For novice bakers
Measuring cups for dry ingredients: Enable you to level off ingredients at the rim for accurate amounts. Remember to never pack down your flour; spoon it in and level it off.
Measuring cup for liquid ingredients: The lowered measuring marks let you measure without sloshing. Set cup on a flat surface and stoop so you can see the line at eye level.
Measuring spoons: Never underestimate the value of accuracy. Leave your soup spoons for soup.
Bench knife/scraper: A real workhorse for scooping up ingredients, dividing dough, scraping up scraps; you'll find more uses.
Whisk: Great for thoroughly mixing by hand, and doubles as a sifter when fluffing and combining dry ingredients.
Metal nesting bowls: Can't break them, and they also conduct heat and cold more efficiently.
<CHARENTITY>7</CHARENTITY>Spoon-shaped heatproof spatula: Great for stirring hot mixtures, and the spoon shape comes in handy for filling muffin tins.
9- by 13-inch pan: The classic pan for brownies, cakes, bars, egg stratas.
Wire cooling rack: Lets air circulate beneath your baked goods as they cool to keep them from becoming soggy.
Heavy-gauge metal sheet pan: Thin pans heighten the risk of burned cookies; sturdy pans conduct heat more evenly.
<CHARENTITY>7</CHARENTITY>Parchment paper: Takes the place of greasing pans with shortening or spray oil, and also helps keep cleanup to a minimum.
Hand mixer: Elbow grease only goes so far; essential for whipping cream, egg whites and more.
For advanced bakers
Kitchen scale: Pros swear by measuring ingredients by weight (not volume) for accuracy and also consistency.
Stand mixer: It's an investment, but various attachments save time and energy; enables you to use both hands for tasks such as adding hot syrup to a mixture.
Rolling pin/rolling mat: If pies are your passion, you'd want these on the basic list. But they're great for rolled and cut cookies and more.
Pie tins: If pies are your passion.
Springform pan: A necessity for a classic cheesecake.
Pastry blender: Easier than using two knives for cutting butter into flour. Treat yourself.
Infrared or insta-read thermometer: Easier than the clip-on thermometers to gauge the temps of oil or sugar syrup. Helps ensure breads are baked through. A guideline: basic loaves to 190 degrees; enriched with eggs or butter, 200 degrees; no-knead bread recipes, 210 degrees.
Silicone pastry brush: Handy for brushing doughs with milk or beaten egg, and
silicone eliminates the chance of a stray bristle.
Microplane zester: Super-sharp grates are perfect for zesting citrus, or hard cheeses.
<CHARENTITY>7</CHARENTITY>Pastry bag and tips: Gives you more consistent results and the different tips are great for decorative frosting or other uses.
Offset spatula: That bend in the blade makes frosting layer cakes so much easier.
<CHARENTITY>7</CHARENTITY>Tube pan with removable bottom: The only thing for a classic angel-food cake, but also for coffee cakes or pull-apart monkey breads.
KIM ODE