Top 10 Professional Baking Supplies for Home Bakers

Last updated on October 28th, 2024 at 08:31 am

Home baking has always been a way to bring fresh, new creations to life. Now, we even watch and root for our favorite bakers on shows like Bake Squad. One thing every professional baker or home chef knows, is that without the right baking supplies, getting consistent results can be tricky. Baking at home can be extremely easy for some, or a total nightmare for others. A little time, the right baking tools, and picking up a few baking tips can help your dishes go a long way!

Bake like a pro with our list of the best professional baking supplies for home bakers.

 1. Set up a sturdy countertop mixer. 

Using a countertop mixer, often referred to as a stand mixer is the most effective way to get consistent mixing results. You can whip creams, knead dough, and blend thick mixtures without tiring. Their lightweight design makes it easy to move around in your kitchen and their commercial grade quality will give you more run time for the many uses in your kitchen!

2. Make way for measuring cups and spoons. 

Measuring cups and spoons are essential for the home baker. We are all use to adding a pinch-of-this or dash-of-that, but professional bakers know how important precise measurements are to the success of the final product. You’ll need both a wet and dry measuring cup to accurately measure ingredients.

3. Weigh the advantages of a kitchen scale. 

Kitchen scales weigh ingredients, help with portion sizing, and give accuracy and consistency to your dishes. Due to the changing volume and aeration of ingredients like flour, brown sugar, and cornstarch, a measuring cup isn’t always best suited for exact accuracy. That’s why many home bakers choose a digital scale. Why? Because when weighing ingredients, an ounce will always be an ounce, and a gram will always be a gram. Yet, with a measuring cup, a cup may not exactly be a full cup.

4. Try a kitchen timer.

Many unfortunate instances of burned cakes and screeching smoke alarms might have been prevented if only a kitchen timer had signaled that an item was finished baking. Try a kitchen timer and set your mind, and your local fire department at ease.

 5. Bake on a baking mat. 

With nonstick baking mats, cookies and homemade pastries will never stick to the sheet pan again. The silicone material inserts right into your sheet pan and prevents scorching for a more even bake. They can also be used thousands of times before replacement with resiliency to temperatures up to almost 500°F. Baking mats are the ideal baking surface for a variety of baked goods, although you may also try parchment paper, which is a disposable non-stick alternative to silicone baking mats.

 6. Fill a real pastry bag. 

Reusable pastry bags or icing piping bags are the professional’s choice for bakeries. They are reusable after a quick wash and hold a good deal of frosting for decorating several cakes in one go. They fit snugly with a variety of pastry tips for creating high-quality piping on cakes or for frosting intricate details on cookies, petit fours or other baked items. Pastry bags range in sizes from 8 to 24 inches long.

 7. Employ a candy thermometer.

Candy thermometer are used for measuring the hotter temperatures of boiling sugar, sauces, syrups, chocolate, and cooking oil. The long stem of this thermometer helps to add a bit of distance from potentially bubbling ingredients. Try a manual model candy thermometer over a digital one for easier calibration and longer life.

 8. Smooth things out with a rolling pin.

Many bakers use rolling pins, especially those committed to artisan styles of baking and cooking. A wooden rolling pin is a kitchen favorite for rolling out doughs to even thickness. For a more personal touch with doughs, try a French rolling pin. They have long, narrow and slightly tapered ends to offer greater control and maneuverability for delicate fondant and fragile tuile cookies.

 9. Add finishing touches with a cooking torch.

In professional bakeries, adding the finishing touches on a dessert is made easy with a cooking torch. At home it can be too! Caramelizing crème brulée or browning the peaks of a meringue pie require a meticulous, yet delicate heat. Using a cooking torch can be the ideal way to bring the perfect finish to your desserts. 

 10. Use a pastry wheel.

Pastry wheels are used to cut, mold, and shape doughs. This bakers tool can help you add those beautiful decorative edges, lattice pies, marking, scoring, and cutting straight lines in dough. Add a professional look to your homemade pastries with a pastry wheel.

If you’re looking for more baking advice in the kitchen, click here!