Choose your first recipe, then check which equipment it uses before buying a complete set. For a simple muffin or quick-bread recipe, the following checklist is a useful starting point.
What baking tools do I need first?
- Measuring tools that match the recipe: a kitchen scale for listed weights, plus measuring spoons and the appropriate cups or jug for listed volumes.
- Mixing bowls, a whisk and a spatula or wooden spoon.
- The pan size and shape specified in the recipe, with liners or baking paper when directed.
- Oven gloves, a timer and a cooling rack.
Measuring ingredients
Use a kitchen scale when the recipe lists weights. For volume measurements, use the cups, spoons or jug specified and follow the recipe's filling and levelling directions. Keep your measuring tools on a stable surface and check the scale's unit before weighing.
Mixing bowls, whisks and spatulas
Start with bowls large enough to stir without spilling. A whisk helps combine dry ingredients or mix liquids; a spatula or wooden spoon is useful for folding and scraping the bowl. Follow the recipe's mixing instructions: whisking vigorously and folding gently are different actions. Check the manufacturer's care and heat-resistance information for your tools.
Choosing the right bakeware
Buy the pan needed for your first recipe, then add other shapes as you use them. Check the stated dimensions before starting. Changing the pan size can change the depth of the batter and the baking time, so use a documented alternative when available. Follow the recipe's directions for greasing, lining and filling the pan.
Checking oven temperature
An oven thermometer can help you compare the temperature inside your oven with its setting. Follow the thermometer's placement instructions and give the oven time to preheat. It is a useful check, but does not guarantee the result: use the recipe's timing and doneness cues as well.
Cooling and timing
Keep a timer handy from your first bake. Set it for the recipe's first suggested check and assess doneness before adding more time. Use oven gloves to handle hot pans. Follow any initial cooling time in the pan before transferring the bake to a wire rack.
Extras to buy when a recipe needs them
A rolling pin is useful for rolled doughs, a sieve for ingredients that need sifting, and an electric mixer for recipes that call for one. Check what you already own before buying extras. For help using your equipment, see our beginner baking techniques guide.
Put your toolkit to use
Choose a recipe, read it through, and set out its equipment before measuring ingredients. These recipes are starting points for checking which pans and mixing tools you need:
