Baking

Couplers are optional tools for your pastry bags that allow you to switch pastry tips after the filling is placed into a pastry bag. Pastry tips can be still used without using a coupler, but you will lose the chance to change tips after the pastry bag is filled (because prior to filling you will need to slide onto a pastry bag).

Any good pastry tip set has at least one to two couplers included in packaging, but it is still good to purchase at least one or two extra in case the plastic part of your original coupler’s breaks. Since the pastry tips are coming in 3 major sizes (small, medium, and large) make sure that you buy a coupler of the same size to match your pastry tip.

Read more about pastry tips here.

Read more about pastry bags here.
See section “How to Work with a Pastry Bag” here.

A disher (with a trigger) is sometimes called an ice cream scoop or a scoop with a trigger or ice cream scoops/dishers.

Most of us have a disher at home for ice cream serving, but they are very good for multiple other tasks. A disher helps you to increase your speed and productivity in the kitchen by having uniformed portions with minimum effort and without needing a scale!

They are extremely easy to use for scooping ingredients and releasing thanks to the trigger (does not apply for triggerless ones).

The best for any household would be to have a combination of 3 of the most useful sizes: 1 OZ, 2 OZ, and 4 OZ or 5.33 OZ.

1 OZ disher is best for:

1. Scooping and portioning cookie dough
2. Scooping and portioning deli salads or spreads right on the bread
3. Scooping smaller meatballs
4. Scooping and portioning sour cream (for example, on the top of a soup

2 OZ disher is best for:

1. Scooping and portioning larger meatballs
2. Scooping perfect portions of ice cream
3. Scooping and portioning smaller portions of potato salad
4. Scooping and portioning cookie dough for jumbo cookies
5. Scooping batter for regular cupcakes or muffins

4 OZ or 5.33 OZ disher is best for:

1. Scooping and portioning regular portions of potato salad
2. Creating unified burger patties for beef, veggie, or salmon burgers (and other burgers too)
3. Scooping batter for large cupcakes or muffins
4. Scooping jumbo portions of ice cream

The selection of material is your choice but selecting NSF certified products suitable for restaurants will give you higher durability and a longer lifetime.

A stainless-steel dough cutter is a very effective tool especially for portioning dense dough, ie., pasta dough. It can also be used for shaping and manipulating all other dough, such as bread dough.

However, if you have a denser dough, you can substitute this tool with a knife, but this cutter affords you even more opportunities than a knife. You can use a stainless-steel dough cutter to manipulate your ingredients, shape dough, etc. And keep in mind that the stainless-steel dough cutter is sharp, so it can damage your countertop.

I would recommend this tool only to those who are very frequent bakers– to all others, I would recommend purchasing more bowl scrapers.

When you work with yeasty dough, you need a place to let your dough rise to get volume. The easiest is to use a bowl from your kitchen mixer if it is big enough, if the recipe allows you, and if you are not going to need your kitchen mixer bowl anytime soon.

If you need to find an alternative solution for a kitchen mixer bowl, you can use a regular mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap. This will work well but it is not too elegant of a solution since it is not stackable and it is harder to place it into the oven to rise if needed.

Best for proofing dough is to select a professional see-through container (sometimes called a rising bucket) with gradation and with the lid (often sold separately). These are the main advantages:

• The lid will allow you to close it easily without using plastic film.
• It is stackable and more convenient to fit into the oven in comparison to a mixing bowl.
• Because it is see-through and has gradations, it is super easy to monitor the progress of the dough rising (if the dough has doubled or tripled).
• If not used for rising, it can be also used like a practical food container.

How to select the best rising bucket?

• Always select NSF certified which will provide you with better performance and higher durability.
• Always select BPA free to make sure that you are not going to expose your body to chemicals present in non-BPA free containers. BPA containers are usually only partially see-through, but it will still provide you with good enough visibility of the contents.
• Make sure to buy one with matching lids (lids often sold separately).
• Buy square containers since it is more space efficient than round versions.
• The size and amount should match your baking habits, but it is always good to have a slightly bigger version that is a size of your dough after rising to make sure that your dough will have “no chance to escape”. Best is to have at least one 6 QT that will satisfy your needs for most baking requirements. If you bake as much as I do, you may also want to consider adding a 12 QT container that will be great for rising up to 3 larger bread doughs at one time or any other larger quantity of dough.

Icing spatulas are sometimes called cake spatulas and are very important to properly decorate cakes as well as performing other tasks in the kitchen. I like to use mine to also collect freshly cut cookies from the countertop (before baking when they are fragile) or to prepare crepes on my crepe maker.

Flat icing spatulas are made in multiple sizes anywhere from 4” up to 14”. Most important is to have a 12” spatula because it is large enough to comfortably decorate a whole cake and also have one small 6” spatula that will be very convenient for any other applications.

You should purchase commercial versions since they last significantly longer than those made just for household use.

A self-standing kitchen mixer is an essential tool in any kitchen. It’s great not just for bakers but for everyday cooking as well. There are a lot of different brands out there, and if your budget is tight or your space is limited, a hand mixer makes a perfectly reasonable stand-in.

Self-standing mixers generally last far longer than inexpensive hand mixers. They’re built from better materials and have stronger motors. The other real advantage is that you don’t have to hold them while they work, which frees you up to do three other things at once — and in a home kitchen, that matters more than any spec on the box.

I’ve worked with a lot of different mixers over the years, and KitchenAid is the brand I recommend. They’re well built, they hold their value, and they’re by far the most versatile: with additional attachments you can turn one machine into a juicer, a pasta roller, a grinder, a sheet cutter. That saves both money and counter space, which in most kitchens is the scarcer of the two.

Which KitchenAid to buy

Cooking for a small family, or working to a budget? Buy the Classic. The bowl is smaller at 4.5 quarts, but the motor is genuinely capable and it’s the least expensive machine in the range. It does the same work as the more expensive models, just in smaller batches. For most households this is the right answer, and I say that having owned one for years.

My first KitchenAid was a Classic, and it went through four years of extremely heavy use — including in my restaurant — before a gear inside gave out. That sounds like a complaint, but it’s the opposite: the replacement gear cost ten dollars, the repair took about half an hour with the help of a video, and the machine has worked like new ever since. Very few appliances at any price are that easy to bring back.

If your budget is more relaxed, the Artisan adds roughly $100 for a slightly stronger motor, half a quart more bowl, a bowl handle, a splash guard and a much wider colour selection. Honestly, the mechanical difference is small. If you want a specific colour, buy it — that’s a legitimate reason. If you’re buying on performance, the Classic gets you there and the splash guard costs about ten dollars separately.

If you cook a lot, bake a lot, or feed a larger household, the Commercial is the one. It’s NSF-certified, genuinely durable, and a pleasure to work with — powerful motor, consistent mixing, and no fuss. The 8-quart bowl lets me run a double batch of bread in one go, which changes how I plan a baking day. It’s still compact enough for a home kitchen, and all the standard attachments fit (the splash guard is the exception). Considering the build, the capacity and the certification, the price is fair. This is the best KitchenAid I’ve owned and I expect it to outlast everything else in the house.

The Artisan Mini I’d skip. It costs about $60 more than the Classic for the same motor and a 3.5-quart bowl that’s too small for most jobs, and it isn’t meaningfully smaller on the counter. If the compact look is what you want, that’s a fair reason to buy one — just go in knowing what you’re getting.

A note on the Professional line

I should be straightforward about this, because it shaped my recommendations for a long time. Some years ago I had a run of persistent problems with the Professional 600 — enough units, returned and replaced, that I stopped recommending that line entirely and steered people to the Classic or the Commercial instead.

That experience is now several product generations old, and I haven’t tested a current Professional, so I’m not going to tell you it’s the same machine I had trouble with. It very likely isn’t. What I can tell you is what I know first-hand: the Classic and the Commercial have both been excellent for me, and those are the two I can recommend from direct, long-term use. If you’re considering the Professional today, look for recent owner reports rather than mine.

What’s good about KitchenAid

• They’re very space efficient for what they do.
• The attachment ecosystem is enormous. One machine and a hub becomes a grinder, a pasta roller, a juicer, a sheet cutter — which saves both money and counter space.
• They’re often discounted. They look expensive at list price, but I’ve bought the basic model for under $200 during promotions more than once. Watch for sales rather than paying full price.
• They last. Not forever, but longer and under heavier use than most of what they compete with, which makes them cheaper over the life of the machine.
• They’re easy and inexpensive to repair. Parts are widely available at fair prices, the work is straightforward, and there are video tutorials for essentially every job. That repairability is one of the strongest arguments for the brand.

Attachments included in the box

Most stand mixers come with three attachments:

• Whisk attachment (read more here)
• Flat beater attachment (read more here)
• Dough hook attachment (read more here)

Some also include a splash guard (read more here).

The loaf pan. That rectangular workhorse, often tucked away in the back of a cupboard, might not be the flashiest piece of kitchen equipment. It doesn’t boast the high-tech features of a stand mixer or the sleek design of a chef’s knife. Yet, this unassuming vessel is responsible for a wide array of culinary delights, from fluffy quick breads and yeasted loaves to hearty meatloaves and decadent terrines. Let’s take a deep dive into the world of the loaf pan, exploring its history, versatility, and the nuances that make it an indispensable tool for any home cook.

A History Baked In

The concept of baking in a contained vessel dates back to ancient times. Early civilizations used clay pots and molds to cook food over open fires. The modern loaf pan, however, can trace its lineage more directly to the development of bread baking as a specialized craft. As bread became a staple food, bakers sought ways to create consistent shapes and textures. The rectangular form of the loaf pan allowed for even heat distribution and easy slicing, leading to its widespread adoption.

Over the centuries, the loaf pan evolved. Early versions were made from materials like earthenware and tin. The advent of industrialization brought about mass production, with materials like aluminum and steel becoming commonplace. Today, loaf pans are available in a wide variety of materials, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Material Matters: Choosing the Right Loaf Pan

The material can significantly impact the outcome of your baked goods. Here’s a breakdown of the most common options:

• Aluminum: A popular choice due to its excellent heat conductivity, aluminum loaf pans heat up quickly and evenly, resulting in a well-browned crust. They are also lightweight and affordable. However, they can react with acidic ingredients, potentially imparting a metallic taste.
• Anodized Aluminum: This type of aluminum undergoes a process that creates a harder, non-reactive surface. It retains the excellent heat conductivity of regular aluminum while being more durable and resistant to scratching and staining.
• Steel: Known for its durability and even heating, steel versions are a reliable choice. They can withstand high temperatures and are less prone to warping than aluminum. However, they can be heavier and may take slightly longer to heat up.
• Glass: Glass version offer excellent visibility, allowing you to monitor the browning process. They heat up gradually and retain heat well. However, they are more fragile than metal pans and can be prone to thermal shock if exposed to sudden temperature changes.
• Ceramic: Similar to glass, ceramic versions are attractive and provide even heating. They are also non-reactive, making them suitable for acidic ingredients. However, like glass, they are susceptible to breakage and require careful handling.
• Silicone: Relatively new to the scene, silicone versions are prized for their non-stick properties and flexibility. They are also easy to clean and store. However, they can sometimes lack the structural support needed for certain recipes, and some bakers find they don’t brown as effectively as metal pans.

Size and Shape: Finding the Perfect Fit

It come in various sizes, with the most common being 9×5 inches, 8.5×4.5 inches, and smaller specialty sizes. The size you choose will depend on the recipe you’re using. Using the wrong size pan can lead to an overcooked or undercooked loaf.

While the standard rectangular shape is most prevalent, there are also variations like Pullman pans, which feature straight sides and a lid, resulting in a square loaf with a fine crumb, perfect for sandwiches.

Beyond Bread: The Versatility of the Loaf Pan

While synonymous with bread baking, its utility extends far beyond yeasted loaves. Its rectangular shape and even heating make it ideal for a wide range of dishes:

• Quick Breads: Banana bread, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread – these moist and flavorful treats are a loaf pan staple.
• Meatloaf: The loaf pan’s shape is perfect for shaping and baking a classic meatloaf, ensuring even cooking and easy slicing.
• Terrines and Pâtés: These elegant appetizers often rely on the loaf pan for their distinctive shape and presentation.
• Cakes: Pound cakes, coffee cakes, and even some layer cakes can be baked in a loaf pan for a unique twist.
• Frozen Desserts: Ice cream cakes, semifreddos, and other frozen treats can be molded and frozen in a loaf pan for easy serving.

Tips for Loaf Pan Success

To get the most out of your loaf pan, keep these tips in mind:

• Grease and Flour: Properly greasing and flouring the pan (or using parchment paper) is essential for preventing sticking and ensuring a clean release.
• Don’t Overfill: Follow the recipe’s instructions regarding batter or dough quantity. Overfilling can result in spillage and uneven baking.
• Cooling Time: Allow your baked goods to cool in the pan for a few minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack. This helps them retain their shape.
• Proper Cleaning: Clean your loaf pan according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Avoid using abrasive cleaners on non-stick surfaces.

Conclusion

It is a true kitchen essential. Its simple design belies its versatility and importance in creating a wide array of culinary creations. From everyday bread to special occasion treats, the loaf pan is a testament to the fact that sometimes, the simplest tools are the most indispensable. So, the next time you reach for your trusty loaf pan, take a moment to appreciate its history, its versatility, and the delicious possibilities it holds. You might just find yourself inspired to try something new and expand your culinary horizons, one loaf at a time.

Measuring cups are very essential in any kitchen. They are great for wet and dry measuring of your ingredients.

If you want to make processes in your kitchen even smoother, you should have at least two sets of measuring cups with the idea to have one set for wet ingredients and the second for dry.

Each good measuring cup set should include the sizes ¼, 1/3, ½, and 1 cup. If you do a lot of baking, you can also consider buying some which measure up to 2 cups (sold separately).

You can buy measuring cups from the material you prefer. I would recommend stainless steel versions for higher durability.

The selection of material is your choice, but selecting a professional grade will give you higher durability and a longer lifetime.

This clear plastic measuring pitcher (sometimes called a measuring plastic cup) is very convenient for measuring liquid ingredients, and can be used for even more than that. I also use mine for preparing dressings (in combination with an immersion blender) or for prepping egg brush before brushing my buns.

You can purchase multiple sizes, but most convenient for households will be 4 Cup large.

This clear measuring pitcher enables you to easily see your contents and levels reached (amount).

The selection of material is your choice, but selecting an NSF certified product suitable for restaurants will give you higher durability and a longer lifetime.