I have invested in a ton of baking tools over the years, and many of these items, I'd categorize as essential or must have baking tools that I can't live without. On the other hand, there are other tools that I probably didn't need to buy and didn't know any better at the time (I'm looking at you cake slicing saw tool that I never use!). I don't want you to buy baking tools that aren't useful, which is why I put together this list.

For measuring baking ingredients

If you want to bake, you will have to measure all your ingredients. There's no way around it! These are the best tools for measuring baking ingredients, whether wet ingredients or dry:

• Kitchen scale—I've happily used this model of OXO kitchen scale for over a decade. OXO released a new model in 2020, but I haven't tested it yet. Let me know if you have!
• Liquid measuring cup set—sure, you could get away with just the 1 cup liquid measuring cup, but if you do a lot of baking and cooking, you'll want the entire Pyrex measuring cup set.
• Set of dry measuring cups (if you aren't weighing your dry ingredients, like flour and sugar, you would need these, and if you are still debating over whether to bake by volume vs weight, perhaps now is the time to try a different way of measuring!)
• Set of measuring spoons that fit in spice jars and includes a ⅛ teaspoon measuring spoon for small amounts of baking soda or salt.

Remember if you ever need help converting recipes from one measuring unit to another (like from cups to grams), consult the baking conversions page. And make sure you know how to use your measuring tools with this guide to how to measure ingredients for baking.

I also recommend investing in the complete baking conversion charts bundle to get conversion charts for ingredients, pans, temperatures, volumes, weights, and more.

For mixing

Yes, you can mix all your baking recipes by hand, but I'd rather use a mixer or other tools to do the job for me. Here is a short list of small appliances and tools that will do the mixing for you:

• Stand mixer: the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer with 5 quart bowl model is the most well known among home bakers and the most popular. The KitchenAid 6 quart professional mixer is good if you plan on baking larger batches of bread dough because the motor is more powerful and can handle more flour than the Artisan model.
• Electric mixer—I have a big stand mixer, that is a little too big for small batches of cakes and cookies. I reach for an electric mixer in those instances and the one I use is this model by Braun.
• Food processor—I use a food processor to make pie my super easy pie dough and I am proud of it. Sure you can make it by hand, but use your food processor and see how fast it is to make pie! I use the 11-cup Cuisinart food processor and this size is great for making enough pie dough for a double crust pie, like this rhubarb lattice pie.
• Immersion blender—while most people will use an immersion blender to make soup, this is actually an essential baking tool that pastry chefs use all the time. Use it to emulsify chocolate ganache or to properly incorporate flecks of melted chocolate when you are making the best hot chocolate from scratch. I have this KitchenAid hand blender in blue.

You will still need to do a certain amount of mixing by hand and for that reason, you will also need the following:

• Whisk—having used low quality whisks that actually leached metal into homemade lemon curds (yuck!), I learned a valuable lesson: invest in a good quality whisk that won't ruin your baking. I use this OXO 11-inch balloon whisk.
• Heat-resistant spatula—spatulas are really important in baking but not all spatulas are created equal. Make sure to pick a spatula that is heat resistant so you can use it for stirring custards on the stove as well as for folding cake batters at room temperature. This GIR spatula will do those jobs well.
• Wooden spoon—I like wooden spoons with a pointed corner for reaching into the edges and corners of saucepans when stirring. OXO has a nice corner spoon for exactly these reasons!
• Bench scraper—these are so useful for scraping doughs out of mixer bowls, for working with bread doughs, and you can even use it for scraping and cleaning up your work surface after rolling out pastries! I like to use both a nylon dough scraper and a metal bench scraper like this one from Nordic Ware (which I have in blue)

Pans for baking quick breads, muffins, brownies, and cakes

• Loaf pan—I used to bake my loaf cakes and quick breads in 9x5 inch loaf pans, but then I got this 8.5x4.5 inch OXO pan and fell in love. Originally, I got it to make the compost pound cake because Christina Tosi recommends this specific pan, but now I use it for all my loaf cakes.
• Muffin pans—If you can get a 12 muffin pan instead of two 6 muffin pans, that's the way to go because more often than not, you will be baking 10 to 12 muffins per batch.
• Square cake pans for bars and brownies—start with a 9x9 pan like this one from Chicago Metallic. I've got two of them, plus smaller 8x8 pans.
• Round cake pans for layer cakes—I like to use light aluminum pans from the Wilton Performance line. I tend to bake smaller layer cakes in 6 inch cake pans, but it's good to invest in a few different sizes. Ideally you would have 2 or 3 pans for each diameter so that you can bake two or three layers of cake at the same time.
• Sheet pans—you'll want to buy at least two half sheet pans (18x13 inch rectangular rimmed baking sheets) and if you can also get a few quarter sheet pans (which are 13x10 inch rectangular pans), they're useful for making the Milk Bar birthday cake. I like the Nordic Ware sheet pans that are heavy duty and don't bulge or bend with temperature changes.
• Parchment paper is your best friend in baking and you should always have a roll on hand. I line all my cake pans with parchment on the bottom, this way I know that my cakes and quick breads won't get stuck on the bottom. Sure you can grease and flour the inside of your pans and that works great, but parchment is like insurance! It's there for the one time something doesn't go according to plan. I also use it to line my sheet pans when baking cookies.

Measuring the size of cake pans and bakeware can be tricky. Read this post about how to measure cake the size of a cake pan to find some tips and tricks (including using water to measure the size!). You can also get this workbook, which includes a pan volume calculator that does the math for you!

Tools for making pies and tarts

• Tart pan with removable bottom are made for preparing elegant tarts that can easily be unmolded from the pan to serve. Don't stress about that step, follow this guide for how to remove a tart from a tart pan! I use the Wilton tart pans with a non-stick finish.
• Metal pie plates are one of my best tools for properly baked pie crusts. I like these speckled granite pie plates The metal is a better heat conductor than glass and metal pie plates are the best way to make sure your pie crusts bake to a golden brown colour even on the bottom.
• Pie weights are necessary for blind baking pie crusts and tart crusts. Dried beans can work too, as can rice or even granulated sugar.
• Rolling pin—I like to roll out pie dough and pastry with a French wood rolling pin with tapered ends, but some prefer a straight rolling pin.

Specialty pans

• Nordic Ware makes gorgeous intricate bundt pans and the Anniversary pan has the iconic bundt shape
• Madeleine pan
• Mini loaf cakes which I've used to make these mini cardamom banana breads and these matcha loaf cakes
• Mini tart pans—you'll want at least 4 mini tart pans, but if you can get 8, that would be even better.

Tools for making cakes

• Mini offset spatula—although full sized offset spatulas are useful, the tool I reach for the most is actually the mini version.
• Reusable piping bags or single use plastic piping bags, either is fine, just make sure to buy the larger bags because they are more useful for larger batches of pâte à choux. I use 18 inch piping bags
• 1M piping tip—this open star tip is great for piping stars, rosettes or roses of italian meringue buttercream, a perfect swirl raspberry frosting on a chocolate cupcake, whipped cream on homemade hot chocolate....
• Turntable—I've tried a few cheaper turntables but they weren't steady and didn't turn easily. This Ateco turntable on Amazon is slightly more expensive but well worth it. It's pretty to look at and the turn is so smooth!

Tools for candy making

• Thermometer—invest in an instant-read thermometer if you can, which is especially important when you are cooling down batches of maple fudge or maple butter. For these recipes, you need a thermometer that can register temperature changes quickly so that you can stop heating or cooling at the right moment, without overdoing it. I own a pink Thermapen which is very fast at registering temperatures and temperature changes. The ThermoPop is a great instant-read thermometer that would be handy to check if your cake is done baking, while the ChefAlarm is a probe thermometer more appropriate for candy making, like if you want to make maple butter or maple fudge where you need to a fast-reading thermometer to monitor temperature over a longer period. Honestly, you can use these interchangeably, but if you plan on making candy or checking the marmalade setting temperature, a probe thermometer with a longer cable like the ChefAlarm is essential so that you can leave the probe in the pot and keep your hands away from the hot sugar!

Specialty tools

These tools will make your life easier, though they aren't as essential as the baking pans and mixing tools listed above. Still, I highly recommend you consider adding the following items to your baking toolbox:

• Dishers (a.k.a. cookie scoops, muffin scoops, and ice cream scoops)—sure you can get away with spoons for scooping cookie dough and muffins, but I love to use a disher so that the scoops are even, plus the task is much faster with this tool!
  • For small cookies, I use a ¾ oz scoop, which allows you to scoop 30 to 40 grams of cookie dough.
  • For muffins, I use a 2-⅔ oz scoop
• Pastry brushes (for applying egg washes, glazes, and also for dusting flour off of rolled out pastry)—I like to use the pastry brushes with natural bristles and wood handles and they come in a variety of sizes. Get a 1-inch pastry brush for glazing and egg washes, buy a larger 2-inch brush for brushing excess flour off of rolled doughs.
• Cookie cutters—if you can start with a set of round cookie cutters, you can use them to make anything from jam-filled shortbread, linzer cookies, and even doughnuts!
• Blow torch—you'll want a kitchen torch for making crème brûlée, among other things
• Ice cream maker—you can get a great base model Cuisinart ice cream maker for under $100, or you can invest in the self-chilling Breville machine. The ice cream maker I have is discontinued and it has just one function: churn. The base models for most will require you to chill the dewer flask (drum) for at least 24 hours, but I recommend longer, like 3 days, to be sure it is properly chilled all the way through.

If you plan on making jams and marmalades, make sure you get a canning kit, as well as jars and lids.

Other tools you should have in your kitchen that will be useful for baking

• baking conversion charts to help you convert pan sizes and ingredients from volumes to weights, as well as temperatures, and more!
• Chef's knife for slicing slice-and-bake cookies and trimming dough—I love my Sanelli knife because it feels heavy in my hand
• Serrated bread knife for levelling and trimming cake layers—make sure it's quite long, around 10 inches or so, because you'll need it for trimming larger cakes. This Wusthof serrated bread knife is 10 inches
• Pots and pans (a set of pots that ranges in size is perfect)
• Fry pans (small and large, preferably)—I like non-stick fry pans that can go in the oven. I have two from Cusinart that I like using. They aren't expensive and they go in the oven. They make decent replacement for a more expensive cast-iron pan in this Dutch Baby pancake recipe and they get the job done well!
• Set of mixing bowls, preferably a set that ranges from small bowls to a very large bowl—my largest mixing bowl is shallow but has a diameter of over 12 inches and I love it for mixing doughs by hand because I have room to work in the bowl.
• Dutch oven, which is especially useful for baking recipes like this no-knead cinnamon raisin bread or this Irish soda bread with raisins

Armed with the right tools, make sure you read these baking science books and listen to these baking, cooking, and food podcasts.

Need more help with cake pans?

Most of us aren't born with a natural ability to guess the exact size of any cake pan. If you would like to learn more about converting recipes from one pan type to another, you need the Baking Pan conversions chart.

Pan conversions chart

Use this baking pan size conversion chart to help you swap cake pans in a recipe. Learn how to find out which pans are equivalent and how to convert from one cake pan size to another.

Get the chart

The post Guide to baking essentials and must have baking tools appeared first on The Bake School.

The point of this post isn't to have you throw out all your bakeware and buy new. On the contrary, what I am hoping is that this post will help you better understand how your baking pans affect your baking and how to make adjustments so that you know how to make adjustments and adapt, regardless of what bakeware you're using!

If you want to easily convert recipes from one pan size to another, I recommend investing in the complete baking conversion charts bundle to get conversion charts for ingredients, pans, temperatures, volumes, weights, and more.

The impact of material on baking

Different baking pan materials behave differently in the oven, which can really throw off the baking time of a recipe. Baking times are highly dependent on the baking pan material, but once you know how each material reacts, you can adjust your baking temperatures and times accordingly, like a pro!

Aluminum 

Aluminum is a great heat conductor, which means that the metal is good at giving off the heat it absorbs and transferring it to what you are baking. This is why aluminum bakeware is so popular. Ideally, you want to invest in top-quality aluminum pans that are crafted with an even sheet of metal that is thick: this way your baked goods will bake evenly in the pan. Poor-quality pans are sometimes made with uneven metal sheets, which leads to hot spots where the cake browns more in certain spots.

The problem with aluminum is that it is reactive and therefore if the pH of the food is low (acidic) or high (basic), the aluminum will react and may leach into foods. This isn't a problem for most recipes, but if you are baking a blueberry rhubarb crisp, for example, you would want to reach for a ceramic dish or something that is non-reactive.

I ran into problems with my bakeware when I baked this moist rhubarb cake: the rhubarb reacted with the pan, etching it and leaving black marks in places.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is an iron alloy, meaning it's made from a mixture of metals and other non-metal materials. The metals vary from one type of stainless steel to another, as well as the percentages of each. What this means is that not all stainless steels are created equally and therefore their properties will vary depending on the quality used. In general, stainless steel isn't a great heat conductor, but it's popular because it's easy to clean, and doesn't tarnish or rust (unless your stainless steel is very bad quality).

Silicone

Silicone is an insulator, meaning it's not good at conducting heat to your cakes and cookies. If you've ever baked a batch of cookies on a pan lined with a silicone baking mat and compared them to a batch baked on a parchment-lined sheet pan, the difference is quite striking: if you bake the cookies for the same amount of time, the cookies on the silicone liner will be under-baked and won't brown in the same amount of time as the cookies baked on parchment.

If you want soft cookies, baking on silicone is a great option! For cakes, nobody likes under-baked cake, so you will have to adjust and increase the baking time, inevitably if you bake a cake in a silicone cake pan.

Glass

Glass is a poor conductor of heat, which means that glass isn't good at transferring heat from itself to what you are baking. Baking in glass is slower, meaning recipes take longer to bake. You will notice this, especially with pies, which take longer to brown on the bottom if you bake them on a glass pie plate. This is the reason I now bake my pies in metal pie plates, which do a better job of baking the bottom crust and browning it. Metal pie pans are one of my essential tools for making pie and my secret weapon to a properly baked pie crust on the bottom.

Glass is an insulator, meaning it's good at retaining heat. This is why glass baking dishes are so popular for casseroles: the glass baking dish can go from oven to dinner table, retaining the heat of the oven for longer so the food stays warm. Bake the same casserole in a metal pan, and the pan will rapidly lose heat when you place it on the table, so your food will go cold faster. 

I recommend investing in the complete baking conversion charts bundle to get conversion charts for ingredients, pans, temperatures, volumes, weights, and more.

Cast iron

There's a reason why people love to bake and cook with cast iron pans that are passed on from generation to generation. Iron is a decent conductor and a well-seasoned pan is non-stick. The seasoning process involves brushing on a very thin, even coating of oil over the entire surface of the pan, even on the underside, and then baking on that oil in the oven at a very high temperature. The heat will cause the oil to polymerize into a non-stick polymer, which is why it doesn't wash off with soap and water.

Ceramic

Like glass, ceramic is a poor heat conductor but a great insulator, which means it's not good at transferring heat to baked goods, but the pan is great at holding the heat, so useful if you want to serve the dish warm. This is why ceramic is a popular material in slow cookers designed to hold heat for as long as possible. It's also great for casseroles that you want to serve warm, table-side.

Enamel cast-iron

Some cast iron pans are finished with an enamel coating to protect the iron and prevent rusting. These pans have the heating capacity of cast iron that can transfer heat easily to baked goods, combined with a shiny non-stick coating that also holds heat well. 

Insulated metal

Over a decade ago, insulated metal pans were quite popular, made from two sheets of metal with an air gap in between. Insulated pans appear thicker though they are made from two thin sheets of metal because of the gap between the layers. That air makes it very difficult to burn cookies baked on this type of sheet pan

Insulated pans grew in popularity because they reduced the browning of baked goods, especially cookies, leading to softer, lighter-coloured cookies. If you are a fan of under-baked cookies, consider switching to insulated pans (or using a silicone liner as mentioned above).

The impact of the gauge of the metal on baking

The higher the gauge, the thinner the pan. The lower the gauge, the thicker the pan. You might not know the gauge of the sheet of metal used to make your bakeware, and that's okay! The important thing is to remember that thicker aluminum pans heat up more and your baked goods will bake faster in a thicker metal pan than in a thinner metal pan. 

The impact of pan colour on baking

Yes, the colour of your bakeware can affect how much your baked goods brown in the oven and you should make adjustments to the baking temperature according to the bakeware you are using.

Dark finish vs light finish

Darker materials radiate more heat than lighter materials. So a pan with a dark, dull (matte) finish will radiate the most heat, while a pan with a shiny aluminum finish will radiate the least.

Pans that radiate the most heat are the best at transferring heat to baked goods. With darker pans, I recommend dropping the oven temperature by 25 ºF, so baking at 325 ºF instead of 350 ºF in order to achieve the same bake in roughly the same time as a dessert baked in a lighter pan. Why? Darker finishes radiate more heat, which means your baked goods will be exposed to a higher temperature on the bottom in a dark pan versus a lighter pan. In order to mitigate this, drop the oven temperature. 

In the same way, if your recipe was developed for and is suggesting you bake in a darker pan, then if you want to use a lighter colour pan, you should increase the oven temperature by 25 ºF. So bake the recipe at 375 ºF instead of 350 ºF to achieve the same bake.

What types of pans should you buy?

At this point, knowing all of this, you might be wondering what are the best baking pans to invest in, so I'll break it down by the type of baked goods you would need them for:

• for cakes, invest in aluminum cake pans with a light finish, like the Wilton professional line of bakeware that is light in colour and has a matte finish. If you plan on making layer cakes, buy 3 cake pans of the same size and type. I like to bake in 6-inch cake pans and these are the Wilton Performance pans I use from Amazon.
• for quick breads and loaf cakes, I like pans with a lighter finish. Lately, I've been baking in OXO Good Grips pans with the gold non-stick finish (from Amazon). I love this line of pans, though I have noticed that the cake edges brown more than in lighter finish pans, so if you go with the gold pans, you may have to explore baking at lower temperatures (like 325 ºF instead of 350 ºF).
• for cookies, buy at least 2 sheet pans and preferably heavy duty with a light finish, preferably half sheet pans so that you can fit more cookies per pan, staggering them to allow for airflow. I like the Nordic Ware sheet pans on Amazon. On the subject of sheet pans, if you plan on baking pizzas or other recipes where you want the bottom to brown, invest in pans with a darker finish or else try increasing the baking temperature to ensure the bottoms brown properly.
• for pies, buy a metal pie plate with a darker finish, which will combine extra heat absorption with being a good heat conductor! It's the perfect combination for getting the pie crusts baked on the bottom so that you can avoid the dreaded soggy bottom of under-baked pies! These dark metal pans from Amazon work great.
• for cheesecakes, a light springform that has a good seal is essential. This will allow you to bake cheesecakes in a water bath, gently, thereby avoiding any cracks, but also this will reduce browning on the edges so that the cheesecake bakes more evenly. I like these Wilton springform pans on Amazon.
• for bundts, the best in the industry is Nordic Ware bundt pans. They have a special non-stick coating that prevents baked goods from getting stuck in intricate patterns and grooves. Nordic Ware pans are heavy duty and the company has a great reputation with good reason. The anniversary pan on Amazon is heavy duty and the pan I use on this website.

Tip: different pans are labelled and sold with different measurements. For example, bundt pan sizes are expressed as a volume (for example, a 10-cup bundt pan) whereas a loaf pan is labelled with the dimensions of the length and width (for example, a 9x5-inch pan). Read all about how to measure cake pan sizes to find out more.

FAQ

Do you preheat the oven with the baking pan inside?

The first step of most recipes is to preheat the oven to the desired baking temperature suggested by the recipe. When you preheat the oven, the goal is to warm the oven up to the temperature you want to bake at. During the preheating phase, the heating elements are working hard to heat up the oven, meaning that they are giving off a ton of heat, more so than the elements give off later to maintain that temperature. This is the reason why you should give your oven plenty of time to preheat, before you begin baking. You want to avoid exposing your baked goods to that blast of heat from the heating elements, which is unpredictable at best.

For some recipes, you may preheat the oven with the baking pan INSIDE the oven. Popovers, Yorkshire puddings, and Dutch baby pancake recipes tell you to preheat the oven with the pan inside because these recipes need to be baked in a hot pan. The heat of the pan is what gives the batters a burst of energy to puff and rise up.

For other recipes, cakes, cookies, bundts, etc., you want to use baking pans that are at room temperature. Don't use a hot pan or a pan that you preheated in the oven unless the recipe specifies to do so!

Shallow vs deep baking pans

When it comes to filling pans with cake or muffin batter, there are a few rules you want to follow to ensure that your baked goods bake properly in a reasonable amount of time. 

1. Don't overfill the pan. There should be at least an inch between the surface of the batter and the top of the cake pan. For muffins, as a rule, fill the cups ¾ full, otherwise, the cake may overflow as it bakes, but also you may have a hard time baking the middle of the cake properly, and then your cake may collapse! Sometimes, the trick for jumbo muffins is to overfill the muffin cups, and the consequences of this are obvious: the muffin may overflow and stick to the edges of the muffin pan, and the muffins may take much longer to bake.
2. For layer cakes, split the batter between two or three cake pans rather than baking one very tall cake that you split into layers after. I have some 3-inch deep professional cake pans, but cakes baked in this pan take FOREVER to bake properly, and you may have trouble judging if your cake is done baking or not. For 3-layer cakes, I prefer to split the batter between three identical cake pans, rather than baking one layer that I split into three.

I recommend investing in the complete baking conversion charts bundle to get conversion charts for ingredients, pans, temperatures, volumes, weights, and more.

Why do baking pans warp or bend in the oven?

Sometimes you will hear a bang coming from the oven. It's the sound of the sheet pan in the oven suddenly bending or warping from the heat. This happens when pans have a thinner construction that is more prone to bending with temperature changes. Usually, higher-quality pans won't do this, which is why it's important to invest in good brands that make thicker pans that are higher quality. Wilton and Nordic Ware are two brands that make heavy-duty, durable pans, for example.

Why do baking pans rust?

If your pans are supposedly stainless steel, don't forget that stainless steel is an alloy made from several types of metal, combined into one. Not all stainless steels are equal, and some are more durable and rust-proof/stainless than others. I've noticed with very cheap metal bakeware, for example, the stainless may rust and with whisks, for example, they can even impart a metallic flavour into cooked custards and curds that are whisked on the stove. It's really bad when this happens. 

Older pans may be made of iron and the metal may be prone to rust when in contact with water and air. It's not ideal to bake anything in a rusted pan because that metal rust may leach into your food. 

Cast iron pans can rust if exposed for prolonged periods to moisture. For this reason, it's important to dry pans thoroughly. I go as far as baking the washed pan in the oven to ensure all the water evaporates completely so that the pan is completely dry before I put it away.

How to prevent it

When you wash metal bakeware, make sure to dry it immediately and thoroughly with a towel to avoid any water damaging your pans.

Why do glass pans explode?

Glass bakeware is made to be baked with and is shatterproof, but some bakers have experienced a glass pan shattering or exploding. This would happen if the glass is damaged and then undergoes an extreme temperature change, from cold to hot, or hot to cold. Be sure to inspect any glass bakeware you use to make sure there aren't any defects or any damage that you can see. This way, you're less likely to run into problems down the road.

Best practices for cleaning bakeware

There's a reason why almost all of the recipes on this website start with a variation of "line the pan with parchment paper." I loathe washing my bakeware and taking the time to carefully prepare a pan for baking saves me a ton of time in the long run. Soaking the pan in hot soapy water for 5 minutes usually lifts any stuck-on food, just like with most cookware. Avoid using any scrubbing brushes that are too rough on baking pans, especially if they have a coating or finish on them, which you could damage with excessive scrubbing.

Need more help with cake pans?

Most of us aren't born with the natural ability to guess the exact size of any cake pan. If you would like to learn more about converting recipes from one pan type to another, you need the Baking Pan conversions chart.

Pan conversions chart

Use this baking pan size conversion chart to help you swap cake pans in a recipe. Learn how to find out which pans are equivalent and how to convert from one cake pan size to another.

Get the chart

The post Guide to baking pans and bakeware appeared first on The Bake School.

What is a bundt pan?

A bundt pan is a metal cake pan with a tubular or doughnut shape, meaning that cakes baked in this type of pan have a hole in the middle. This type of cake pan usually has intricate designs and swirling patterns embossed directly in the mould, creating a more decorative cake. The patterns of some bundt pans can serve as cutting guides for portioning out even slices, and for others, the patterns are well suited for glazes and icings that can drip and pool in places.

The bundt pan is similar to the German and Eastern European Kugelhopf pan (or Gugelhupf pan) for baking sweet yeasted breads and cakes (called Kugelhopf, Gugelhupf, or Bundkuchen).

Interestingly, the word "bundt" is trademarked by Nordic Ware, a Minnesota company. You may see bundt cake pans in stores labelled as "fluted tube pan" or "fluted cake pans" if they are produced by brands other than Nordic Ware.

How to use bundt pans

The elaborate designs and shapes of bundt cake pans make them a little tricky to use. It's important to take the time to prepare the cake pan for baking.

Greasing bundt pans

You have to grease a bundt pan, even if it's non-stick. You would be surprised how easily a cake will get stuck in a pan with intricate patterns as you see in this type of bakeware.

For greasing this type of bakeware, you have options:

• liquid fats, like canola oil, vegetable oil, or another neutral oil work fine, but because this type of fat is liquid at room temperature, the oil may slide down the sides of the pan and pool on the bottom, leading to pools of oil where the cake batter will not be able to spread. This can lead to empty patches and holes on the surface of the bundt cake. You can easily brush liquid fats with a pastry brush and do so just before transferring the batter to the pan, to minimize pooling.
• solid fats, like shortening or softened butter work best because when you spread the solid fat on the inside of the pan, in all the nooks and crannies, the fat stays in place and doesn't move at room temperature until the pan is in the oven. To apply solid fats to a bundt pan, use your fingertips, a piece of parchment, a paper towel, or even a butter wrapper. You can even use a soft pastry brush to do this task. Just make sure you apply it as evenly as possible, in a thin layer, and make sure to smooth it into all the edges and corners of the pan to make sure the surface is completely coated.

I do not recommend using aerosol oil sprays (like Pam) to prepare a bundt pan because the spray can create a sticky residue that gets baked onto the exposed edges. The pan will become very sticky and this can cause problems down the road.

Flouring bundt pans

As an extra precaution, you can also flour a bundt pan after greasing it. Do not take a risk: always prepare a bundt pan by greasing it (and even flouring it) before using.

I do recommend trying a baking spray specifically formulated for cakes. Bakers Joy is a great example. These usual contain both a fat and flour, and they work especially well for bundts, without leaving behind a sticky or gummy residue. Just make sure to hold the can of baking spray at a distance from the pan and to spray the inside evenly. Consult the manufacturers instructions for more information about the optimal distance for spraying the aerosol.

Like with all pans, it's important to take the time to prepare the pan to make sure that every part of the pan has an even coating of grease and flour. I may spend as much as 5 minutes to prep a bundt pan, but this guarantees that I will be successful when it's time to unmould the cake.

Filling it with batter

Filling a bundt pan is tricky because of all the indentations, bumps, and corners. You have to take the time to make sure that the batter reaches and fills every corner, from edge to edge, otherwise, you may end up with empty patches, pockets or holes.

Use a spoon or a small ladle, or even a piping bag with a big opening to ensure that every inch of the pan is properly filled with batter on the bottom before adding more to fill the pan. This is especially important with thick batters.

Some bakers recommend banging the filled pan on the counter to help the cake batter settle into the corners of the pan, but this might not work for thick batters. You may have to use the back of a spoon to push the batter into the corners and edges.

Make sure to only fill the pan until it's two-thirds to three-quarters full with batter. Otherwise the cake will take too long to bake and the edges may brown too much. Extra batter can be baked in muffin tins.

Baking the bundt cake

Bundt cakes tend to be very tall, thick cakes, and they can take as much as 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to bake properly and completely, usually at either 325 ºF or 350 ºF. Be patient. Make sure to use a cake tester and/or a digital thermometer to check that your cake is done baking.

How to get the cake out of the bundt pan

Once you have checked that the cake is done baking and you are abolutely sure the bundt cake is baked through, place the cake pan on a cooling rack and wait 10 minutes. This gives the crumb time to harden and firms up the whole cake.

After 10 minutes, invert the cake onto the cooling rack and remove the pan. To do so, place the cooling rack on top of the opening of the bundt pan, and flip it over swiftly and without hesitating. Make sure to grip both the cooling rack and the pan firmly with both hands. If the pan is still hot, you will need to use a towel or oven mitts to avoid burning your hands.

The cake should slide right out of the pan and onto the rack, cleanly, without sticking, if it's baked properly and cooled just enough but not too much. If the cake cools too much in the pan, it will stick and break apart if you aren't careful.

What to do if the bundt cake sticks to the pan

If your cake sticks to the bundt pan, flip it back so that the opening is on top (as if to bake the cake in the oven). You will need to evaluate what is happening and why it's sticking. Ask yourself these questions:

• did you prepare the pan properly by greasing it and even flouring it?
  • If your answer is no, you may be out of luck and it might not unmould cleanly without breaking.
  • If your answer is yes, then there's hope!
• is the pan and/or the cake cool to the touch?
  • If your answer is no, it's likely you didn't grease and flour the pan properly.
  • If your answer is yes, it's likely that the pan and the cake cooled down too much, fusing it to the pan. Preheat the oven to 300 ºF and place the cake pan back in the oven to warm the outside. You want to warm the pan enough so that the fat on the edges melts. It could take about 10 minutes. The pan should feel warm, but not burning hot. Once the pan and the edges of the cake are warmed up, you should be able to unmould the bundt cleanly, assuming the pan was properly prepared before baking in it.

I have had a lot of luck rewarming bundt cakes that are stuck to the pan so you should definitely try this trick. If all else fails, make trifle.

Cakes to make using a bundt pan

Bundt cakes are designed to serve a crowd, so if you are hosting a gathering with many people, bundt cakes are ideal because they are simple to make and always impressive to serve. Here are a few bundt cake recipes to try:

• Chocolate chip bundt cake topped with an easy ganache glaze
• Orange cranberry bundt cake topped with a simple orange icing
• Eggnog pound cake with a crystallized sugar and rum glaze
• Apple bundt cake served with salted caramel sauce

You'll notice that most bundt cake recipes are actually 1-2-3-4 cake recipes, made from 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. Knowing the baking ratio makes the recipe easy to remember and once you've mastered it, you can use the ratio as a jumping off point to get creative!

Bundt cake recipes usually call for the creaming mixing method in order to incorporate more air into the batter, along with the chemical leaveners, baking powder and baking soda, to avoid a dense, heavy cake.

Can you make a bundt cake without a bundt pan?

You could technically bake most bundt cake recipes in any pan, but because most full-sized bundt pans have a volume of 10 to 15 cups (2.5 L to 3.75 L), this means you will have to split the batter into multiple pans and baking them could be tricky.

The beauty of the shape of the bundt is that it has a tubular or donut shape with a hole in the middle. The central metal tube helps conduct heat so that tall, dense cakes have a better chance of baking properly.

A tube pan could work for some batters, but you may want to wrap the outside with foil to avoid any dripping or leaking as the cake bakes since many tube pans are made of two pieces.

Remember the name bundt cake refers to the shape more than the type of recipe, so if you bake a bundt cake recipe in a regular cake pan, you are just baking a regular cake!

Other uses for bundt pans

Surprisingly, you don't have to use these pans exclusively for cakes! You can also use bundt pans for moulded gelatin-based recipes, and also for yeasted sweet breads, including monkey bread!

In my family, bundt pans are also used to make Middle Eastern moulded rice dishes with layers of basmati rice, ground meat, and toasted pine nuts. The trick is to press firmly each layer in the pan to create a dense texture that can survive flipping onto a plate, while holding the shape of the pan.

Bundt pan recommendations

I have baked a lot of bundts and I've found results vary depending on the pan. I've found with some older, vintage bundt pans, cakes are prone to sticking to the pan, no matter how careful you are about preparing the pan by greasing and flouring.

I bake exclusively with Nordic Ware bundt pans, which have a light non-stick coating on them for easy and clean unmoulding. These pans are very heavy duty so there's no risk of bending or damaging the shape of the pan, and they conduct heat well for even baking.

Measuring the size of a bundt pan can be tricky. Read this post about how to measure cake the size of a cake pan to find some tips and tricks (including using water to measure the size!).

I only recommend the following bundt pans:

• 10-15 cup bundt pans:
  • the Platinum Collection Anniversary Pan, which has a classic bundt cake shape and is the easiest pan to use. More intricate pans are more difficult to use because it can be hard to get the batter to fill every nook and cranny of the elaborate designs. This pan also features handles on either side to make it easier to get cakes in and out of the oven and also helps with unmoulding.
  • the Elegant party bundt pan (also on Amazon), which has a more intricate pattern than the Anniversary pan, but it's a little finer and different than the classic design.
• 6-cup bundt pans:
  • the smaller 6-cup Platinum Collection Anniversary Pan is the one I use and recommend. It's very sturdy and also has handles, which is helpful with smaller hands which can be harder to work with
• Mini bundt pans (also called bundtlette pans):
  • the easiest to use will again come from the Platinum Anniversary collection, with their mini bundt pans, which make 6 individual bundt cakes. Beginners should avoid pans with intricate, finer designs which are very difficult to use.

I highly recommend that both beginner and experienced bakers invest in at least one classic bundt pan to add to their arsenal of baking pans. Cake recipes baked in this type of pan are easy, feed a lot of people, and impressive!

Need more help with bundt pans?

Most of us aren't born with a natural ability to guess the exact size of any cake pan. If you would like to learn more about converting recipes from one pan type to another, you need the Baking Pan conversions chart.

Pan conversions chart

Use this baking pan size conversion chart to help you swap cake pans in a recipe. Learn how to find out which pans are equivalent and how to convert from one cake pan size to another.

Get the chart

The post How to use a bundt pan appeared first on The Bake School.

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. AS AN ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. 
Please note that the photos of the products featured here were used with permission from the companies featured.

Edible gifts

Here are some edible gifts that you can make yourself at home to give out as gifts:

• sea salt caramels
• popcorn brittle
• grapefruit pâte de fruit
• a jar of salted caramel sauce
• a jar of maple butter (also called maple cream)
• maple fudge
• homemade cookies

A tin of homemade cookies is always appreciated around the holidays. Opt to share "dry" cookies, like jam-filled shortbread cookies, maple cream cookies, gingerbread cookies, slice-and-bake fruitcake cookies, spritz cookies, or even these buckwheat cookies with cocoa nibs. Check out this page of Christmas cookies that are perfect for gift-giving.

If you are short on time, here are some other options. Leave it up to the pros and it will make your lives a whole lot easier! The holidays are hectic enough. Consider ordering from these small companies!

Fun and fancy nut butters

Logan Petit Lot is a small company that I fell in love with a few years ago at a local craft fair. They produce nut butters and spreads in Montreal, Quebec. The company discloses where the ingredients come from so you know transparency is important to them. Their latest line of products includes a chocolate + sea salt peanut butter spread that I'm dying to try since I tend to make my own version of Nutella without hazelnuts!

I have given out their delicious Cashew butter with toasted sesame and maple and Cashew butter with coffee and maple as gifts at Christmas for many years and they are always enjoyed and appreciated. The company ships across Canada and to other countries too, but please note that the price of shipping will vary based on the destination and the dimensions and weight of the box.

Spices from around the world

Épices de Cru is another fantastic Montreal company that is known and loved across Canada. They are dedicated to sourcing the best from the spice world, across the planet, and they package their spices in cute little tins. In my experience, whenever I come across a recipe with a spice I'm not familiar with, I know that they will probably have it. And the beautiful thing about their products, again, is that they disclose the countries of origin of their spices. Actually the origin has an impact on the flavour of the product so, for example, they sell Ethiopian black cardamom, Chinese black cardamom, and Indian black cardamom, and each one has a distinctive flavour profile. On their website, you'll find gift boxes and spice kits that would make great gifts. Shipping is free for orders over $45. Épices de Cru does ship internationally as well! 

Small-batch candies from Dinette Nationale

If you want to send out sweet treats as a gift, Dinette Nationale is a favourite of mine. They make all kinds of fun treats, such as pâte de fruits, caramels, nougats (which I got for my dad one year because he loves nougat), candies, preserves, syrups, and granola. They do ship across Canada with Canada Post, and for international orders, note that there may be duty or other fees. 

Fancy salts from La Pincée

La Pincée produces flavoured salt mixes that are great for finishing dishes but also for making gravlax. I always have a jar of La Pincée's classic salt blend in my kitchen (Number 1 in their series of salts). It's good on basically anything. I also love their Citronnée salt (Number 6 in the series), which I enjoyed on my garden tomatoes all summer long. You can't go wrong with any of their salt blends. I've bought the spicy salt (Number 10) and the BBQ blend (Number 5) for my dad, but they all make great gifts. La Pincée ships across Canada, but they also take international orders.

Special equipment that every cook and baker could use in the kitchen

A lot of bakers already have the basics in their kitchens to get the job done. But sometimes, it's nice to give them special items that are hand-crafted or a little pricier than what they'd usually spend on themselves. These gifts are truly special and will make great investments for the baker in your life who will no doubt love every one of these!

ThermoWorks Thermapens and digital thermometers

I recommend ThermoWorks fast-reading digital thermometers, specifically the Thermapen and the ChefAlarm (which can double as an oven thermometer if you use it with the air probe!

Baking conversion charts

The complete baking conversion charts bundle is a great digital gift for any baker, whether a beginner or an advanced baker.

The conversion charts are for ingredients, pans, temperatures, volumes, weights, and more. They are packed with lots of information and useful tips and tricks! And they can be printed too! Buy them now!

Nordic Ware bundt pans and bakeware

Nordic Ware is an American company that makes high-quality bakeware. They are especially well known for their bundt pans, producing a wide range of styles that vary from classic to intricate shapes. Right now, I only recommend the Nordic Ware bundt pans. The bundts you see on this site are all baked in the Nordic Ware Anniversary pan, which has a classic silhouette. I've worked with the Heritage pan as well. These pans are heavy duty and if you treat them right and use them correctly, your bundt cakes won't stick to the pan! 

• Get the Classic bundt pan
• Get the Heritage pan
• Get the Brilliance pan.

I also highly recommend the Nordic Ware cookie stamps, which are beautifully crafted with sturdy wood handles. I've used them for these stamped soft gingerbread cookies and these stamped chocolate cookies. You can buy the Nordic Ware cookie stamps on Amazon, including the super cute star-themed winter cookie stamps, and they would definitely make a lovely gift.

Cake stand

I think a lot of bakers might now have a cake stand to display their cakes to serve to guests. Most of us tend to just use a dinner plate, but a cake stand is a really special gift. This Ateco turn table for cake decorating doubles as a stylish cake stand. Get it on Amazon.

French rolling pin

Having tested out all kinds of rolling pins of a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, I still prefer French rolling pins made of wood. If there's somebody in your life who likes to bake, a gorgeous handcrafted rolling pin will make a beautiful gift. Check out this wood French rolling pin on Amazon.

Special thank you to the small businesses that allowed me to use their photos so that I could feature their products in this article. Please consider shopping from these small companies that are dedicated to creating quality goods.

The post Gifts for bakers and foodies appeared first on The Bake School.

Get familiar with the units of measure and their abbreviations

Some recipe writers will spell out the units of measure in their recipe, as inches and centimetres, for example, while others may abbreviate them to in and cm. Here's a rundown of the commonly used abbreviations for the units of measure used for baking pans.

Units of lengths

Europeans follow the metric system, where lengths and distances are expressed according to the metre, whereas North Americans tend to measure distances according to inches and feet:

• inches are abbreviated as in or as "
• centimetres are abbreviated as cm
• millimetres are abbreviated as mm

Conversions from centimetres to inches

You may need to convert from inches to centimetres, or centimetres to inches when you are choosing the appropriate bakeware for a recipe. Europeans use the metric system and measure bakeware in centimetres, while North Americans use inches.

The conversion from centimetres to inches is easy: there are 2.54 centimetres per inch. If you have a measurement in inches, multiply it by 2.54 to get the measurement in centimetres. Or to convert centimetres to inches, divide the centimetres by 2.54 to get the measurement in inches.

You can also use this list of common (rounded) conversions, which will be especially useful for bakeware dimensions:

• 4 in = 10 cm
• 5 in = 13 cm
• 6 in = 15 cm
• 7 in = 18 cm
• 8 in = 20 cm
• 9 in = 23 cm
• 10 in = 25 cm
• 11 in = 28 cm
• 12 in = 31 cm
• 13 in = 33 cm

How to measure the pan size

Method to measure dimensions of cake pans and bakeware

As bakers, you should always have some kind of clear plastic or metal ruler, and even a measuring tape in your toolkit (or kitchen drawers). Both of these should show measurements in centimetres and inches to make converting between metric and imperial pan sizes easier.

In most cases, you should measure the dimensions of a cake pan at the top of the pan (at the opening), from the inner edge to the inner edge, straight across. But some manufacturers may opt to give the dimensions of the bottom of the pan.

Use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the dimensions of your pans.

• For square and rectangular cake pans, the vertical and horizontal lengths are measured from corner to corner, as opposed to a television or computer screen, where the dimensions represent the diagonal across the screen from corner to corner
• For loaf pans, the length, width, and height of the pan are measured from inner edge to inner edge (though some brands measure the outside dimensions of the pan so this is brand dependent).
• For round cake pans, the diameter is measured straight across the top of the pan—note that round pan sizes are expressed as the diameter, and not the radius)
• For bundt pans and tube pans usually, the size is expressed as a volume, but if you want to measure the dimensions, measure the diameter straight across the top opening of the pan. Most bundt pans have 10- to 14-inch diameters

Easy way to calculate the volume of your baking pans

There can be a lot of math involved when you want to calculate the volume of your baking pans. To make matters worse, some of the math is not so obvious when you realize that, for some types of cake pans, the sides of pans aren't vertical, but rather angled, meaning your round cake pan is actually a truncated cone, which comes with a different formula for calculating volume than the volume of a cylinder.

For this reason, I recommend letting go of your calculator and using a different method. You can also invest in this recipe scaling calculator workbook which is a set of spreadsheet that does the math for you, calculating pan volumes among other things.

Scale Recipes Lika a PRO!

The Scaling Recipes Up and Down Like a Pro ebook + workbook is the ultimate baking companion for bakers of all levels! With the step-by-step process and recipe scaling spreadsheets, you'll learn how to calculate pan volumes and modify any recipe to fit the pans you own. No more baking math headaches!

Get the bundle

Use your kitchen scale

The easiest way for you to determine the volume of your cake pans is to use your kitchen scale! Here's how:

1. Place the empty, clean pan on your kitchen scale
2. Set your kitchen scale unit to grams
3. Tare the scale to zero it
4. Fill the pan with tap water, all the way up to the rim if you can, without spilling
5. Read the weight displayed on the scale: that's the volume of your pan in millilitres!
   1. Remember the density of water is 1 gram per millilitre
   2. If you can fill your pan with 1000 grams of water, then the volume of your pan is 1000 mL or 1 L

Use a liquid measuring cup

Another easy way to determine the volume of your pans is to use a measuring cup to count the number of cups of water you can fit in the pan. The problem with this is you can quickly lose count with larger pans.

Some common baking pan sizes

If you want to convert a recipe from one pan size to another, you need to know the dimensions of the two pans and/or the volumes. To do this easily, you can use this easy-to-use baking pan conversions chart with sizes and volumes for most cake pans and bakeware, as well as conversions and equivalents.

Pan conversions chart

Use this baking pan size conversion chart to help you swap cake pans in a recipe. Learn how to find out which pans are equivalent and how to convert from one cake pan size to another.

Get the chart

Here's a list of the cake pans and bakeware you may need:

• Square pans (like brownie pans)
  • 8x8x2-in pan, also called an 8-inch square pan is 20x20x5 cm (8-cup volume)
  • 9x9x2-in pan, also called a 9-inch square pan is 23x23x5 cm (10 cup volume)
• Round cake pans
  • 6” x 2-in (15 cm x  5 cm) (4 cup volume)
  • 8” x 1.5” (20 cm x 3.8 cm) (4 cup volume) or 8” x 2” (20 cm x 5 cm) (6 cup volume)
  • 9” x 1.5” (23 cm x 3.8 cm) (6 cup volume) or 9” x 2” (23 cm x 5 cm) (8 cup volume)
  • 10” x 2" (25 cm x 5 cm) (10 cup volume)
  • Springform, usually 9” x 3” (23 cm x 7.6 cm) (12 cup volume)
• Rectangular bakeware
  • 9x13x2-in pan is 23x33x5-cm (16 cup volume)
• Sheet pans
  • Full sheet 26" x 18" x 1" (66 x 46 x 2.5 cm
  • Half sheet 13” x 18” x 1” (33 x 46 x 2.5 cm)
  • Quarter sheet 9” x 13” x 1” ( 23 x 46 x 2.5 cm)
• Loaf cake pans
  • a standard loaf cake pan is a 9x5x3-in pan is 23x13x6-cm and is sometimes referred to as a 9x5 pan for short (8 cup volume), but sometimes 8.5” x 4.5 “ x 2.75“ (21 cm x 1 cm x 6 cm) (6 cup volume) are used
• Pie plates
  • a standard pie plate has a 9-in diameter or 23 cm
• Bundt pans and tube pans
  • Typical bundt pans are 10” x 3.5” (25 cm x 9 cm) if not larger (minimum 12 cup volume)
  • Typical tube pans are either 9” x 3” (23 cm x 7.6 cm) or even 10” x 4” (25 cm x 10 cm) (12–16 cup volume usually)

For a complete list of pan sizes of most bakeware in inches, centimetres, cups, and litres, and for help on how to convert recipes from one pan size to another, buy this pan conversions chart!

Converting a recipe from one pan size to another

Once you know the volume of the pan used in your baking recipe, you can then make substitutions:

1. use an equivalent pan of equal volume and make no changes to your recipe, but remember that you will have to adjust baking times because taller, narrower cakes will take longer to bake than shorter, wider cakes.
2. use a larger volume pan and scale up your recipe: calculate the ratio of volumes (larger pan divided by recommended pan volume) and use that factor to scale up the quantities in the recipe. The factor will be greater than one because you are scaling up your recipe. All you have to do is multiply all the ingredient quantities by that factor (the ratio).
3. use a smaller volume pan and scale down your recipe: calculate the ratio of volumes (larger pan divided by recommended pan volume) and use that number to scale up the quantities in the recipe. The factor will be less than one because you are scaling down the recipe. All you have to do is multiply all the ingredient quantities by that factor.

Frequently asked questions

The post How to measure cake pan sizes appeared first on The Bake School.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Common canning problems

#1 a pot big enough to seal/process the jars in

I have a pot large enough to make a decent-sized batch of jam in. But, if I'm making a batch of jam (yielding 5 or 6 jars of jam), my one big pot has jam in it, so it is obviously unavailable for heating a large amount of water and processing the jars. Over the years, I have tried using my smaller pots for this step, splitting the jars among them, but really, it's a mess (and sometimes, I can only fit 1 to 2 jars per pot). The small pots overflow because in order to have the jars immersed in the hot water bath, the pots have to be filled to the rim, and boiling. My "typical setup" just doesn't work well.

#2 a rack to fit the bottom of the pot

I don't like the jars of jam to be rattling directly on the bottom of the pot for the processing step. It honestly makes me nervous. Every year, I come up with a different, creative solution to this problem. One time, I lined the bottom with blue kitchen towels. Apparently, the towel dye was more attached to the boiling water than the towel (oops!), so my towels lost most of their lovely blue hue. Another time, I used extra jar lid rings to line the bottom of the pot, creating a DIY rack of sorts. This also worked, but this trick assumes that you have extra lids lying around, which is rare, at best.

With these problems in mind, I asked Bernardin if I could test out their Home Canning Starter Kit. It's basically a larger more complete tool kit for canning. You can order this full canning kit on Amazon.

Home canning tools

Canning Starter Kit from Bernardin

A starter canning kit comes with all the tools you need to make homemade jams and preserves and is the solution to the above-mentioned problems. The tools are not absolutely necessary but they will make your life a lot easier. The fact is that he canning process is so much less stressful with a canning kit and the right tools. Here's what you get in a standard home canning kit like the Bernardin kit on Amazon:

1. Set of 4 decorative 250 mL mason jars—I remember my mom using this exact style of jars when she made preserves when I was younger. In fact, I used one of those diamond-patterned jars in an art project as a child, and I transformed the jar into a stained glass votive candle holder. I much prefer this style of jar to those with embossed fruits.

2. Jar lifter with rubberized grip so that you can lift jars out of the canning water bath without them slipping.

3. Instructional DVD to get you started with your kit

4. Giant canning pot with lid so you can process a batch of home preserves (especially useful if you only have one big pot at home!)

5. & 6. Magnetic lid lifter and air bubble remover/headspace gauge

7. Non-reactive wide-mouth funnel so that you can cleanly transfer preserves to the jars without making a mess

8. Pectin, which is helpful in many cases for achieving better-set jams, especially from fruits with less pectin

9. Canning rack that fits perfectly into the canning pot, with handles so that you can easily drop down the lot of jars into the canning pot.

This kit is great, not only for those starting out with home canning, but also for those who already make preserves, and wanting to simplify the process. The starter kit has all the helpful (and I'd say even essential) tools for home canning plus a giant pot and rack, which definitely solve my two major home canning problems. The only important thing to note about the kit is the pot is HUGE, meaning it takes a long time to boil such a large volume of water (almost an hour on my stove to boil enough water for processing the jars). This is not the pot size you'd use if you want to seal two small jars of jam. This is better for processing a batch of 5 or 6 jars, and even larger jars.

With this home canning kit, you can easily make marmalades (like classic orange marmalade, three fruit marmalade, grapefruit marmalade, lime marmalade) or jams (like plum jam, rhubarb jam (no pectin), spicy jalapeño jam, and even spiced apple jam). Your life will be so much easier!

Alternatives to a full canning kit

If you don't want to invest in the full starter canning kit, your other option is the smaller kit. Actually, I think it's the most useful kit I've ever purchased, which is why I wanted to share it with you. I am in love with this tool kit because it's simple but takes all the worries and the headaches out of canning and preserving. Here's what you get with the smaller kit:

1. Wide-mouth funnel: This funnel is designed to fit most mason jars, allowing you to cleanly divvy up your homemade jams and pickles, without making a mess. The funnel is made from a non-reactive plastic (unlike older canning funnels made of metal, and sometimes reactive aluminum) so it won't mess with the flavour or the quality of your preserves.
2. Bubble remover/headspace gauge: Air bubbles are a big no-no in canning, and this plastic stirrer is excellent for helping you swirl and push out any of those pesky air pockets that might have formed as you filled your jars. The opposite end is a handy measuring tool allowing you to properly verify the headspace over your preserves to make sure you have enough, but not too much air space in your jars.
3. Magnetic wand: I think this might be my favourite part of the kit because I used to have a hell of a time trying to get the sterilized snap lids out of their water bath without scratching the seal strip with my tongs (or even worse, a fork). It's important not to scratch that seal strip on the underside of the snap lids, and this magnetic wand allows you to literally pick up the lids, one at a time, easily and without any risk of scratching. Plus, magnets are cool.
4. Jar lifter: When I first started making jams at home, by far the worst, most daunting part of the process was trying to get the sterilized, processed, boiling hot jars out of the big pot of water. My tongs are too flimsy and slippery for this task, so oftentimes, I used to have to plunge my hands, protected by a pair of kitchen gloves, into the hot water bath trying to get the jars out. It was ridiculously dangerous. Let me tell you, the jar lifter is a much more appropriate tool for this task.
5. Big pot with lid: many home canning kits come with a giant pot and lid, equipped with a rack with handles that make boiling large jars of homemade preserves so much easier. If you don't have a canning pot, you can use your largest pot (like a pot that you might use to boil whole lobster in). A stock pot will also work. Fit a rack at the bottom of the pot to make sure the jars are not sitting on the bottom of the pot directly on the heat source.

If you just want the tools, try the smaller canning tool kit, which is very simple, but each piece serves a purpose and I can vouch for how useful this kit is and how much easier it makes life to have it on hand.

You can easily purchase the canning starter kit (Amazon), as well as the smaller tool kit I featured previously (Amazon), and mason jars (Amazon). They are all well worth it. Good luck and happy canning!

Step-by-step process

Follow these steps to can your jars of jam, marmalade, and homemade preserves:

• Clean your jars and lids: Wash jars and lids with hot soapy water.
• Warm empty jars: Set the jars on a rimmed sheet pan and heat them in the oven at 121 °C (250 °F) for at least 15 minutes. I put them in the oven before I start cooking my batch of jam so that the jars are ready when the jam is ready.
• Prepare your canning pot with water: Heat a canning pot with a rack half to three-quarters full with water. The water should be boiling by the time you are ready to process your jars of jam.
• Prepare your marmalade (or jam) recipe, boiling to the jam setting point to ensure the perfect set (or the marmalade setting point for marmalade).
• Fill hot jars: Take the warm jars out of the oven. Using a ladle and a funnel, fill the hot jars with the hot jam to 0.5 cm from the rim (¼ inch). This is what home canners call the "headspace."
• Remove air bubbles, adjusting the fill of each jar as needed.
• Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel to remove any drips from the rim. These drips will prevent the lid from sealing properly!
• Close the jars: Centre the lid on the rim and screw the band until fingertip tight or finger tight (don't overtighten the lids!).
• Transfer closed jars to pot: Drop the jars onto the rack in the pot of boiling water using a jar lifter. Adjust the height of the water to make sure the jars are covered with at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of water.
• Place the lid on the pot and bring the pot of water up to a full, rolling boil.
• Process the jars according to your recipe. For most jams and marmalades on this site, you have to boil the jars for a full 10 minutes (counted after the water bath comes to a full boil).
• Retrieve jars from the canner and let them rest for 24 hours: Set the jars on a rack without disturbing them. Don't retighten the bands or play with the lids. Just leave them as is on the rack. You will likely hear a pop sound when the seal forms.
• Check the seal after 24 hours: the centre of the lid will curve downward if they are sealed properly. They will not bounce or move when pressed.
• Store sealed jars in a cool dry place, away from the light.

The steps are basically the same, whether you are making jam or marmalade. These are the steps I follow for pickles too! Depending on the recipe you are canning, you may need a larger headspace (the gap between the surface of the preserve and the rim of the jar). The jars may have to boil in the canner for longer too.

And while a home canning kit is not essential to making jars of jam and marmalade, it definitely will make the task much easier. These kits include the tools you need to accomplish almost every step of the process.

Get the home canning kit on Amazon.

Disclosure: Bernardin sent me the home canning starter kit to try out. I chose to feature it. 

The post Guide to canning and home canning kits appeared first on The Bake School.

What you need to make pie dough

Opinions will vary on what are the best tools to make the best pie dough. I like to make pie crust in the food processor because it's so fast and easy. Others prefer to make it by hand, or you can even use a stand mixer to make dough. Here is what you need to make the dough:

• Use a kitchen scale (preferably) or dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups to measure the ingredients
• If you want to make your dough in a food processor, you need a large food processor with at least a 9-cup or 11-cup capacity. This is not the place for a mini food chopper appliance because the bowl is too small to accommodate the ingredients for a double-crust pie. Use the metal blade.
• If you want to use a pastry cutter, use one with sharp blades like this one. Two knives can also work, or even your fingertips to slowly work the cold butter into the flour.
• If you want to use your stand mixer fitted, you will need to use one with a 4.5–5 quart bowl (like the Artisan mixer), though a mini mixer may work. A 6-quart pro mixer also works just fine. Use the paddle attachment or the new pastry beater attachment!
• If you want to make pie dough by hand, you will need a big bowl and a fork, a balloon whisk, or a Danish dough whisk to incorporate the water—I prefer using a fork or a Danish dough whisk because they are easier to clean than a standard balloon whisk.

Don't forget that you will need a large piece of plastic wrap to completely wrap the dough so that it doesn't dry out in the refrigerator. To freeze the dough, you should wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then transfer the wrapped disks to a freezer bag to store long-term.

Pie dough made in a stand mixer tends to be a little flakier, as is pie dough made by hand because the pieces of butter in the dough are larger.

Pie dough made in a food processor tends to be sturdier and less flaky. Some say it's more mealy. It is great for holding cutout shapes, especially for decorative pie crusts.

Options for rolling out and cutting pie dough

You will need a rolling pin to roll out the dough, obviously, but there are different types:

• a straight rolling pin may be made of stainless steel metal, silicone-coated, plastic, or even marble/stone material. I prefer wood rolling pins.
• French rolling pin with tapered ends and usually made of wood (my preferred rolling pin!)
• rolling pins with handles (often made of wood or plastic/silicone material)
• straight rolling pins with clip-on ends to measure dough thickness—great for beginners who are unsure about rolling dough evenly and to the right thickness

While I most definitely prefer a French rolling pin made of wood and feel most comfortable with this tool, you may not! For example, my mom hates tapered rolling pins and so we traded rolling pins! I gave her my rolling pin with handles and she gave me her French rolling pin.

I also keep a measuring tape or long ruler in my kitchen at all times for when I roll out dough. I use them to judge the thickness and to help me estimate if my disk of dough is large enough to fit my pan.

How to make decorative pie crusts

Double-crust pies can have a simple top with just a few slits cut into the top crust to allow steam and air to escape. Or you can create a decorative pie crust top using a few tools:

• pie top cutter is an easy-to-use tool that will make a stunning pie crust top! It's like a giant cookie cutter but for the top crust of a pie. I actually love this tool even more now that I have found tricks to use it more effectively, like using it upside down! I used this pie top cutter to make this stunning maple apple pie.
• cookie cutters—I used a set of star cutters for this fun peach mango pie top. You can use any shape cookie cutter to punch out decorative elements for the top pie crust. Cookie cutter sets will also be useful for window cookies like grapefruit coconut cookies or jam-filled shortbread cookies. 
• lattice cutter, pizza wheel, or a knife to cut out even strips of dough to weave into a lattice pattern. I created a wide lattice for the best blueberry pie and a thinner lattice for this gorgeous rhubarb pie. You can also braid strips of dough as I did for this pear pie made with wine-poached pears.
• kitchen scissors are useful for trimming the edges quickly and easily, though a pairing knife also works.

To create a crimped or decorative edge, you can use your thumb and index finger to press and indent the edge. You can also use a fork or even a spoon to create a decorative pattern on the edges of the pie. Some people use a pie crimper, which helps seal the top and bottom crust together and also creates a pattern, but this tool isn't necessary or essential.

For baking pies

Once you've rolled out the dough, you will transfer it to a pie plate to fill it and bake it in. Not all pie plates are created equal. Your options include:

• glass, the pie plate of choice especially for beginners because it's transparent so that you can monitor how the crust is browning on the bottom. Remember, glass is a poor heat conductor and better at insulating, which means it can take longer for pies to brown on the bottom in glass pie plates and piies baked in glass plates will continue to bake for longer after you pull them out of the oven. This means they will stay warm longer too.
• ceramic, like glass, is not a great heat conductor, but they are lovely heirloom pieces and always beautifully for serving from
• metal pie plates, usually aluminized steel or anodized aluminum, which is a good heat conductor to help pies bake on the bottom and brown more evenly
• disposable aluminum pie plates, which are very convenient if you are bringing a pie to a neighbour or a friend, but they are made of thin sheets of metal that are pleated and not great for even heat distribution
• muffin pans for mini pies work great!

Glass versus metal pie plates

Ceramic pie plates are always gorgeous but if you are a novice baker, it's really hard to see what's going on behind the plate. For beginners, I definitely recommend clear glass pie plates so that you can monitor the crust on the bottom as your pie bakes (I usually favour brands like Pyrex or Anchor).

Glass definitely takes the guesswork out of knowing when a pie is baked properly. However, nowadays, I prefer baking pies in metal pie plates because these will promote browning. Metal pie plates heat up faster and are better conductors of heat, bringing tons of heat to the bottom of the crust, to the area underneath where it's hardest to bake properly.

When buying a metal pie plate, opt for aluminum, with a darker matte finish. These will transfer the most heat to the bottom crust of your pies, helping them bake properly underneath.

Other pie tools that make life easier

To brush off excess flour or brush on glaze

I like pastry brushes with hair-like bristles (whether natural or synthetic) and NOT silicone. Again, I know silicone is easier to wash and care for, but I don't like the way silicone bristles brush on glaze because it's hard to achieve a thin even layer with thick silicone bristles. Opt for old-school pastry brushes.

To blind-bake the pie crust

Some pie crusts need to be parbaked or blind-baked And again, you have options! You can use/reuse a bunch of dried beans or even rice, or you can buy a set of pie weights. The difference is pie weights can be washed, and beans/rice, not so much. Another option is using granulated sugar.

For deep dish pies, like a deep dish quiche, I've actually used another cake pan as a weight to blind-bake the crust and this worked very well!

My secret weapon to avoid soggy bottom on pies

It's simple, you probably have one already, and, if you've read some of my pie recipes, you might know what it is: a cookie sheet. Yes, that's right, to avoid a soggy bottom you use your cookie sheet like you would a pizza stone: put it in the oven before you set it to preheat, then by the time your pie is ready to bake, your cookie sheet is preheated and it will help cook the bottom of the pie, which is the hardest part for the oven heat to reach. Make sure beforehand that your cookie sheet is large enough to accommodate the pie plate (I use a rimless sheet like this one).

For slicing and serving

I slice most pies with a large chef's knife or a serrated knife if the pie crust is delicate or flaky. I use a mini offset spatula to serve the slices. If the slices are too fragile to lift, I may use a pie server.

Secret to cutting and serving neatly: make sure you've given your pie enough time to cool down. I like to cool pies overnight to ensure the filling has set before slicing and serving them. This makes them easier to serve with less mess and less dripping.

To make cleanup easier

Rolling out dough on the counter makes for a pretty messy kitchen. I like to use a metal bench scraper to quickly and easily scrape the flour and dried on bits of dough straight into the compost!

Frequently asked questions

Pies and tarts are made from very simple ingredients and so few, but oftentimes, the simpler the ingredient list, the more things can go wrong! Here's a rundown of what can go wrong and what to do differently next time. 

The post Pie tools to help you make the best pies appeared first on The Bake School.

Tart pan versus pie plate

Tart pans are not the same as pie plates. Pie plates are shallow and have an angled edge (for easy serving so that you can easily slide a pie lifter under slices), and pie plates often have a wider rim. On the other hand, tart pans have a straight, vertical edge to them and often don't have any kind of rim at all. In fact, the sharp edge of the tart pan is used to trim the dough to fit the mould exactly.

Most tart pans have a crinkled or fluted edge, but some may have a straight edge. Some tart pans come as one piece, and others have two pieces. Most tart pans are shallow, although quiche pans are deep tart pans, allowing for more filling.

Which tart pan you use is entirely dependent on what you are baking. If you are going to be pouring a fluid batter into your tart pan, this is when you would want to reach for a one-piece tart pan to avoid leaks. On the other hand, if you are baking a tart with a crust that you would like to remove from the pan to serve, this is when you need a tart pan with removable bottom.

Why do they have a removable bottom?

A tart pan with a removable bottom is a two-piece tart pan where the ring and base are separate. This means that you can slide the tart ring off of your baked tart to unmold the tart, and then you can slide the tart off the flat metal disk base onto a serving plate.

One of the key differences between a pie and a tart is that a pie is served from the pan it's baked in whereas a tart is unmoulded from the pan and placed onto a serving plate.

Some tart pans are perforated, like pie plates, to allow steam and air to escape, so that the crust dries out better, resulting in a better, crispier texture.

How to use them

Do you have to grease them?

Usually, you don't have to grease tart pans, and many tart pans come with a non-stick finish which ensures easy unmolding of tarts. Even if a tart pan isn't non-stick, I still don't grease it. That being said, if you have a feeling that your tart may stick to the pan or you are concerned, greasing and flouring the tart pan will help ensure that your tart will come out of the pan after baking. It's really up to you and make sure to follow the recommendations written in your recipe.

Personally, with most of my tart crust recipes, I don't grease the pans (like the sweet sugar cookie dough for these Earl grey panna cotta tarts and the matcha sugar cookie dough for these matcha tarts). They don't stick!

How to fit the dough into a tart pan

In order to line the tart pan with your dough you have two options:

1. For fragile, shortbread cookie crusts, for graham cracker crumb crusts, and for Oreo cookie crumb crusts: you may pile the crumbly mixture into the pan and press it into the bottom and up the sides of the pan to form an even layer of dough. This is the easiest way to line the pan with your dough, but make sure that you press the cookie dough crumbs firmly into the pan to form a solid base and sturdy edge. You can use your fingers for this step and a flat-bottomed glass will help make the bottom of the crust flatter and even throughout.
2. For sturdier doughs: you can chill the dough for an hour after it's made, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough so that the disk of dough is about 2 inches larger than your tart pan. You might need it to be even larger if your tart pan is deep. Once rolled out, fold the dough in half, gently and loosely then slide the dough onto your tart pan. Unfold the dough and gently work the disk of dough into the nooks and edges of the pan. It's very important that you get the dough nestled into the corners of the pan to avoid shrinkage during baking!
3. For fragile doughs that break when they warm up: after chilling the disk of dough, slice it into thin, even strips. Line the pan with those strips, reserving a little of the dough to patch any holes. Press the pieces together to give it a smooth finish without any gaps.

Tip: NEVER grab the tart pan from underneath because the removable bottom will lift up and break your dough. In fact, I always recommend placing the tart pan on a cookie sheet to make it easy to move the tart from the counter to the fridge or the oven. This way you avoid any potential accidents.

How to remove the tart from the pan?

I learned this technique when I was studying at Le Cordon Bleu. Our practical sessions were usually about 2.5 hours (not including cleanup time), which meant that in 2.5 hours, when a tart was on the menu for the day, we'd have to make it all, from start to finish, all while seeming "in control" and working "cleanly and neatly". Hah.

Obviously, in 2.5 hours, we tended towards insanity, especially at the very beginning of the session when we were mostly lost and confused. It also meant that at the end of class, we were all rushing to un-mould our semi-cooled (read practically straight-from-the-oven) tarts to get them on boards and serve them to the instructor for grading.

The final minutes were madness. We sweated and we fretted, and we ran around like headless chickens. There was the need to get the tart on the plate as fast as possible and the fear of destroying the not-completely-cooled tart which was in a most fragile state of oven-hot.

Here are the steps to take to get your tart out of the pan:

1. Find a sturdy, free-standing object that is slightly smaller than the hole at the bottom of the pan (good to plan ahead and find the right size beforehand!). This could be a small inverted metal mixing bowl for full-sized tarts, or for mini tarts, a small drinking glass or even a large shot glass.
2. Place the tart on the object, and carefully slide the ring off the tart and down the stand. Then all you have to do is take down the tart and slide the tart off the bottom round and onto a plate (or serve it on the metal round if you are nervous).

This works for full-sized tarts, like this raspberry chocolate tart, this Earl Grey chocolate tart, rhubarb chocolate tart, or this plum tart. This technique to remove tarts from tart pans is especially useful for getting mini tarts out of the pan, like these Earl Grey panna cotta tarts, matcha tarts, and even pumpkin tarts. This also works for removing tarts with a fragile crust from tart pans, like gluten-free tart crusts. Just take the time to choose the bowl or cup that you will be standing your tart on.

A few extra suggestions for getting a tart out of a pan

1. Use a tart pan with a removable bottom! The best tart pan I've worked with is from Wilton, which you can buy on Amazon! The Wilton pans are sturdy and come as a set of 3 tart pans with removable bottoms at 3 different standard sizes (8", 9", and 10"), which means you are covered for most tart recipes. They are heavy-duty and have a non-stick finish, which is a little extra insurance if you are worried about the tart sticking to the pan. They are worth every extra penny.  Trust me. Invest in them.
2. You may want to butter and flour the pan depending on the dough you are working with. If you aren't sure, just do this in case.
3. Let the tart cool as long and as much as you can. Let it cool completely if you can. If your tart shell is warm, it is more fragile, which means there's more risk that it breaks when you unmold it.

And, if all else fails, even a broken tart tastes delicious. I've baked a lot of tarts, and I've broken and cracked a lot of tart edges. You will survive. Just eat the tart and hide the evidence.

Can you make a tart without a tart pan?

1. The best replacement for a tart pan is a tart ring: the tart ring is what pastry professionals will use. It's a simple ring with no bottom, which means zero stress because all you have to do is remove the ring. Pastry chefs will set the ring on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then roll out the dough and fit it to the ring set on the baking sheet. The tart is baked as is and then cooled in the pan. Once cooled, the ring can be lifted off easily and you know the tart crust will not be stuck to the baking sheet because it's set on a layer of parchment. Very smart!
2. Pie plates can work, but not ideal: You can absolutely make a tart without a tart pan, for example, in a pie plate or whatever pan you have with 1-inch sides (or higher), but you won't be able to unmold it to serve it on a plate. You will probably have to serve the tart in the pan it was baked in. Nothing wrong with that. Note that pans with vertical, straight edges may be difficult to serve from because of the angle of the sides.
3. For a deep-dish tart, try a springform pan, like for this deep-dish quiche with Swiss chard
4. Apple tarte tatin is made in a large skillet and flipped out of the pan to serve (as you would flip an upside-down cake)

What else can you bake in them?

I actually use tart pans more for other recipes than for tarts, go figure. Tart pans are great for making shortbread cookies. For example, these lavender shortbread cookies were baked in a tart pan, giving them a pretty scalloped edge with zero effort on your part!

Tart pan suggestions

Here are the pans that I've tested and use to bake tarts:

1. For full-sized tarts, I use the Wilton 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, which you can buy on Amazon. This pan has a dark non-stick finish, which makes for clean unmoulding and golden brown crusts.
2. For individual tarts, I use 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms, which you can buy on Amazon.
3. For deep-dish tarts, I use this 8-inch springform pan from Wilton, which you can get on Amazon.

The post How to use a tart pan & remove a tart from a tart pan appeared first on The Bake School.