Pastry has been democratizing in homes for several years. The kitchen utensils used by professionals are increasingly accessible to little chefs and baking enthusiasts .
Here are some must-haves to have in your kitchen if you're getting into baking.
Spatulas
- Silicone spatula : it is a flexible spatula , generally equipped with a robust handle and a silicone head . It is an ideal utensil for scraping the bottom of containers so as not to lose a drop. It is very useful when it comes to transferring a preparation from one container to another, such as filling a piping bag, for example. Its delicate use also allows you to incorporate beaten egg whites into a preparation without breaking your egg whites .
- Angled or flat stainless steel spatula : this is a solid spatula that is useful when you want to spread our pastry preparation in the cake mold so that the top is smooth. It is also an essential tool for preparing desserts or other recipes whose surface should be smoothed.
- Adjustable plastic spatula : ideal for smoothing your pastry creams or buttercream vertically and horizontally at the same time, especially when you are making cakes or layer cakes . The result will be clean and precise as if by magic! However, its plastic material is not recommended in the kitchen near a heat source.
Pastry nozzles
No need to have a hundred in your drawers, a dozen pastry nozzles are enough to make a maximum of cakes and desserts (cupake, macaroons, saint honoré, nun). Of course it depends on your use and what you want to achieve in baking. If you are an expert, turn to the different specific models:
- Plain nozzle: round shape for pouring with precision ( macaroons )
- Sultana socket: crown-shaped ( religious )
- Fluted nozzle: star-shaped ( meringues )
- Saint honoré socket: in the shape of a quenelle ( saint honoré )
- Yule log socket: to create the wood effect of a Yule log
- Flower nozzle: as its name suggests, for making different flowers (cupcakes)
- Ribbon socket: to make beautiful decorative strips ( lightning bolts )
- Socket to garnish: thin and long to garnish ( choux pastry )
However, there are several types of pastry nozzle material . The most used by pastry cooks and cooks are stainless steel nozzles and polycarbonate nozzles because they are robust and easy to clean .
- Stainless steel : the advantage of stainless steel, more commonly known as stainless steel, is that it is dimensionally stable and very robust. As a result, it is resistant to very high temperatures. The stainless steel sockets are smooth and seamless so that your creations are perfect and flawless. Maintenance is even easier as they are dishwasher safe.
- Polycarbonate : transparent material, these sockets are unbreakable . They allow to see the presence of air bubbles through the nozzle to avoid the missed decoration. However, they are not easy to use with a piping bag. It is best used with a plunger tube .
Opting for a KIT of pastry nozzles will be easier to start baking and test your new cake recipes.
Piping Bags
All the best pastry chefs use it on a daily basis. It allows precise pouring of small quantities of preparation . Combined with a pastry nozzle , it is capable of creating the most beautiful decorations according to your desires and your imagination.
They also exist in several different materials :
- Silicone : Easy to use silicone piping bags are dishwasher safe and heat resistant . They are flexible and pose no toxicological risk to health.
- Plastic : washable and reusable, plastic piping bags are similar to fabric ones. They are even sterilizable.
- Fabric : Choose a nylon piping bag . It is reusable and you will avoid waste . Plus, you'll be sure to have one left over in the drawer. It is resistant to high temperatures and is very robust , even with daily use. Its cleaning, however, is quite long.
- Disposable : made of polyethylene, these piping bags are for single use . They are also the cheapest. Regularly used in pastry and cooking schools to prevent the proliferation of bacteria and viruses (covid-19)
Silicone Molds
Until a few years ago, silicone molds were only available to pastry chefs . But now, everyone can become a pastry chef in their kitchen! Silicone cake molds have become accessible and very useful, especially when you lack delicacy when unmolding.
What a disappointment to miss a release after hours of work! Very easy to maintain , the silicone dessert molds support both hot and cold, so you will have no problem going from the freezer to the oven .
There are 2 types of silicone molds for pastry :
- Insert : there are different sizes of silicone insert molds depending on the creations, but they are generally small in size to be inserted into a cake (flowing heart fondant), a dessert (Christmas log) or a pastry ( individual tartlet)
- Entremets : as for the insert mould, there are several variants. However, the dessert molds are larger in size and can also be used to make hot cakes such as mounted pieces or layer cakes because the preparation can be baked in its food-grade silicone mould .
Cake pans usually come in different sizes and shapes. It all depends on what you want to achieve, but in pastry everything is possible.
Opt for a Set of Silicone Molds to make a multitude of hot or cold dessert recipes with or without inserts . The possibilities then become limitless !
Silicone Mats
The baking mat is the best alternative to baking paper. Indeed, the latter is a poor conductor of heat.
Here are the 2 types of silicone baking mats most used in the world of pastry:
- Flexipan: it is a silicone mat with light edges , which allows preparations to be poured while maintaining a uniform thickness . Ideal for desserts, it resists high temperatures ranging from -30°C to +250°C. It can be used for 2,000 cooks.
- Silpat: it is a cooking cloth with which you can make everything in pastry. It withstands temperatures between -40°C and +300°C. It costs around 35€ depending on its size.
- Macaron plate : in silicone, it allows you to draw regular shells thanks to its reliefs. Since it is made of silicone, the case does not stick and easy unmolding is child's play!
Stainless steel molds
Stainless steel molds are very useful in baking. They are widely used in many pastry creations in order to give preparations very clear contours. They are even sometimes essential for making pies or certain multi-layered cakes . Stainless steel is, as we said earlier with pastry nozzles, very robust and resistant to high heat . In terms of maintenance, it is greatly facilitated, because this type of mold is dishwasher safe.
Here are the most commonly used stainless steel baking pans :
- Pie ring : their diameter is between 6cm and 34cm and their height is between 1.6cm and 2.7cm. The stainless steel pie ring is easy to clean because of the stainless steel, but the pie rings also exist in Exoglass material. It is a material that allows you to color the pie dough as desired. The stainless steel tart rings have the advantage of existing in a perforated version with lots of small holes all along the mold in order to obtain a perfect and uniform cooking of your tart base .
- Dessert ring : versatile, as it is used both for plating and for cooking. As the stainless steel dessert ring has no bottom, it is easy to unmold and the molding is perfectly done. They come in all shapes with different diameters ranging from 8cm to 30cm.
- ADJUSTABLE FRAME : Rather than burdening yourself with a multitude of pans in your kitchen, extendable frames can range from 7cm to 30cm. You will save space and money! Because it is made of stainless steel, it retains its basic shape even as it is used. The adjustment is fluid and a scale allows you to adjust the size of your mold according to your recipe .
- The cookie cutters : the best is to take a model of 8cm in diameter. This size will suit just about any preparation and can also be used as small molds if you don't have an adjustable frame . The most experienced among you can even make their pastry inserts with these stainless steel cookie cutters .
Pastry Airbrush
The airbrush is used for different things, in particular to texture the pastry , but also and especially to color it. The food airbrush consists of 6 parts: the cup (the tank), the pressure button, the outlet nozzle, a connection tip (to connect it to the compressor), the stylus and the compressor.
- Compressor : sometimes sold separately, whatever airbrush you have (as long as it is made for baking) the main thing is the compressor . A powerful model (between 3.5 and 4 bars) is mainly used by professionals or for daily use, while the less powerful model (around 2.5 bars) is mainly for occasional use such as baking.
- Paint booth : it is essential when using an airbrush in pastry. Indeed, this will save you from putting it everywhere and redecorating your walls. While waiting to choose your ideal paint booth, you can DIY one with an old large cardboard box.
- Dye : Best to use liquid food coloring . This is because paste food colorings won't do you any good with the pastry airbrush unless you mix them with an edible thinner. This manipulation is rather reserved for flocking experts!
For more simplicity, it is also possible to use airbrush stencils which will allow you to create your most beautiful creations without smudging.
The Kitchen Thermometer
Baking is a precision art . This is why the thermometer is the essential utensil to control your emulsions and cooking as for chocolate or sugar.
- The probe thermometer : with this type of probe thermometer , you can monitor temperatures ranging from 20°C to 220°C. Having a cord even allows you to control the temperature of your cooking, those in the oven as well.
- The laser thermometer : this pistol-shaped laser thermometer is ideal for taking the temperature of preparations from a distance without contact and therefore does not need cleaning unlike other models. However, he will only be able to display on his screen the surface temperature of the preparations.
- The waterproof digital thermometer : generally in the shape of a pointed rod in order to be able to poke solid foods and display their temperature on a digital screen at its end.
The Kitchen Torch
The pastry torch is a precision tool thanks to the adjustment of the intensity of its flame . It allows you to grill your small preparations even better than if you had put them under the oven grill. Ideal for gluing pieces of sugar or caramelizing the surface of entremets such as crème brûlée or lemon meringue pie. It is easily refilled with standard lighter gas refills or camping gas canisters for larger kitchen torches .
The Turntable
The pastry turntable is ideal for facilitating the decoration and handling of all your cakes and more particularly Layers Cakes . Thanks to its non-slip base, your cake once placed on it will turn on itself during its chocolate icing or its smoothing of butter cream to obtain an artisanal result.
The turntable is the ideal utensil for lovers of birthday cakes , wedding cakes , chocolate cakes, personalized cakes, wedding cakes, etc...
There are several types of turntables depending on the weight you want to put on them. The simplest is the manual turntable , otherwise there are mechanical turntables but very expensive. In terms of weight, it starts with 1.5 kg, and the more expensive ones can carry up to 50 kg.
Make your choice !
To conclude, here is a table that summarizes the different materials according to the pastry utensils .
|
Silicone |
Plastic |
Fabric |
stainless steel |
|
|
Spatula |
X |
X |
||
|
Pastry nozzles |
X |
X |
||
|
Pastry bag |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Mold |
X |
X |
||
|
Carpet |
X |
|||
|
Probe thermometer |
X |
|||
|
torch |
X |
|||
|
Turntable |
X |
Click on the image below to discover our collection of baking utensils :
