You definitely don't need a tonne of fancy equipment to get started in the kitchen with baking, it's more about choosing the right stuff to get you on your way to producing brilliant bakes.
Here's our rundown of equipment that we use in the Fundamentals of baking course.
Please note, these are all recommendations to guide you not affiliate links, no one is paying us to promo them basically. We have included an * where equipment is essential for the beginners baking course, if it doesn't have an * then it's not the end of the world if you don't have it but it could be a fun thing to put on your wishlist.
*Kitchen digital scales
A set of reliable scales is really important when baking, the difference between a digital and non digital is pretty big too. It's best to chose digital if you can to be extra precise. Also look out for the max weight that a scale can handle, 2-5kg is pretty good going for home bakes. Microscales are also really handy for small quantities but not necessary for the beginners baking course.
*Spatula
It's good to have a few of these as they are so handy. Brilliant for scraping everything out of the bowl, folding cake batters, cooking custards and more.
*Whisk
A medium sized whisk is all you need for most home bakes. We prefer metal whisks over silicone, just make sure you don't use them in non stick pans!
Chefs knife
Even though this is a kit list for baking, you'll find yourself using knives every now and then. The more comfortable you feel using the knife, the better so it's always good to invest in a few. A large chefs knife is great for portioning cake!
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*Bread knife
These can be very sought after in a pastry kitchen, the serrated edge comes in handy when cutting larger cakes and for loaves of bread.
*Grater & microplane
We use the thick side of a grater in this course to grate cold pastry.
Microplanes are brilliant for zesting fruit and grating whole spices sometimes too.
*8 inch tart case
There are so many brilliant tart cases out there, in the course we use the PME one, however many supermarkets also sell good tart cases. A standard one is typically 2cm in height. If the tart case you are using isn't non stick always grease the inside really well and chill it before using.
Nisbets quiche tin (this is the one we use for the baked custard tart in the beginners pastry course)
*8 inch springform cake tin
A sturdy springform cake tin can last for years if looked after properly. In our apple cake video in the beginners pastry course we demo how to line a cake tin to avoid damaging your tin. A springform cake tin is great when you need to gently release a cake from the tin as opposed to turning it out.
8 inch cake tin/ sandwich tin
These are good for smaller cakes or when you are making multiple layers as they are not too high.
*Mixing bowls
A few mixing bowls in varied sizes will get used over and over again, it's definitely worth having a few. Dishwasher proof if you've got one too, to save on all of that washing up!
Stand mixer/ *electric whisk
It's not crucial to own a stand mixer especially for the beginners pastry course, the majority of the recipes can be made by hand or using an electric whisk. When you move onto more advanced bakes like brioche and Italian meringue for example, a stand mixer will be your saviour.
A Kitchen aid/Kenwood/Sage mixer are all great
*Small/ Medium saucepan
There are so many brands out there, we like to buy ours from Nisbets, John Lewis, Lakeland etc
We have some photos of the pots we use on the cooking course kit list blog if you want to see the ones we have.
*Large saucepan
There are so many brands out there, we like to buy ours from Nisbets, John Lewis, Lakeland etc. We have some photos of the pots we use on the cooking course kit list blog too!
We have Le Creuset pots and Crane cookware pots too - we love them both!
Temperature probe
This is not totally essential when you're just starting out or for the beginners pastry course but it does come in really handy when you need to check the temperature of things like sugar syrups and custards.
Measuring spoons
It's great to have a set of these in the kitchen to make sure any tsp, tbsp measurements are accurate and also quick
*Pastry brush
A pastry brush will come in really handy when baking, for egg washing, garnishing and more. It's also really good practice to keep one for wet things and one for dry work like dusting gold powder..!
*Sieve
Having a set of sieves for baking is great, ideally metal and not plastic as anything hot will melt the plastic. Always dry these thoroughly, it will help to maintain them for longer.
Apple corer
This is not necessary for pastry but it's a nice tool to have if you want to work with apples and want a cleanly removed core. An apple corer can also double up to help remove the core from small cakes
Cutters
A set of biscuit cutters are really useful for... biscuits and for other shapes, you'll find yourself using them more often that not. Metal ones are great but make sure you dry them immediately after washing otherwise they risk spoiling. Plastic are good too however sometimes it's a bit tricky to get a nice clean edge.
*Peeler
Great for fruit and other bits for garnishing
*Wooden spoon/heat proof spoons
Wooden spoons are good if you're beating ingredients in a bowl, a heatproof spoon is great for anything that requires cooking over the stove.
Step & straight palette knife
These can be used to help move cakes around, spread buttercream, lift delicate things up etc etc! We like having a mini one on hand as well as larger versions
*Dariole moulds
AKA pudding moulds, these are what we use in the beginners baking course for our crème caramel. These can also be used for steamed sponge puddings and panna cotta's.
