6 Kitchen Essentials for Baking: The Top Things You Need in Your Kitchen

If you are a baker at home you need these 6 kitchen essentials.

Measuring Cups. 

This is the most important thing to have in your kitchen if you are a baker. Most recipes need to be precise when it comes to measuring out the ingredients. The great thing about this essential is that you can get a complete set for a good price. For an example, the Dollar Tree sells a 4-Piece Betty Crocker Measuring Cup Set for just a dollar! You can't beat that price. This set comes with the most common sizes of measurements that you'll need including 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and 1/4 cup. If you need more variety of measurements there are other sets available for less than $10 at Bed Bath and Beyond. You'll find some sets will have different features, such as a soft grip or made out of stainless steel, that will make the set cost a little bit more.

Cupcake/Muffin Pan. 

This is an essential that can be used for a couple of different things. First of all it's nearly impossible to make cupcakes without this specific kind of pan. You can get a standard 12 Cupcake/Muffin Panfor under $10 practically anywhere. If you want to spend a little bit more there are some great pans that have unique features, such as being non-stick so you don't need to use cupcake liners. There are even some pans that come with a snap-on carrying lid so you can easily transport you cupcakes or muffins. Besides using this pan for cupcakes or muffins you can also use this pan to set chocolate molds, or for making no-bake cheesecake single served pieces.

Cookie Pan. 

Every kitchen should have one of these regardless if you are a baker or not. There are so many different uses for this type of pan. There's the obvious use for baking cookies, but you can also use it to cook a wide range of foods from baking chicken to quesadillas . You can also even use this type of pan to catch any overflow while baking pies. These particular pans can be bought in a set which is great so you can cook two or more pans at a time, saving time and energy.

Mixing Bowls. 

When you're baking you will most likely have to mix something up. Having a set of mixing bowls of different sizes is great. This helps out so you can mix things separately first and then combine them into a bigger bowl. Some sets are really nice and have a spout to pour your mix built right into the bowl. If you buy a set or buy bowls from the same brand it makes for easy storage as they will most likely fit right into each other. Some things to think about is selecting bowls that are dishwasher safe. It can be hard hand-washing the larger bowls so make sure when you pick bowls out that are dishwasher safe to make for easy clean-up.

Whisk. 

A whisk is a great utensil to have. Bed Bath and Beyond carries a very large assortment of whisks. You need a whisk because a fork just can't get the job done sometimes, this especially rings true for mixing eggs. There are different options when it comes to buying a whisk. Some of them have nicer handles which makes it easier to hold and use. Most whisks are typically made out of stainless steel but some are made out of silicone. It's worth it to spend a couple dollars more for a nice whisk because the cheaper ones do tend to rust over time or when they get washed.

Spatula. 

Another must have kitchen essential for bakers is a spatula. Spatulas are great for getting all of a mix or batter out of a bowl. Spatulas are usually made with wooden handles and silicone heads. These silicone heads can scrape mix or batter off the side of a bowl better than a spoon could ever do. There are different sizes of spatulas and the bigger headed ones are great for thicker batters.