Our All-Time Favorite Baking Tools

“My go-to spatula is the one from GIR (which stands for Get It Right—and they did).” —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor

These silicone spatulas are extra easy to clean since they don’t have any seams, detachable parts, or wooden handles. Go for a whole set!

“I like these glass bowls because you can use them in heat sensitive applications, throw them in the microwave or oven, and safely use all kinds of utensils in them.” —Kendra Vaculin, test kitchen editor

These boar hair bristles hold on tight to the liquid you’re brushing, whether that’s egg wash or cream. Hand wash it like you would a paint brush, and let it dry upside down.

“I’ve rolled out a lot of pie crust and cookie dough over the years, and I’ve concluded definitively that the best rolling pin is a straightforward, no-nonsense dowel-style wood rolling pin.” —Claire Saffitz, Bon Appétit contributor

An offset spatula can do so much more than frost a cake. Use it to flip small items in a pan like silver dollar pancakes, level your cup of flour, or smooth your cake batter in the pan before baking, then again to loosen the cake from the pan after baking.

Professional bakers have used this handy tool for years to portion equal quantities of cookie dough in a hurry. But you don’t need to work in a bakery to achieve the same result. It can also be used to transfer buttercream from the bowl straight onto the cake or into the pastry bag. This one from OXO Good Grips ensures you’ll find a comfortable hold while you use it.

A bowl scraper is integral to bread baking. You’ll need it to portion dough and, you guessed it, scrape the bowl clean after mixing. You can also use it to help transport ingredients from your cutting board to the bowl or scrape up any stuck-on bits of dough off the counter or the rolling pin. Using a plastic scraper like this one means you can bend it slightly to conform to the size and shape of your bowl.

“These are the only measuring spoons I use in the test kitchen. They include a few not-so-popular (but helpful!) additions like half a tablespoon and ⅛ teaspoon. They’re dishwasher safe, sturdy, and no-fuss; exactly what I’m looking for in my measuring spoons.” —Jesse Szewczyk, senior test kitchen editor

“Durable and dishwasher-safe, this four-piece measuring cup set features engraved numbers so you don’t need to worry about them fading and peeling after just a few uses.” —Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit contributor

“We love the OXO Good Grips liquid measuring cup for its angled display inside the cup, which means you don’t need to hover at counter-level to check for the meniscus of your liquid ingredients,” says Antara. In addition to measuring, a liquid measuring cup is perfect for adding eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer (one at a time) and portioning creme brulée custard evenly into ramekins.

A digital scale is the only tool on this list that will take you from a fine baker to a baker extraordinaire overnight simply because it eliminates the human error element in measuring ingredients. Why buy the Escali? “It comes in a ton of fun colors, it’s virtually indestructible, and it costs around $25,” says food director, Chris Morocco.

We have good news and bad news. The bad news is, your oven is probably not running at the temperature you set it at. The good news: with a ten dollar thermometer in your oven, you can know exactly what temperature your oven is really running at (it can be off by as much as 50°!) and tinker accordingly to ensure a good bake.

“Using a digital thermometer to test the internal temperature of baked goods is the most foolproof, low-effort way of getting consistently great results,” says senior test kitchen editor, Shilpa Uskokovic. And the Thermapen is “the most accurate and best instant-read thermometer on the market today is, hands down” says contributing editor, Amiel Stanek.

Fat Daddio’s round cake pans are made of light-colored anodized aluminum. Since dark pans heat more quickly than light pans, using these pans ensures that the outside of your cake doesn’t cook too quickly, which can result in a burnt-crust-underbaked-middle situation. And their nonreactive coating means you can bake a citrusy upside-down cake in it without fear of it tasting metallic.

This baking sheet is made with high-quality, pure, uncoated aluminum, which lends itself to even heat distribution more efficiently and uniformly than aluminized steel (aluminum-coated steel) or stainless steel. This results in food that bakes evenly, rises predictably, and browns perfectly. Something called a “reinforced encapsulated steel rim” makes Nordic Ware’s baking trays virtually warp-resistant.

With wide, flat edges on the sides, this muffin pan has plenty of space for you to hold onto when you’re taking your hot pan out of the oven. Plus, the nonstick coating helps ensure that your towering tops don’t stick to the pan and tear when you go to pop out your muffins and cupcakes.

Unmolding a cheesecake couldn’t be easier with Fat Daddio’s nonstick springform pan—particularly compared to many of its competitors that feature a raised lip around the base that will often leave a visible divot on the side of your crust. The heavy-duty, stainless-steel spring-lock buckle on the outer ring is the sturdiest we’ve tried. Plus, it’s made of restaurant-grade anodized aluminum, which means no warping.

If you don’t have the cabinet space to collect a variety of Bundt shapes and sizes, this pan will give you the most flexible bang for your buck. At around $38, this high-quality pan with a nonstick finish is a worthy, affordable addition to any baker’s cupboard and is made to last.

But if you do have the space, adding this fun geometric Bundt shape into the mix is super fun—and the hard angles are good for trapping pools of ganache and caramel sauce.