13 Essential Baking Tools for Breads, Cakes, and More, According to Professional Bakers

There's never a wrong time for a baking project: Whether you're craving pies packed with summer fruit, pillowy rolls for Thanksgiving, or simply a late-night batch of chocolate chip cookies, making your own sweet and savory treats from scratch soothes the stomach and the soul. Of course, to have a successful baking project you need the right tools. From scales to Dutch ovens to baking sheets and much more, the right tools help you make your baked goods to an exact science.

To learn the must-have bakeware, gadgets, and utensils home cooks need to tackle any project that goes in the oven, we researched the top options, considering their ease of use, durability, cleanup, and overall value, and asked professional bakers and cookbook authors from across the country for their recommendations. Tools like the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Scale with Pull-Out Digital Display are a must-have for any baker. Read on to discover the best baking tools available.

Erin McDowell, the author of The Fearless Baker and The Book on Pie, says a food scale "is one of those tools that people think is expensive, but really you can get a solid quality one for about $25, and it's well worth the investment. All baking is more accurate when you use weight rather than volume measures — plus since you can measure right into the mixing bowl, it often means less dishes, too!"

We love this digital option from OXO because it's accurate, durable, and looks great on the counter. Made from sturdy stainless steel with a pull-out display, this scale is designed for easy reading. It can display ounces, pounds, grams, or kilograms, and measures in 0.1-ounce/1-gram measurements for greater accuracy. Its maximum weight capacity is 11 pounds, and there is an indicator on the display to let you know how much capacity is left when you are measuring.

Other great features include a zeroing function for taring and a 32-minute timer that keeps your measurements displayed. The plate removes for easy cleanup when you're done, and its slim profile makes it easy to store. Overall, this is a reliable scale that will give you a strong start on your next baking project.

To buy: OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Scale with Pull-Out Digital Display, $50 at amazon.com and bedbathandbeyond.com

"Naturally! A can't-do-without item for baking my recipes in Flour Water Salt Yeast. It solves the steam problem in home ovens and is the ideal way to get craft-bakery quality crust color and texture in bread you bake at home." —Ken Forkish, James Beard award-winning author of Flour Water Salt Yeast and owner of Ken's Artisan Bakery

To buy: 4.5-Quart Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven, $335 at amazon.com and surlatable.com

"A loaf pan is great for making sandwich loaves, brioches, and babkas. USA pans are my favorite, nothing sticks to them and they are extremely durable, and their corners don't end up tearing your breads like some cheaper lower quality pans do. I use the medium size, which is slightly bigger than the small loaf pan." —Bonnie Ohara, author of Bread Baking for Beginners and owner of Alchemy Bread Company

To buy: USA Pan Loaf Pan, $23 at amazon.com

"For focaccia, fougasse, ficelles, and cinnamon rolls too any half sheet pan will do, but USA pan is the best." —Ohara

To buy: USA Pan Loaf Pan, $20 (originally $25) at amazon.com and $22 at williams-sonoma.com

"I strongly believe that everyone needs to try out a bunch of different types of rolling pins to find out what feels most comfortable for you. I collect vintage rolling pins of all sorts and it's kind of gotten out of control, but this simple, heavy model is my go-to."  —Shauna Sever, author of Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland

To buy: J.K. Adams Dowel Rolling Pin, $31 at amazon.com

"My most used tool for sure, I like them in a variety of sizes (small are great for cleaning out jars, medium ones for scraping a mixing bowl, large ones for folding cake batters). I suggest looking for spatulas that are all one piece, rather than those that have a head that attaches onto a handle—they are easier to clean and also sturdier/last longer!" —McDowell

To buy: Oxo Good Grips White Silicone Spatulas, $7 to $9 at amazon.com or bedbathandbeyond.com

"The offset is perfect for leveling batters and spreading frostings and fillings obviously, but it's also handy for loosening edges on baked goods and for pressing crumb and shortbread crusts down evenly and into touch to reach corners. It's one of those tools that you'll find indispensable once you have one." —Samantha Seneviratne, author or The Joys of Baking and The New Sugar and Spice

To buy: Ateco Offset Wood Handle Icing Spatula, $7 at amazon.com

"I can hardly think of a more important tool in my kitchen when it comes to baking. I abhor overbaked sweets and treats—dry cakes and crispy, overdone cookies and cream pies with cracks...and although I will admit to liking slightly under-baked cookies, no one likes to bite into a biscuit that is still raw in the middle. So, I depend on my oven thermometer to ensure that my oven is at the temp I need it to be…I  now know that my own oven is 30 degrees off and accommodate for that whenever I turn it on." —Jessie Sheehan, author of The Vintage Baker and Icebox Cakes

To buy: Taylor TruTemp Oven Dial Cooking Thermometer, $6 at amazon.com and bedbathandbeyond.com

"Time and temperature are two variables that matter. It isn't hard to use, and allows you to have consistent, dependable bakes. If your dough at the end of the mix is the same temperature as what I recommend (and I tell you how to get there), then you can follow the recipe schedules with confidence. —Forkish

To buy: Thermopro TP03 Instant Read Digital Meat Thermometer, $14 (originally $30) at amazon.com

"My favorite way to shape cookie dough. You can drop them right onto a baking sheet with a scoop to freeze for later, and the scoop makes sure every cookie is a similar size and nice and round." —Cynthia Chen McTernan, author of A Common Table: 80 Recipes and Stories from My Shared Cultures

To buy: Zyliss Right Scoop, $13 at amazon.com

"A big, voluminous whisk is great for tasks like whipping eggs or heavy cream—but a good whisk also can do the job of a sifter for dry ingredients, too!"  —McDowell

To buy: Oxo Good Grips 11-Inch Balloon Whisk, $10 at amazon.com and bedbathandbeyond.com

"My mother-in-law introduced these to me for cutting galbi and chewy noodles when serving, and they have changed my life. They're just as good for baking as for cooking! You can use them for everything from cutting cinnamon rolls to neater slices of galettes or pizzas." —Chen McTernan

To buy: Wüsthof Pull-Apart Shears, $20 (originally $30) at wiliams-sonoma.com and amazon.com

"I have a bunch of stainless steel ones, with both plastic and wood handles, and I love them all. So great for everything from dividing dough to portioning bars and biscuits, transferring chopped chocolate and nuts into a mixing bowl, and of course, cleaning off your work surface quickly." —Sever

To buy: Norpro Stainless Steel Scraper/Chopper, $6 at amazon.com and bedbathandbeyond.com