Can you guess how many cooking and baking products I have stashed away inside my tiny kitchen? Hundreds.
Now, can you guess how many of them I barely ever use? Hundreds.
Sound familiar? 😉
I often get asked what kind of cake pans and mixers I use or recommend, so I’ve decided it’s time to share with you a few of my favorite products. Unlike most of those unused products I own, the ones listed below get tons of use and have made my life (in the kitchen) so much easier.
I’ve also included helpful buying tips and what to look for in quality tools.
This is not a sponsored post. Some of the links used on this page are affiliate links and I will earn commission if you purchase through them at no cost to you. Rest assured that all recommendations are based on my own positive experiences with the products.
Baking Pans
Parrish Magic Line Cake Pans – I used to think that my cakes weren’t perfect because I had done something wrong, but once I started using high quality cake pans, I realized it wasn’t me! These pans are sturdy and heavy and my cakes are now cooked perfectly and evenly every single time. They rise well, and when turned out of the pan, the sides are straight and not crumbly. I was seriously blown away by their performance comparing to other brands I’ve been using for years. Other than the standard round cake pans, I’m also completely in love with the square pan—especially for brownies. The corners turn out sharp and crisp and square, not rounded like in most other pans.
USA Pans – These are universally loved by every professional chef. They are the perfect shape and are super durable. Specifically, the springform pan, sheet pans, and cake pans are wonderful.
Nordic Ware Bundt (Tube) Pans – I’m a Nordic Ware junkie and probably have way too many of their products, but any of their gorgeous and classic bundt pans will give you perfect results. Bonus: they’re made in my home state of MN!
Caraway Pans – I used to buy whatever baking pans were the cheapest until I realized the hard way just how much they mattered! I specifically use the caraway loaf pan, but I have their muffin pan in my virtual cart. On the stovetop, I use the Caraway stainless steel pots and pans because they are non-toxic, heat evenly, and are extremely easy to clean. There’s a reason professional kitchens always use stainless steel pans!
Small Appliances
Stand Mixer – I could never live without my KitchenAid mixer, and even if I could, I definitely wouldn’t want to! This machine is both the Beauty and the Beast. It stands on display on my kitchen counter, and I use it 80% of the time when making baked goods.
Hand Mixer – Sometimes it’s not necessary to use a heavy stand mixer. When I deal with small quantities or just want to whip up something quickly, such as whipping egg whites, I’ll use the hand mixer.
Immersion Blender – I always used to be afraid of these until I fell in love with them. To quickly and easily create a homogenous mixture, I’ll use my immersion blender. I do this often with soft whipped creams, eggs for quiche, and sauces or purees. While not technically baking, my immersion blender is my best friend while making soups, too. It leaves the broth extra thick and creamy from blended vegetables instead of starch thickeners.
Food Processor + Blender (All-in-one) – Finding a gadget that serves many purposes is the ultimate win. After my food processor died last year, I got this the triple prep system from Nutribullet and I’m happy with it so far. If you love Ninja products, they also have the same type of system. I haven’t tried that one though.
I use this for simple chopping, mixing shortcrust doughs, shredding cheeses in bulk, making sauces and gravies, smoothies and more!
Mats, Boards, & Liners
Silpat Silicone Baking Mat – When I was in France, I saw this baking mat sold everywhere, and since it was quite cheap, I bought one to try it out. I ended up getting 2 more back at home, plus 2 for my mom. I use it to bake cookies, granola, nuts, and more, and nothing ever sticks to it—it’s like magic. Makes life so much easier!
Silicone Baking Mat with Measurements – Speaking of making life easy, this mat becomes super handy when you need to roll dough into a specific measurement like a 12” round or a 16”x8” triangle.
Pre-cut Parchment Liners – Any time I pull out my sheet pans, square or rectangular pans, I grab a pre-cut liner for ease of cleanup. My brownies don’t have crusty, hard edges and they can be lifted up and out of the pan for easy cutting too. Never cut baked goods while they’re in your pan or you’ll ruin the surface. One pack lasts me a year, saves me time, and I never have to deal with curly edges or cutting my hand on a box cutter.
Marble Board – I use this marble board whenever I make a dough for sugar cookies, pies, scones, etc. It has an ideal cold surface to work with, plus it’s large and easy to clean. I also use it as a backdrop for my photos sometimes.
Accuracy
Digital Kitchen Scale – This one is rechargable with a simple USB-C so I don’t have to worry about replacing an odd-shaped battery. It also wipes down very easily and converts measurements seamlessly and accurately.
I always add gram measurements onto each of my recipes because that’s the best way to get consistent and perfect results. Too much flour can turn soft cookies, moist cake, or perfect dough into dry, hard baked goods. Another plus is that it’s quicker to measure ingredients with a scale than with measuring cups and spoons.
Measuring Cups and Spoons – What to look for: an etched or engraved unit of measurement (with metric if possible). What to avoid: cheap measuring cups and spoons will have the unit of measurement applied with an adhesive. These will not fare well over time and the unit of measurement will become all but impossible to read.
Instant-Read Thermometer – Recipes that call for using an instant-read thermometer always used to intimidate me. Once I finally got one, though, I realized it’s not difficult at all and I got used to it pretty quickly. Other than making caramel or candy, I use it to check if my breads and delicate cakes such as cheesecake are done so I don’t accidentally over bake them. The temperature of your ingredients matters too! Baking is a science, after all!
Oven Thermometer – Every oven is just a little different, some run hot and others run cool. This thermometer is easy to read, important when looking through your oven glass! The display temperature on the oven is often not what’s really going on inside.
When my mom told me to get one of these when I got my first oven, I didn’t take her seriously for about a year. Then, when she bought one for me, I found out that my oven temperature was totally off, and it took it a long time to reach high temperatures. No wonder my cakes turned out the way they did back then!
Go-to Gadgets
Ice Cream Scoop – Ice cream scoops are made just for ice cream, right? Wrong. I use them all the time to scoop cupcake batter into muffin tins, or cookies onto the sheet. It creates even, uniformly round cookies without the need to measure or roll each cookie between your hands. I use 2 scoops in particular:
a small scoop (1 T / .5 oz) – for mini cupcakes/muffins and small cookies
a medium scoop (1.5 T / 1.5 oz) – for standard-sized cupcakes/muffins and medium-sized cookies
Microplane Zester/Grater – This is by far my favorite zester/grater. It’s comfortable and does a perfect job. I use it to zest lemons and oranges, or to grate carrots (great for carrot cakes), onion, ginger, garlic, cheese, etc. I have a slightly different shaped microplane for chocolate ribbons.
Handheld Citrus Juicer – This easy-grip handheld lemon juicer is my go-to for every recipe that calls for lemon juice (so practically everything I make – ha!). I also use it for larger limes and small oranges. It just seems to be the perfect size and extracts juice quickly and efficiently. It’s also perfect when making cocktails, too!
What are your favorite products? I’d love to know!