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Basic tools for a homecooking pastry cook

1K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  kokopuffs 
#1 ·
Hi,
I would like to buy some pastry tools for my fiance. She loves cooking and baking sweets, but she has no tools. So I would like to surprise her with something. I'd like her to have everything what could a home pastry chef need but have no idea what :)

I know, she would like some rotatory stand for cakes.

And I think of some kitchen robot would be useful (for normal cooking too), something very universal ... I've heard that KitchenAid's mixers are good, but I've found them not so universal. Is there some quality alternative? Kenwood KMM 770 maybe?

So could you recommend me some essential tools?

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Mostly she'll need proper pans. I like tinned steel but make sure it's substantial, not flimsy and lightweight. Ceramic is good for some things, too. I sense you are not in the US but I don't know the metric measurements for the most commonly used pans.

The pan I use more than anything is a 9" round springform pan. I also use a tube pan, a removable bottom 10" tart pan, muffin tins, a 9" pie plate, an 8" square pan, and  decorative bundt and kuglehopf pans quite often, but it really depends on what she likes to bake. Good heavy cookie sheets are essential, if she doesn't already have them. If layer cakes are her thing, she might want 9" cake pans. 

A stand mixer is a great idea. I don't know that we have Kenwood in the US, so I can't comment on it.

I have both a food processor and a stand mixer but I still make pastry crust using an old-fashioned, hand-held. pastry cutter.
 

She'll need a couple of silicone spatulas and wooden spoons, a few good-sized mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons. If she's really serious about baking, she might want to measure by weight, in which case she would need a good kitchen scale. Baking parchment is another must-have item in my kitchen. A nice cake plate is a good thing to have and so is a cake carrier if she plans on treating others to her baked goods.

If she wants to get decorative with whipped cream or icing, a pastry bag and some tips might be in order. If she likes to make iced cakes, an offset spatula and a straight spatula are both good ideas.
 
#6 ·
... I've heard that KitchenAid's mixers are good, but I've found them not so universal. Is there some quality alternative? Kenwood KMM 770 maybe?...
KA mixers and their quality have been discussed at length here and other forums and they're fine for mixing meringues, whipped cream and cakes. For bread dough you should take a look at the Ankarsrum mixer. It's truly a better investment for kneading bread dough along with whipping cream.
 
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