Here are my top 10 baking cookware must haves for professional baking results.
1. Professional-style aluminum baking sheets 12×18 inches. These sheet pans are superior for baking cookies, bars and jelly roll cakes without burning the bottoms like a dark metal pan can.
2. Silicone paper pan liners are versatile item used to line baking pans, make collars for cake pans and disposable piping bags.
3. A digital scale in metric and imperial give the best baking results with accurate measurements. Choose a minimum 3 kg capacity.
4. Balloon whisk made of stainless steel or silicone construction some with soft grip handles beats air into eggs and cream and whisks sauces to a smooth consistency.
5. Digital thermometer is a quick way of checking the internal temperature of baked bread and is a great way to ensure proper cooking of egg-based custards.
6. Metal bench scraper is a flat stainless steel hand tool great for moving dough around the countertop and dividing dough into pieces. Easily keeps the counters clean as you work. Handles can be wood, nylon or metal.
7. Plastic bowl scrapers are essential for getting every last bit of dough or batter from the mixing bowl. Soft and flexible these palm shaped tools fit comfortably in the palm of the hand. Polypropylene, silicone or plastic construction.
8. Offset spatulas or palette knives in various sizes make easy work of spreading icing on cakes, lifting cookies off the tray or transporting finished cakes from turntable to cake stand.
9. Stainless steel mesh strainer is a multipurpose tool used for sifting flour, straining juice pulp, making fruit coulis and straining cooked custards for silky smooth results.
10. Stand mixer trumps the hand mixer in power, control and versatility. A stand mixer has the power to knead bread dough, has variable speed control and attachments such as splash guards, dough hook, whisk, paddle and pasta rollers. The stand mixer is a hands-free workhorse that allows you to do other preparations while the mixer does all the work.
