Basic accessories in Baking!

Baking and cake decorating needs lots and lots of tools, equipments and accessories. However, you would not need them all in the begininning. Here we tried to come up with a list that contains the minimum basic tools that would help you with the start. Later we would probably come upo with blogs containing shopping tips for each type and also blogs about more advanced ones. So, let's the fun begin. (The context here is mainly Bangladesh)

Oven

You definitely need some kind of oven to start with. You can use Electric oven, Gas oven, Dutch oven and Microwave oven with convection etc. However, if you are new, the most cost effective and the efficient one will be an electric Oven. 

Where to find them: You can have an idea about the available oven brands, models and current market prices of different oven models, if take a look here. You can visit the respective electrnics show rooms or else go to some superstores that show cases them. Until you want to do large scale baking, you wouldn't really need a gas oven. If you still want to go for one, you can look for them in Miyako, Kenwood/Delongi outlets and some electronics outlets in Gulshan 1 (Navana tower and DCC market).

Electric Oven

Microwave oven with Convection

Gas oven

Measurement Sets

This is probably the first“thing” to buy if you want to start baking. You need measurement spoons as well as measurement cups to have accuracy in measuring ingredients. You can use Stainless Steel (SS) or Plastic measurement cups and spoons as they work accurately with much ease while cleaning and stays for a long time.
Where to find them: Some supershops have them. However, they are more readily available in baking equipments stores located in Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Measuring Spoons and Cups

Electronic/ Digital or Manual Scale
Any of them will be good for you! If you like to go for perfection, then electronic digital scale will be the right choice. For a beginner, it’s not absolutely mandatory to have an electronic one. They will definitely help you in weighing the right amount of ingredients in each recipe, which is very important , especially for a little advanced recipes.
Where to find them: Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Electronic Digital Scale

Manual Scale

Stand or Hand Mixer
 No matter what you mix, using stand or hand mixer can help you mixing the batter or frosting. As a beginner, you can go for hand mixer. For professional use, stand mixer becomes an essential baking tool. 

Where to find them: Hand mixers from Phillips, Kenwood, Panasinic etc. are the best. There are a few other deshi brands too , but for heavy duty work and longivity the mentioned three are the best. Check with their stores for the models and prices. Kitchen Aid is the most popular stand mixer around the world, although we do not have a store yet that sells them. Anyways, Kenwood has a somewhat okay sort of stand mixer if you really want to buy one.

Hand Mixer

Stand Mixer

Whisker

Metal whisker with wooden handle is the best in the business and its available in market as well. It’s absolutely necessary for the recipes where soft mixing is recommended. 

Metal Handle Whisker

Where to find them: Superstores, Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Mixing Bowls

Whenever you plan  to bake cakes, you need to have different sized mixing bowls. Plastic or Stainless steel, any of them will work well, however, since you would do heavy duty mixing and whipping, get something that is not easy to get broken. besides, some recipes will need you go for double boiling or warming uo, so the bowls are better ehat resistant and microwave proof. 

Where to find them: Any crockeries store should have decent quality stuff.

Plastic Mixing Bowls

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

Bread Kneading Bowls

Sieve

To refine flour, coco powder, even icing sugar.

Where to find them: Superstores, Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Silicon Spatula

Silicon Spatula is another “must” tools you need to buy, especially for baking. It’s very convenient when you intend to transfer batter into the pan or preparing butter cream frosting, covering cake with butter cream frosting. They are durable and cost effective as well. 

Where to find them: Superstores, Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Wooden Spoons

Wooden spoons are specially used for sturdy batter.  There are few different size and shapes of spoons that you can buy for baking. 

Where to find them: Superstores, Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Rolling Pin

Rolling pin is a valuable tool in baking. Whenever you like to work pastry or breads or decorate cakes with fondant, these rolling pins becomes the perfect companion. Wooden rolling pin is undoubtedly the best rolling pin available in the market and specially the ones that have smooth cyloindrical shapes. You cna also buy plastic rolling pins, but unfortunately you would not get them in Bangladeshi market.

Where to find them: Superstores, Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Pastry Brushes

We use this tool for brushing pan with vegetable oil or using butter while baking bread or for spreading egg wash for pie topping. You can use plastic, sylicon or wooden pastry brushes. Both are cost effective and extremely useful in baking.

Where to find them: Superstores, Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Wooden Pastry Brush

 

Sylicon Pastry Brush

Parchment Paper

Parchment paper is something you need every single time you intend to bake. We can use this for baking cakes or brownies or cookies. It helps by not letting your batter or dough sticking into the pan while baking.

 

Where to find them: Superstores and Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar.

Off-set Spatula

When we apply frosting or glazing cakes, off-set spatula works great!! It also helps to smooth the butter cream frosted surface of cake to make it even.

Wooden Handle Off-Set Spatula

Plastic Handle Off-Set Spatula

Where to find them: New market.

Cake Pans

There are so many varieties of pans using on different forms of baking.  Most common and useful cake pans we recommend are:

- Two round 8" and 9"pans
- Two square 8 and 9" pans
- Tart pan with a removable bottom
- Brownie pan
- Muffin pans

 

Baking Sheet

Baking sheet is extremely handy for baking cakes. We suggest having a sturdy baking sheet that can take enough load on them.

Where to find them: New market.

Thermometer

A proper baking thermometer is quite useful for baking cakes. We can easily check the inside temperature of the oven while baking cake.  A digital oven thermometer works best for this task. You would also need a cnady thermometer for several recipes.

Oven thermometer

Candy thermometer

Where to find them:Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar.

Sheet Pan Racks/Wire racks

Once the cake is baked and out of the oven, we need to let them rest and cool. Wire racks are the perfect tool to do this task.

Where to find them: You would not probably get any ready mad eone, you gotta make yourself one from the SS furniture makers.

Pastry Bag and Tips

Absolute essentials for decorating cakes or cookies with royal icing and buttercream. They are also needed to work with pastry cream and some number of pastry doughs.

 

Where to find them: New market.

Cupcake moulds

To bake cupcakes. There are different shapes cupcake moulds available in the market. Better to start with conventional sized cupcake moulds. 

Where to find them: Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Cupcake Papers

To insert batter and bake through cupcake moulds. 

Where to find them: Superstores, Gulshan 1 DCC market kachabazar and New market.

Cake knife

To cut-off uneven cake surface. 

Where to find them:  New market.

Cake Boards

There are different sized cake boards available.

Where to find them: Sometimes at New market. However, most of the time , you have to order them in 50s or hundreads from paper/cardboard based product sellers in Puran Dhaka.