When I first started cooking, I was utterly clueless about which tools I needed. Seriously... I called ramekins, "lamma cans." Today, I picked out some essential kitchen tools so that you won't be as lost as I am. I categorized them according to level of skill and how advanced you want to go! Enjoy :)
Amateur
- Whisk & Spatula | These two are ABSOLUTELY necessary in every kitchen! If you want to start baking, these are the first things you should probably invest in.
- Measuring Cups & Weighing Scale| In the beginning, I told myself that I would not use any measuring tools. Little did I know how wrong I was. You see, if you want to start becoming an amazing cook, you need to be able to know proportions and how they fit in with your ingredients. Think of it as an attempt at making chocolate chip cookies. You pour only a tiny bit of sugar to the batter, because you are apparently "out of sugar." The resulting cookie probably won't have that chewy texture or that sweet flavor, and so on. Great chefs make great recipes because they know time and ratio. If you want to begin cooking... start right.
- Sifter | This is very helpful for getting lumps out of your dry ingredients (such as flour, powders, etc), because having lumps in your cake is never a good sign...
- Baking Sheets & Pans | You will definitely need somewhere to pour your batter in. I know. Why can't I just use cupcake liners? Technically you can, but the paper or material holding your batter is not strong enough and will make your cupcakes (= not a very pretty cupcake shape). *This example is only for cupcakes. Keep in mind that baking sheets and pans have many purposes depending on their specific shapes.
Note:
Also, if you want to bake a cake, I recommend cake pans that have a removable bottom. These removable bottom's work like a switch and you can easily detach your cake from the pan after it is baked without harming anything!
More Advanced
- Candy Thermometer | If you have seen my previous caramel recipe blog post, you know how crucial candy thermometer's are for creating that desired, chewy, caramel texture. I didn't get one until a few years ago as well, but these thermometers are absolutely essential for making your favorite candies. ;)
Note:
Please invest in thermometers that can attach onto your pots and pans! These are much easier to work with and are made for high temperatures!
- Food Processor (or Blender) | I haven't used a food processor for baking specifically, but they definitely come in handy when making savory dishes. For example, I tried making this amazing Jamie Oliver sauce a few months ago, and using a blender made everything work so fast! We all know that food processors and blenders are essential when it comes to your beloved hummus and pesto sauce~
3. Stand Mixer | Wow. This just reminds me of when I first started baking. Before I got a stand mixer, I did EVERYTHING by hand. Thankfully, my mom was able to get me a kitchenaid for sale and it's made my life so much easier ever since. Though you can do everything by hand, I really suggest that you invest in a stand mixer—especially if you are willing to go deep into the world of advanced cooking recipes. You know... I think you could also get away with a hand mixer, although stand mixer's come with dough hooks and other fancy tools.
I understand that as you get more advanced, the prices of equipment goes up dramatically. I'm not saying that it's not possible to be very advanced without these tools, but as a long lasting investment, I truly believe these tools are very useful.
Thanks... and don't forget to check our my other blog posts or email me with any questions you may have!
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