BASIC TOOLS AND EQUIPMENTS FOR BAKING

DRUM SIEVE SIFTER ROLLING PIN RUBBER SCRAPER

WOODEN LADDLE WIRE WHISK/BALLOON WHISK/BEATER CAKE TURN TABLE/LAZY SUSAN

PASTRY BAG/PIPPING BAG DECORATING TIP/PASTRY TIP ICING COMB

DRY MEASURING CUP MEASURING SPOON LIQUID MEASURING CUP

ELECTRIC HAND MIXER STAND MIXER MIXING BOWL PORTIONING BOWL

OFFSET SPATULA STRAIGHT SPATULA BREAD KNIFE

PIZZA CUTTER KITCHEN KNIFE DOUGH CUTTER

DIGITAL WEIGHING SCALE STANDARD WEIGHING SCALE CAKE COOLING RACK

 BOAT TART MOLDER ROUND TART MOLDER ENSAYMADA MOLDER

CUPCAKE MOLDER/MUFFIN PAN PIE PLATE/PIE PAN ROUND PAN

SQUARE PAN RECTANGULAR PAN LOAF PAN

HALF/WHOLE ROLL PAN BAKING SHEET SCISSORS

 DOUGHNUT CUTTER GRATER SAUCE PAN

BAKERS PEEL/ OVEN PADDLE DECKER OVEN

Baking Ingredients & Function
Do you know the difference between baking powder and baking soda? Or what an egg white can do that an egg
yolk can’t in your recipes? It’s good to know what the ingredients you’re using in your everyday life do to make your
baked goods sweet and delicious!

Baking Powder
Made from Cream of tartar and starch, baking powder is a leavening agent, which causes your batter to rise. It has a
built-in acidic ingredient, so  you don’t need to add anything else (unlike with baking soda). Too much baking
powder results in a bitter tasting product, while too little results in a tough cake with little volume.

Baking Soda
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, and needs to be paired with an acidic ingredient like honey, chocolate, or
yogurt. Like baking powder, it’s a leavening agent. Use too much, and you’ll have a soapy, coarse cake.

Butter
As a solid fat, butter is better suited for baking than any other fat product. Butter in particular adds flavour, with a
melting point just below body temperature, which is why some cookies and baked goods tend

to “melt in your mouth.” It also helps in leavening and adds moisture.

Cornstarch
This ingredient has multiple purposes depending on the type of dish it’s being used in. Cornstarch is usually either a
thickener or a binder, but can also be an anti-caking agent. It’s great to use in gluten-free cooking instead of flour to
thicken sauces, custards, or cake fillings.

Eggs
Eggs do a lot in baking, but most importantly they’re a leavening agent (adding volume), and are a binder, meaning
they keep the finished product together. You can use the whole egg, for flavour, binding, thickening, or glazing, or
you can use egg whites and egg yolks for separate things. Egg whites are a drying agent, and add moisture and
stability. Egg yolks contribute to texture and flavour.

Flour
Flour holds ingredients together in baking. When flour protein is combined with moisture and heat, it develops into
gluten. Different types of flours have different levels of protein, which are suitable for various baked goods.

Milk
The protein in milk softens, contributes moisture, and adds colour and flavour to baked goods. It’s a double-
whammy in terms of function, as it gives the dough or batter strength and structure, as well as adds tenderness,
flavour and moisture.

Salt
Salt does a couple different things in baking. For one, it helps preserve the colour and flavour of flour. In bread, it
controls of the fermentation rate of yeast, and strengthens the gluten protein in dough. Though it seems salt is out of
place in sweet recipes, if you skip it, your product will taste very bland, as it also enhances flavour.

Shortening
Shortening is just 100%, solid fat made from vegetable oils, almost exclusively used in baking. When you use
shortening instead of butter in baking, you’ll get a softer and more tender, though taller and less flavourful, product.

Sugar
In any given recipe, sugar is performing a number of functions you’re probably not aware of. For one, it adds
texture, like keeping your baked foods soft and moist. It is also yet another leavener, though working in conjunction
with fat, eggs, and liquid ingredients. Sugar sweetens by the sugar caramelizing in the recipe, and adds that
“crunch” to the crusts of cakes and cookies.
 The Six Major Kinds of Cookies

Cookies are generally easy to make and one of the first things a beginning baker makes. There are only six major types of
cookies, each with their own particular methods. Below, I have listed all six types (plus a seventh) and some
characteristics and tips to help you make each one.

 Molded Cookies
Molded cookies are usually round in shape and are formed by rolling the dough with your hands. They may be pressed
flat with a fork like peanut butter cookies. Keep your fingers or utensils lightly dusted with flour or sugar to keep the dough
from sticking.

 Dropped Cookies
Dropped cookies are usually the easiest kind of cookie to make. Dropped cookies are made by dropping soft dough by the
teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet. Make sure you leave sufficient room between cookies for spreading. Usually 2 inches is
a good rule of thumb unless your recipe specifies otherwise. If uniform size is important you may wish to use a cookie
scoop.

 Rolled Cookies
The dough for rolled cookies, or cut out cookies, is rather stiff. It is rolled into a sheet onto a lightly floured board and then
cut into shapes with a knife or cookie cutters. Work with only a portion of the dough at a time. Use as little flour as
possible to keep your cookies from getting tough. Rolling out thinner will produce a crisper cookie and thicker will make a
softer and chewier cookie.

 Pressed Cookies
A cookie press is used to make pressed cookies like spritz cookies. The dough should be soft enough to be put through a
cookie press but must be stiff enough to hold a shape. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate for awhile. If the dough is too
stiff, add an egg yolk and try again.

 Refrigerator Cookies
Also known as sliced cookies, these cookies are made by rolling the dough into a thick bar. The dough is then chilled in
the refrigerator until ready to bake. Make sure you wrap the rolls good so they won’t absorb other odors from your
refrigerator. Dough may be kept up to a week like this.  After chilling, the dough is thinly sliced with a sharp knife and then
baked.

 Bar Cookies
Bars or squares are more like cakes and are a softer type of cookie. They may be crisp or chewy. They may also be
layered or filled. Brownies are one good example of bar cookie. They are baked in a baking pan with sides. Make sure
you use the proper size pan or your bars may not turn out right. When done these cake-type cookies are cut into squares.
Most bars will cut better if allowed to cool first.

 No Bake Cookies
These cookies don’t require the use of an oven. They are technically not a type of cookie. They are usually very rich and
more like a candy. No bake chocolate oatmeal cookies are a good example. These are best made like candy with a
double boiler and a candy thermometer.