More Inspiration, Before You Buy

Must-Have Baking Tool Essentials to Make Your Life Easier

Chances are you are breaking out all of your baking gear next week for the holidays. This time of year, I’m making cookies by the dozen to hand out to family and friends and my kitchen is covered in flour 24/7.

I’ve rounded up my favorite, must-have baking tool essentials to get you through that important birthday cake you have to make for your father-in-law, your kid's brownies for the bake sale, or just your standard gingerbread cookies for Christmas. Each one of these essentials will make your time in the kitchen that much easier.

Best Tools for Baking:

Stand Mixer

If there is one item that will save you time and sanity over and over again, it’s a stand mixer. With a paddle, whisk, and dough hook, it surely does it all with the touch of a button. My Smeg stand mixer is one of the chicest appliances in my kitchen. It’s outfitted with a 5-quart bowl and 10 variable speeds for all your baking needs.

Holiday Baking 16

This super cute mixer can stay out on your counter and add a little something to your kitchen.

Featured Product Stand Mixer
Stand Mixer Smeg Shop Now

Mixing Bowls

By the time I’m finished baking I usually having mixing bowls EVERYWHERE. Most baking ingredients call for a bowl for wet ingredients and a bowl for dry so I always have a ton of mixing bowls handy.

Holiday Baking 9

These bowls are great for wet and dry ingredients, and stack nicely when storing.

Featured Product Nesting Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
Nesting Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set Nucu Shop Now

These stainless steel bowls from Nucu are great for baking steps and separating your dry and wet ingredients, and the Mason Cash tilted ceramic bowl is beyond versatile for any baking recipe when it comes to mixing. Mason Cash also makes the handiest spoon and jar scraper that is the perfect match to the tilted ceramic bowl.

Featured Product Tilted Mixing Bowl
Tilted Mixing Bowl Mason Cash Shop Now
Holiday Baking 1

This tilted mixing bowl has built-in flat-angled sides to fit your countertop when you're whisking away.

Featured Product Spoon & Jar Scraper
Spoon & Jar Scraper Mason Cash Shop Now

Kitchen Scale

If you want to be really precise or bake with a lot of recipes that use gram measurements, be sure to get yourself a kitchen scale. A kitchen scale is the most accurate form of measuring ingredients. This Kalorik kitchen scale can handle up to 20 lbs of weight and displays weight in lb, oz, g, and mL.

Holiday Baking 11

This food scale makes weighing food so easy and accurate.

Featured Product XL Digital Kitchen Scale
XL Digital Kitchen Scale Kalorik Shop Now

Baking Sheet/Cooling Rack

Chances are high that if you’re baking, you’re going to be either baking something on a baking sheet or cooling something on a cooling rack. It’s just the facts, okay?! So make sure you’ve got a great sturdy baking sheet/cooling rack set. Bonus points if you’re using a reusable non-stick silicone bake mat.

Featured Product 3 Piece Cookie Baking Set
3 Piece Cookie Baking Set Nordic Ware Shop Now

Piping Bag

If you plan to do a bit of cake and cookie decorating a great piping bag set is essential. Jamie Oliver makes a sturdy design that is great for all different kinds of piping.

Featured Product Piping Bag Kit
Piping Bag Kit Jamie Oliver Shop Now
Holiday Baking 3

If you haven't tried a piping bag and piping tips for your holiday cookie and cupcake decorating, you really need to.

Cookie Cutters

I’ve got an abundance amount of cookie cutters but I have found that a round set is the most versatile. They work wonderfully for cookies but I also use them for pie dough designs, puff pastry shapes, and mini pizzas.

Featured Product Nesting Cookie Cutters Set
Nesting Cookie Cutters Set Jamie Oliver Shop Now

Sugar Shaker

If you want an easy and gorgeous topping for naked cakes, cookies and waffles grab yourself a sugar shaker. This fine mesh strainer shaker by RSVP will make all your treats look like they are dusted with snow.

Featured Product Endurance Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Shaker
Endurance Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Shaker RSVP Shop Now

Copper Saucepan

If you’re going to be taking caramel/candy making seriously then a copper pot is great to have around. Not only does it heat up very quickly, it evenly disperses heat and cools down even faster.

Holiday Baking 14

Literally the most beautiful pot I own, and it works like a charm - dispersing the heat evenly no matter what I'm cooking.

Featured Product Copper Triply Saucepan
Copper Triply Saucepan Mauviel Shop Now

Thermometer

While a copper pot is great for candy and caramel making, a thermometer is non-negotiable. Most recipes for candy and caramel making instruct you to bring your batch up to a certain temperature and this is done with a liquid thermometer. This also works great for deep-frying!

Holiday Baking 12

This thermometer is non-negotiable for making candy, caramel, or deep frying your favorite holiday app.

Featured Product Deep Fry Ruler Thermometer
Deep Fry Ruler Thermometer CDN Shop Now

Liquid Measuring Cups & Dry Measuring Cups

I probably use my liquid measuring cups at least every other day in the kitchen. From sweet to savory recipes, liquid measuring cups are the epitome of essentials. These OXO ones are great because they display all your measurements on the outside and the inside of the cups.

Holiday Baking 5

This matching measuring cup set lets you read the markings along the side and from the top.

Featured Product 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cups
3-Piece Angled Measuring Cups OXO Shop Now

This might be beyond ‘basics’ but liquid and dry measurements require different cups. Be sure to get yourself a sturdy set of dry measuring cups in odd and even sets.

Featured Product Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
Stainless Steel Measuring Cups Le Creuset Shop Now

Check out these other quick references to make sure your kitchen has the essential tools to make cooking and baking a breeze:

Top

Even more Before You Buy articles for you

Get on the list to stay up to date on everything The Inspired Home.