I want to start baking, what equipment do I need?

[Marghe87]

I have always been very bad at baking, mostly because I don't like to follow recipes, end up doing my own thing and it's always a disaster. Now that DD is a toddler though, I'd like to start baking (basic stuff) with her, it can be a lot of fun. So, what do I need as a starter kit? I don't think I even own a spatula, just a couple of wooden spoons I use for normal cooking.

All I have is: a muffins tin, an electric hand mixer (not even sure that's how it's called) a plum cake mould. Ah and also an electric scale that is a bit dodgy and doesn't always work, not sure it's a battery issue, it's very old.

I am thinking I need some cookie cutters to make biscuits with DD, but what about the rest? A surface I can use to spread the dough on? Tools? Do I need an apron? Measuring cups etc?

Help me please! :)

Working scales.
I have measuring cups but don't use them much - it depends on the recipes you use.
Mixing bowl.
You can spread dough on the kitchen surface but you'll need a rolling pin, and a baking try to cook them on.
I'd get a tray bake tin for things like brownies, flapjacks as they are easy and good for small children to help with.
I also have cake tins for round cakes eg Victoria sponge sandwich cakes. These are easy to make as well.

I don't have any particularly fancy tools. You can use a metal spoon for mixing cake, a knife to spread icing,

I'd get a decent scale and a rolling pin and you can make biscuits. Roll it on your work surface, cleaned obviously. Baking tray if you haven't got one. You can use a jam jar to mark out biscuits or roll into balls and press with a fork which would make use of the rolling pin unnecessary.

store cupboard with the basics

• flour (plain & self raising)
• sugar (white & light brown)
• baking powder
• butter
• eggs
• mixed spice / cinnamon

equipment

• large & small mixing bowls
• good electric scales. you can measure liquids with your scale - 100ml = 100grams for milk / water and that is more accurate than a measuring jug
• rolling pin
• greaseproof paper
• flat oven tray for biscuits
• oven tray with a 3-5cm rim for cake (or round cake tin)
• rubber spatula for mixing
• thin metal spatula for lifting dough or biscuits off the tray - must be very thin bendy metal
• electric hand held mixer is v useful

Get the "I can cook" BBC series cookbook for simple recipes for kids. Don't use complex american recipes found on google with measures in Cups - they probably won't work.

You can wing it with savoury things (like stews( but you need to be more precise with baking. If you don't follow recipes then the right chemistry won't happen.

I don't use cups (American invention), I weigh things. Do you have a measuring jug for liquid measures.

You also want a thing that seems to go by a variety of names (muffin tin, bun tin, sandwich tin) but its function is to take a batch of small items (eg tarts, fairy cakes, mini-muffins).
I like the deep-fill ones.

I second the recommendation for 'I can cook' above, explains it in simple steps designed to be followed by the child.
Pick something you like the look of and then add the equipment (and ingredients) you need. A mixing bowl and reliable scales are a must, but there is no point for example in buying a complete set of sandwich baking tins if all you want to make for now are cupcakes...

Thank you, I will have a look at the book you are recommending :)

Any other tips, please feel free to add!

Confirming the need for digital scales.

So much more accurate and for an inexperienced baker, following tried and tested recipes to the detail is more likely to result in something good.

I like silicon muffin cases, means you don't have to worry about running out and they wash well in the dishwasher. Then measuring spoons, digital scales, mixing bowl and you're sorted.

These scales are reasonably priced, and accurate, I think.

Salter 1240 SSDR Geo Digital Kitchen Scales, Electronic Food Weighing, Stainless Steel Cooking Scale, LCD Display, Touch-Sensitive, Add & Weigh, Easy Clean, Imperial/Metric, Silver amzn.eu/d/c0dgBfN

A spatula, and if you want to bake bread, a loaf tin (doubles for some cakes) and a dough scraper. Here's an ok cheap set

LUTER 2pcs 12x9.5cm/4.72x3.74" Dough Scraper Plastic Pastry Cutter Bowl Scrapers Dough Bread Cutters for Cake Decorating Baking (Green, White) amzn.eu/d/ee6mRGZ

Also a silicone brush is useful, if you don't have one.

I'd also have a few sizes cake tins and a tin for muffins or fairy cakes/cupcakes.

Some paper cake cases.

You definitely need a spatula! I assume you mean the rubbery thing used to scrape bowls clean and not a "lifter" implement, which is what the British mean when they say "spatula".

My mum was an excellent baker and she loved the silicon "spoontula" types which are even better, a mixing spoon and scraper in one.

If you are making muffins, get a large ice cream scoop and use the large tulip muffin cases (inside your muffin tin).

Oh, and always use real vanilla extract, not artificial vanilla flavoring. The difference is enormous!

Happy baking! I (now in my 50s)have on display in my kitchen a very small rolling pin that I used when baking with my mum as a child. She would give me the leftover bits of pastry from a pie crust and I would roll them out for dog biscuits. (Oh to go back there for a day!)

You need self discipline to follow recipes! Baking is a much more exact science than general cooking and relies on chemical reactions, so if the chemicals aren’t right, the end result won’t be what you’re looking for!

We have a hand held electric mixer, I call it an old fashioned one

We talked about getting a keyword which would help but I prefer using a bowl and a wooden spoon/spatula type baking though

We use 2 same size small round tins, 2 muffin tins and a few flat ones

We dont use cookies cutters just small mixture then push down with a fork

Second not using US recipes to start.... Even when the use grams because you have to correct for different fat amounts in butter/margarine, milk, egg sizes....

I prefer the hand mixer to the stand mixer for cakes and biscuits.

Musts for me are electronic scales, bowls (I got a fab set of 3 metal ones with silicone non slip bottoms and lids from Aldi.... If you see them get them), rolling pin (straight without the handles so you can roll out wider than the pin), silicone spatula, pastry brush, 2x same size round tins (23cm here but they can be slightly large unless you eat a lot of cake), flat baking sheet, swiss roll tin, muffin tin, balloon whisk and a seive.

To make life easier a roll of baking parchment/ silicone tray liners.

@BootifulLoser thanks for sharing these memories, it’s beautiful that you still display that in your kitchen. My DD is the real reason why I want to become decent at baking really, otherwise I wouldn’t bother.

Thanks all, very useful tips! Next on my list are:

• measuring spoons
• silicone “spatula”
• balloon whisk
• a scale that works😅

Will also eventually buy biscuit cutters and a silicone brush. I have a couple of tins so reckon I am ok for a bit.