What are the essential tools that should absolutely be in the kitchen of passionate bread makers like us?
Hello guys and girls, today we won’t be talking about those expensive tools that we all desire (or have painstakingly acquired) like the professional oven or the super-performing mixer. Today, we’ll talk about those small, incredibly useful essential tools that help us in our passion every day.
When I first started my breadmaking adventure, I thought I needed to buy a mixer, an oven, or at least a stand mixer… Then, looking around, I realized I didn’t even have the basic tools yet. My baking trays were very cheap, the containers were of the wrong shapes and sizes, and I was using low-quality rolling pins and cookie cutters
This topic is often underestimated. It’s much more exciting to watch a YouTube video where you’re shown how to use a stand mixer, a spiral mixer, or even how to set an oven.
But in reality, the right tool really makes a difference. It becomes an extension of our hands, allowing us to work neatly and achieve better results.
That’s why I’ve decided to show you the 5 essential tools to start or continue working best in your home bakery.
The Scrapers
The most underestimated tool of all is definitely the scrapers. I use three different sizes of them to work at my best:
- One large one to help me with the dough on the countertop
- a small one for scoring, which means dividing the dough into portions or handling the rolls
- and a curved one for cleaning the bowls of the stand mixer or planetary mixer.
The carafes
I don’t like transparent carafes, usually fragile and of little use, since the ingredients, including water, need to be weighed anyway.
The important thing is that they are super resistant, do not stain, can be washed in the dishwasher, and are easy to use.
The containers
I’ve dedicated both a video (here is the link) and an article on the blog (you can read it here) to the containers.
Briefly, they should be transparent, with perpendicular walls, and the right size.
The pizza pans
To bake our pizzas, you can use non-stick or disposable pans, especially if you’re just starting out.
But they don’t last long, and if you do the math, you’d end up spending more over time.
In this case as well, I’ll give you a quick guideline because I’ve written a very detailed article about the pans, which you can find by following this link.
- Aluminum iron pans work very well for anything that needs to rise inside them.
- Blue iron pans, on the other hand, are used for all those pizzas that are rolled out, placed in the pan, and baked immediately.
The grills
Among the essential tools in our home bakery, pizza cooling racks are a must-have to cool the pizza once it’s taken out of the oven.
If you’re just starting out, I would tend to use the oven racks, but often you need them for actual baking, and over time, it becomes inconvenient and cumbersome to use them.
Having dedicated racks for cooling pizzas is extremely convenient and functional. Plus, since they are also oven-safe, you can use them for a wide range of preparations.
The pizza peels
Expensive peels are only necessary for Neapolitan pizza. For all other preparations, a wooden peel works just fine.
For bread, pizza on a peel, or anything else you want to put in the oven, even just for reheating, a reasonably sized wooden peel can really make a difference and assist you in challenging moments.
In conclusion
What we’ve talked about today may seem trivial, but it’s those small and simple tips that make the difference between working well and orderly and creating a disaster.
I hope I’ve provided you with some interesting insights, and if you enjoyed the article, I’ve also made a video on my YouTube channel about it. You can watch it by clicking here.
…And now knead, enjoy and taste!
Rudy
