided to compile a list of the 10 Must Have Baking Supplies that should set the foundation of what you need to bake.

I will include links to the products which we recommend. As you discover what you enjoy making (e.g. cakes, cookies, breads, cupcakes etc), your arsenal of baking equipment will expand as well. However, until then, let’s start with the basics.

1) Measuring Cups & Spoons

Measuring cups & spoons are at the top of our 10 must have baking supplies list. If you’ve ever looked up any recipe, you know you will need to measure your ingredients. To do so, you will need a set of measuring cups and measuring spoons. For measuring spoons, I usually go for the basic set that starts at 1/4 tsp all the way up to 1 tbsp.

There are actually 2 types of measuring cups: one for dry ingredients, the other for wet ingredients. Do you really need both? Yes, yes you do. Unlike cooking, baking you requires you to be very precise (which is why you will need #5 on this list) as baking is truly a science!

Let’s say your recipe calls for 1 cup of flour and you try to measure this in a liquid measuring cup (pictured above), there is a chance that you might add too much flour and will be forced to scoop the excess back out with a spoon. The problem with this is that it will be less precise as to whether you have got enough flour across the 1 cup line opposed to a dry measuring cup where you can use a knife to sweep the excess off evenly to ensure you have the right amount. Therefore, liquid measuring cups are best reserved for liquids as liquids will measure evenly across the measuring lines. We recommend the Pyrex (glass) measuring cups as they are also microwavable so it’s perfect for melting ingredients as well.

Similarly for measuring cups for dry ingredients, if you try to measure 1 cup of water, there is a chance that you may spill excess liquid or the liquid starts forming a dome above the measuring cup resulting in an inaccurate measurement. Since measuring cups for wet ingredients have a bit more of an edge, the chance of you pouring too much and it spilling over is a lot less and you will get a more accurate reading.

2) Mixing Bowls

Now that you’re able to measure your ingredients, you need to be able to mix them somewhere! It’s always good to have a set of mixing bowls that come in various sizes as this will accommodate a wide range of recipes that you will make. I would recommend investing in stainless steel mixing bowls as they can also be used to whisk egg whites or whipping cream. The reason why plastic mixing bowls are not recommended for whisking egg whites or whipping cream is because they tend to retain a film of grease which will inhibit the egg whites from achieving its desired volume when whisked. They’re also much lighter than glass mixing bowls.

3) Whisks & Rubber Spatulas

No baking toolkit would be complete with spatulas and whisks! Whisks are important to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated. They are also critical at incorporating air into the mixture when necessary such as when it comes to whipping egg whites for meringues or whipping cream to make whipped cream. Sometimes it can be tiring to whip egg whites or whipping cream by hand using a whisk so if that is the case, look to our recommendation for #4 🙂

Rubber Spatulas on the other hand are great at helping to scrape all the batter from your mixing bowl to ensure you’re not wasting anything. It also helps fold egg whites into your batter. We recommend getting a few of these. Make sure the rubber part of the spatula is fairly flexible as this will help you get around round bowls more easily.

4) Electric Mixer

Sometimes mixing by hand can be tiring, especially if you’re whisking egg whites to stiff peak or whipping cream! We highly recommend you invest in an Electric Stand Mixer such as the Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. Not only do they look beautiful in your kitchen, but they are very functional and helpful when it comes to baking as it can also allow you to multitask at the same time. They also come with several attachments by default such as the paddle, whisk, and dough hook attachment.

If your budget does not allow for a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, you can always opt for a hand mixer which will do the job just fine and probably take up less space in your kitchen.

5) Digital Scale

Many people ask me on my popular Japanese Condensed Milk bread recipe why I don’t provide traditional measurements (e.g. cups, teaspoons, etc) and instead, I put weighed measurements (e.g. grams). Baking is definitely a science and there’s usually very minimal room for error in terms of measurements. Therefore, weighed measurements are the most precise. We highly recommend you invest in a digital food scale if you plan on getting serious about baking or cooking in general. You can easily find one for less than $20 on Amazon.

6) Sifter

It’s important to have a sifter when it comes to working with dry ingredients such as icing sugar, flour etc. This is because a sifter will remove any large clumps from your dry ingredients allowing you to have a smoother mixture when you incorporate your wet ingredients. This is especially crucial when it comes to making frosting or icing as you want a smooth finish on your cakes. They’re also great for dusting icing sugar on your finish products to add that extra touch of elegance 🙂

7) Rolling Pin

If you’re going to be working with any sort of dough, a rolling pin is a must. Rolling pins are great at rolling out sheets of dough to ensure they are nice, flat and even. Wooden rolling pins are the most common option.

8) Baking Sheet Pans

Needless to say, you will need to invest in some baking sheets, or more commonly known as cookie sheets pans. These are essential if you plan on baking any types of cookies. You should definitely invest in a few of these in various sizes to accommodate for how many batches of cookies you plan on making. You will definitely need a minimum of 2 as most cookie batches will yield 24 cookies. Medium sized sheet pans (38.6 cm x 36.1 cm or 15.2 in. X 10.2 in) are the most common sized cookie sheet pans you’ll find in grocery stores. If you can’t find those, we recommend half sheet pans as they are just slightly bigger than the medium sized sheet pans. Be sure to check out the cookie recipes on our blog as well!

In addition to these sheet pans, you may also want to invest in #10 on the list to go with this 🙂

9) Baking Pans

This is where you have some flexibility in terms of what types of baking pans you want as it completely varies depending on what you’re interesting in baking

For example, if you love to bake cakes, you will definitely want to invest in some cake pans. The most common round cake pans you will find in stores are 9-inch cake pans but if you want to make more ‘traditional’ cake sizes, I would suggest investing in a 6 inch or 8 inch cake pans. It’s definitely better to get pans with higher edges as this will prevent your cake batter from spilling over in the oven as it rises and provides you with some extra room to cut off the domed top to make icing and stacking the cake layers much easier. If you’re looking for some layered cake recipes, check out the cake recipes on our blog !

If you enjoy baking breads or loaves, you should definitely invest in a loaf pan. The most common size is 9.5 inch x 5 inches. Be sure to check out the bread and loaf recipes on our blog.

If you love baking muffins or cupcakes, definitely invest in at least 2 muffin tins as most recipes will yield at least 2 dozens (24 cupcakes/muffins). Be sure to check out the cupcake recipes on our blog.

Lastly, rectangular and square baking pans are also a great investment as well as they are extremely versatile. They are great at making sheet cakes, brownies, and various cookie bars and crisps! Check out the cookie bar recipes on our blog.

10) Silicone Baking Mats

Last on the list is Silicone Baking Mats. I absolutely love Silicone Baking Mats – specifically the brand Silpat! There are other brands out there but this one is the OG. What’s great about these mats is that they’re complete non-stick and fully reusable making them environmentally friendly. This really cuts down on all the parchment paper that I go through when baking cookies!

And that’s it! Those are our Top 10 Baking Supplies! As you figure out what you enjoy baking, your toolkit will expand but these will serve as the perfect foundation to get started. If you enjoy these top 10 lists, please let us know in the comments below!