[SlinkyMalinki]

What would be on your list of essential things to have in your kitchen for baking? I don't really bake, but want to get into it, and plan on getting a few new bits and pieces for the kitchen this year.

[Chelara]

Mixing bowls, spatula, measuring spoons cup and jug, scales, pastry brush, rolling pin, tins, cookie sheets, mixer (hand held is fine), a strainer to use as a sifter or a sifter.

[ubermum]

Oven
Kitchenaid (optional)
Thermomix (optional)
Baking trays/tins
Silicone baking mat (makes rolling out less messy)
Rolling pin
Assorted cutters
Pastry brush
Piping equipment
Measuring equipment
Whisk
Beater
Spoons
spatulas of all sizes
palette knives in differing sizes
Baking paper
Cooking Spray
Assorted flours
Assorted sugars
Baking powder, Bicarb soda
Yeast
Assorted size mixing bowls
Vinegar
Cream of tarter
Spices- nutmeg cinnamon, vanilla pods, vanilla extract/paste

This post has been edited by ubermum: 10/01/2013, 11:24 AM

[*LucyE*]

Buy it as your recipes require. Think of the things you'd most likely bake and go from there.

I have built up quite a cache over the years but most of the things an average baker would not require.

Muffins require only a mixing bowl, muffin tin (or just foil/silicon cases on a tray), and a spatula.

I use a simple chocolate cake recipe that is a all in one pan mix so doesn't even need a mixing bowl. I like to use a balloon whisk for that but a wooden spoon works well too.

Once you work out what you need, I can give recommendations of the best brands to buy. Eg. I have tried a few silicon spatulas but I think the Tupperware one is the best. I use Pyrex bowls because they are non reactive. I love my Kitchen Aide but it is t a necessity.

[kandj]

Essentials for me would be:

A mixer of some variety, hand held or standard.

A spatula

mixing bowl ( any bowl thats big enough to mix in)

unsalted butter

flour

bicarb and baking powder

caster or brown sugar

oh and eggs.

and a decent cookie tray or cake tin.

and airing rack.

But as PP said, start with a recipe you want to try and just build up from there with what you will need...

[Bluenomi]

Baking paper is a must. I use it for everything. Line tine and trays to save on washing and to make them non stick, roll pastry/dough out between to sheets of it instead of covering you bench with flour.

Beside that buy things as you need them. Not everyone will use cookies cutters,palette knives or six different types of spatulas.

[noi'mnot]

Some basics for beginning baking (you'll probably already have some of these things):

2-3 mixing bowls, varying sizes.
A whisk
Wooden spoons
Spatula
Sieve or really fine colander thing for sifting (not that I ever bother that much...)
Baking trays
Cooling rack
Baking paper
Also muffin trays, cake pans, cookie cutters, etc depending on what you want to bake.


Basic ingredients would include:
SR, plain and wholemeal flour
Brown (I normally just have the very darkest brown I can find, don't go for types), white, caster, icing sugar
Vanilla extract or paste
Eggs
Bicarb soda
Butter


Also, get some good reliable cook books. I always find the good old Women's Weekly ones great for baking, they're very reliable and usually not too complicated.

Enjoy!

[twinboys]

What do you want to bake?

biscuits
cakes
pies/tarts
muffins

These all require different tins and trays this is one of the big upfront cost.

I love using spring form cake tins. You can use them for all cakes, flans, tarts and pies- baked and non baked. You can buy many different sizes and you don't have to worry about cakes sticking to the sides of the tin like traditional tins

A handheld mixer is all I use and they are around $40

I also use a food processor for pastry - I make a lot of my own pastry for sweet pies or tarts. Also works a treat when having to rub butter into the flour which you need to do for scones.

Build up your dry ingredients with proper storage containers - stops weevils etc
You will need things like
SR flour
Flour
Sugar
Caster sugar
Icing sugar
Bi carb soda
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Cocoa
Spices - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice

Other ingredients are sulatanas, dried fruit, nuts and chocolate

Then basics like measure spoons/cups/jugs
A couple of different bowls - good to get a glass or microwave safe one so you can melt chocolate or butter in it
A spoon
A spatula
Oven mitts

[Flibbertigibbert...]

You can make do with the bare basics until you get more of an idea on what you want.
Measuring spoons and cups and I like my pyrex measuring jugs.
Flat edged butter knife or spatula
mixing bowls and a couple of sturdy spoons, you can make do with breaky bowls for melting butter and stuff in the microwave, I prefer to use a glass bowl over a saucepan on the stove for chocolate.
a mixer of some sort would be good, but you can make do with an egg beater until you work out whether you want to buy a hand held (which I think are a PITA) or a stand mixer. It's a good workout for the arms too
I use a metal strainer to sift flours.
whatever size cake tins, biscuit trays. and a decent cooling/airer tray, get one with the wires forming a square shape instead of the wires all running horiztonally.

[Funnington]

My most used utensils and equipment would be:

- Kenwood Kitchenaid
- Muffin Pan (s) - large and mini sized
- Cake pans - square, loaf, round and ring tin (ring tin is a definite for learner's, overcomes sinking cakes!)
- Baking trays
- Whisk
- Wooden spoons
- Tupperware egg separator
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Pastry brushes (get the proper ones, I have the silicone ones and they are useless)
- Spatula
- Tupperware sifter - the best!
- Metal skewers
- Stainless steel mixing bowls (K-Mart have a really cheap three piece set, they're great)
- Measuring jug
- Kitchen scales (I only have cheap ones, they certainly don't have to be the Rolls Royce scales)
- Rolling pin

I forgot ingredients - everyone has pretty much covered the basics. My number rule though is good quality vanilla extract (not essence).

This post has been edited by Funnington: 10/01/2013, 05:19 PM