What to Buy Bakeware The 11 Best Baking Tools of 2023 We asked a pastry professional to weigh in on her must-have home kitchen essentials, from a digital scale to a stand mixer. By Jennifer Zyman Published on November 3, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews Our Expertise We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Amazon Our labs conduct year-round testing for everything the modern home cook could ever dream of buying, including the best baking tools. Using that data from our labs, feedback from real-world testers, and insights from experts in the field, we’ve come up with our list of the best baking tools for every kitchen. We also spoke with renowned pastry chef Claudia Martinez of Miller Union in Atlanta for her pastry kitchen musts. The James Beard Finalist for 2022 Outstanding Pastry Chef admits she doesn’t spend a lot on fancy products. “People tell me they're not good at baking, and to be honest, I used to not be good at baking,” says Martinez. That was until she discovered baking tools like a digital kitchen scale, which she now uses instead of measuring cups. Making such minor changes helped improve her accuracy and, in turn, built her confidence. “I don’t have a lot of fancy equipment in my kitchen,” says Martinez, though she does have a few tried and true tools that will make any baking project a success. She also provided us with some helpful baking tips and tricks we’ve peppered throughout our list. Read on to ensure you have the best of everything you could ever need for that next baking recipe, whether it is finally conquering sourdough or making cookies and core memories. Plus, we’ve provided links to our full tested roundups if you want to see the data and criteria we used to recommend the tested items. Our Top Picks Best Digital scale: OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale at Amazon Jump to Review Best Stand Mixer: Breville Bakery Chef Stand Mixer at Breville.com Jump to Review Best Bundt Pan: Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Half Sheet Pan: Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet at Amazon Jump to Review Best Cookie Sheet: Vollrath Wear-Ever Cookie Sheet Pan Set at Amazon Jump to Review Best Bread Baking Cloche: Challenger Bread Pan at Challengerbreadware.com Jump to Review Best Immersion Blender: Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer at Amazon Jump to Review Best Blow Torch: Sondiko Butane Torch at Amazon Jump to Review Best Muffin Pan: OXO Nonstick Pro Muffin Pan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Rolling Pin: J.K. Adams Dowel Rolling Pin at Amazon Jump to Review Best Digital scale OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale 4.7 Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Walmart The Oxo Stainless Steel Food Scale is a necessary tool for baking with accuracy. Martinez swears that switching to a scale leveled up her baking. “Home cooks should use a scale because it makes baking a lot less scary and messy,” she says. The stainless steel platform is removable for easy cleaning, and the display gives you more visibility when working with larger bowls. Our testers praised the accuracy with zeroing and unit conversion functions measuring from 0.1 ounces to one metric gram. The battery-powered scale has an automatic shutoff feature, so you don’t need to worry about the battery draining if you move to another task. Price at time of publish: $56 Best Stand Mixer Breville Bakery Chef Stand Mixer 5 Breville View On Breville.com The Breville Bakery Chef looks gorgeous on the countertop while also being super functional. The powerful mixer can achieve stiff peaks on whipped cream in 18 seconds, and it even has presets for the whipped cream and dough. While it doesn’t have the attachments some competitors have, the stand mixer is easy to clean and a powerful machine. Martinez recommends a mixer over a hand mixer for larger format baking projects like cakes. “It can produce better cake batters and whip up your creams faster without you having to do it by hand. It just makes your life easier,” she said. Price at time of publish: $400 Best Bundt Pan Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan 5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Wayfair View On Crate & Barrel The Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Bundt Pan has a cast aluminum body with deeply defined curves and flourishes. It can make up to 15 cups of cake, and our testers loved how easy the handles made getting cakes out of the oven. We also loved how the light-colored finish prevents cakes from getting too brown or dry. While it was the most expensive model in our tests, we still feel the price is worth the exceptional performance this family-owned brand offers. Price at time of publish: $58 Best Half Sheet Pan Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet 5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Wayfair Martinez swears by half-sheet pans for their versatility, and the Nordic Ware Bakers Half Sheet Pan is an excellent choice from a trusted maker. She often uses half-sheet pans for baking sheet cakes by using these smart sheet pan extenders which raise the lip of the pan to increase its versatility. The half-sheet pan is made from aluminum, an industry standard due to its heat tolerance. Since it is commercial quality, these pans don’t warp when exposed to high heat and can evenly cook everything from cookies to roast chicken. Just be sure to wash by hand since aluminum is not dishwasher safe. Price at time of publish: $12 Best Cookie Sheet Vollrath Wear-Ever Cookie Sheet Pan Set 17-Inch X 14-Inch, Natural Finish Aluminum Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart The Vollrath Wear-Ever Cookie Sheet Pan Set comes with two cookie sheets. The pans provide an ideal environment when you want your cookies to have maximum airflow. The 10-gauge aluminum will not warp or buckle during use, so you can bake quick items at high temperatures without worry. We also love the generous lip for grabbing the sheet during those high-temperature bakes to keep our hands safe from burns. It is not dishwasher safe, so wash it by hand. Price at time of publish: $80 Best Bread Baking Cloche Challenger Bread Pan Challenger Breadware View On Challengerbreadware.com The Challenger Bread Pan is the next-level baking cloche for sourdough enthusiasts who are graduating beyond the Dutch oven. Although this cast-iron cloche is incredibly heavy, its weight ensures a tight-fitting lid. The seal provides the perfect environment for getting that coveted oven spring on your loaf and a great crumb. If you want to mimic a steam oven, popping an ice cube in with your loaf while it bakes will yield magical results. The substantial handles on each side make it easy to uncover the cloche during baking without burning your hands. Price at time of publish: $300 Best Immersion Blender Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer 5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Walmart The Breville Handy Mix Scraper was our Best Overall pick in our tests for its functionality, versatility, and durability. When you don’t want to lug the heavy stand mixer out of your cabinet and a whisk isn’t quite powerful enough, this is the tool for the job. The lightweight mixer has a powerful motor and built-in light for increased visibility. The powerful motor is still quiet and easy to handle even when maxed out, and the mixer comes with accessories like dough hooks, balloon whisks, and a case that snaps on to make storage simple and tidy. Price at time of publish: $150 Best Blow Torch Sondiko Butane Torch 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon Martinez recommends a blow torch such as the Sondiko Butane Torch S400 for home cooks. Aside from torching creme brulee, the pastry chef also uses it to warm her mixing bowls before adding cold butter to help it reach room temperature faster. This professional-grade model easily stands up on its own without tipping over and also has a safety lock. It is easy to use one-handed, so you can effortlessly torch your ham glaze and also use it for craft projects or to light a campfire. Price at time of publish: $30 Best Muffin Pan OXO Nonstick Pro 12-Cup Muffin Pan 5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Home Depot The Oxo Good Grips Non-Stick Muffin Pan is larger than others on the market, but it’s also incredibly durable. The extra width makes it easier to handle in and out of the oven, and the nonstick coating allows you to cook everything from muffins to meatloaves without worrying about the release. Everything cooks evenly due to the construction. It isn’t dishwasher safe, but it is effortless to clean with hot soapy water. Price at time of publish: $28 Best Rolling Pin J.K. Adams Dowel Rolling Pin 4.7 Sur La Table View On Amazon View On Wayfair View On Sur La Table The J.K. Adams Maple Plain Rolling Dowel is as simple as it gets, but the simplicity of the American-made maple dowel is equally matched by its versatility. Whether it is big batches of holiday cookie dough or getting crackers super thin for extra crunch, this rolling pin does it all. The unfinished matte surface holds a coating of flour well. This means there is less tearing and sticking, no matter what the dough is underhand. The dowel also comes with spacers so the dough can be rolled to a precise thickness. Price at time of publish: $25 Best Immersion Blender Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Breville.com The Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender won during our in-house tests. Testers loved its powerful motor and ease of use. Martinez relies on an immersion blender for ganaches, mirror glazes, whipped creams, and jams. “I think it's foolproof. When you make the ganache, it helps ensure the chocolate and cream won't break apart and that everything is incorporated evenly.” The 15-speed Breville will help you do all of the above with precision and minimal mess. It was the only immersion blender in our tests that could handle more delicate tasks like pureeing soup and crushing chia seeds in smoothies with ease. Price at time of publish: $130 Our Expertise Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Commerce Writer for Food & Wine and a recovering restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. To write this story, she used research and expert advice from Claudia Martinez, lead pastry chef at Miller Union and James Beard nominee. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit