baking tools – FoodWatcher

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20 Baking Tools for the Perfect Summer Pies & Cobblers

We talk a lot about summer cooking here at Food52. Once the temperatures get high enough to warrant regular backyard dining, we can’t help but focus on summer salads, grill-friendly recipes, and cocktails you’ll want to sip on under the sun. However, w…

We talk a lot about summer cooking here at Food52. Once the temperatures get high enough to warrant regular backyard dining, we can't help but focus on summer salads, grill-friendly recipes, and cocktails you'll want to sip on under the sun. However, we can't ignore summertime baking staples, either.

In the same way we think of juicy heirloom tomatoes and bubbly spritzes from June through Labor Day, we also think of our favorite warm-weather cakes, pies, and cobblers. Peach, key lime, coconut, strawberry and rhubarb...the list truly could go on, and on, and on, but we'll try our best to spare you an endless scroll. Instead, we'll keep things nice and simple: Here are 20 baking tools and accessories to help you make the perfect summer dessert, whatever that might be (plus a couple of our favorite recipes, too).

10 Eco-Conscious Swaps to Help Cut Back on Baking Waste

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Let’s be real: There’s more to an eco-conscious kitchen than organic p…

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Let’s be real: There’s more to an eco-conscious kitchen than organic produce and free-range eggs. (Though don’t get me wrong, those are super crucial, too.) It’s also important to think about your tools—especially when it comes to those baking accessories. I might’ve spent my teenage years mastering the almighty cookie cake—just ask my friends!— but it wasn’t until I recently bought a stand mixer and upped my baking cadence that I noticed how much waste making something sweet and delicious creates. As someone who tries to shop sustainably, the thought of a trash can stuffed with superfluous parchment paper and muffin liners is, well, a bummer. (If you clicked on this story, I have a feeling you’re right there with me.)

Tools of the Trade: A Pastry Pro’s 8 Home Baking Essentials

This article is part of an interview series called Tools of the Trade, a column featuring expert-approved tips, tricks, and product recommendations. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Pippa Allen…

This article is part of an interview series called Tools of the Trade, a column featuring expert-approved tips, tricks, and product recommendations. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Pippa Allen began baking to avoid being boring. “I was working my first full-time job after college and terribly scared of becoming someone whose only hobby became hanging out with their friends and working out,” she said. “I grew up cooking, but I really wasn't much of a baker—I'm not very good at following directions and doing math—so baking was never really for me, but I needed a challenge.” Little did she know, she’d soon be kneading dough full-time.

21 Baking Tools for Your Favorite Chocolate Desserts & Beyond

This article is a part of Chocolate Week—seven days of recipes and stories, all chocolate—presented by our friends at Guittard. A fifth-generation family business, Guittard has been crafting an array of chocolate offerings (from top-quality baking chip…

The store aisles in February are always the same: overflowing with pink and red stuffed animals, flashing heart-shaped trinkets, and rows of chocolate boxes. You walk down the aisles of your drug store or grocery and you’re face to face with chocolate, heart-shaped marshmallows, bonbons, truffles, and any seasonal candy that just might help you say I love you.

The Absolute Best Way to Make Sugar Cookies

In Absolute Best Tests, Ella Quittner destroys the sanctity of her home kitchen in the name of the truth. She’s boiled dozens of eggs, mashed a concerning number of potatoes, and seared more Porterhouse steaks than she cares to recall. Today, she tackl…

In Absolute Best Tests, Ella Quittner destroys the sanctity of her home kitchen in the name of the truth. She's boiled dozens of eggs, mashed a concerning number of potatoes, and seared more Porterhouse steaks than she cares to recall. Today, she tackles the sugar cookie.

Most sugar cookies are just fine. Good, but not great.

16 Best Prime Day Kitchen Deals You Can Still Shop

Amazon Prime Day is winding down, but there are still so many great kitchen deals to be had. As editors who have covered and shopped Prime Day for years, we’ve gotten pretty good at sifting through (quite literally) thousands of deals, and quickly, too. But whether you’re an expert or not, Prime Day can still be overwhelming—no matter who you are, when there are 50 vacuums to choose from, it’s tough! Our very best tip for shopping on Prime Day like a pro? Focus on the things you already want or need, instead of adding to cart just because something’s on sale.

That’s why our picks for the best kitchen deals during Prime Day are essentials that we love—and know you will, too. Think: a beloved cold brew maker for delicious drinks and affordable insulated water bottles that we tested and are even more budget-friendly.

5 Best Springform Pans for Your Best Cheesecake Ever

For years, my springform pan sat untouched in my kitchen cabinet. I’d initially bought it to bake a cheesecake for my dad’s birthday (they’re his favorite), but the thought of a sunken dessert and scorching hot water bath was too intimidating, so I set…

For years, my springform pan sat untouched in my kitchen cabinet. I'd initially bought it to bake a cheesecake for my dad's birthday (they're his favorite), but the thought of a sunken dessert and scorching hot water bath was too intimidating, so I settled on buying one from a local bakery, which was, admittedly, just as good as homemade.

What I didn’t realize was that springform pans go beyond cheesecake and baked goods—you can make savory dishes like a deep-dish pizza or our Italian Easter pie. And when you’ve finished, you don’t need to worry about cleaning up because most springform pans have a nonstick coating that is totally dishwasher safe.

The Very Best Baking Tools for Every Level of Baker

Bake It Up a Notch is a column by Resident Baking BFF Erin Jeanne McDowell. Each month, she’ll help take our baking game to the next level, teaching us all the need-to-know tips and techniques and showing us all the mistakes we might make along the way…

Bake It Up a Notch is a column by Resident Baking BFF Erin Jeanne McDowell. Each month, she'll help take our baking game to the next level, teaching us all the need-to-know tips and techniques and showing us all the mistakes we might make along the way.

Back when Food52 first started, you could find my recipes under the username apartmentcooker—a nod to my then-blog, The Apartment Kitchen. I started the blog when I first graduated pastry school. I had spent years in well equipped professional kitchens, but in my first apartment, I was armed only with a single bowl, a single fork, and a strong desire to build my ultimate kitchen collection. Back then, I documented my purchases—what was worthy and why. Now, after many years of baking, buying, and even re-buying tools, I’m sharing all my favorites in the newest episode of Bake it Up a Notch.

5 Best Meringue Powder Substitutes (Glossy Icing, Guaranteed)

Royal icing is the glaze that makes sugar cookies look beautiful for holidays. They’re what allows you to transform basic sugar cookies into iced pumpkins, snowflakes, Easter eggs, and Christmas trees. Making royal icing is simple and calls for only a few ingredients, but one of those ingredients is a bit unusual, especially if you’re not a regular home baker—it’s meringue powder! Meringue powder can easily be found in craft stores, big box retailers, and many grocery stores, but if you decide to bake a batch of sugar cookies on a whim in the middle of a blizzard, you may peer in your pantry and find that you’re out of meringue powder (or maybe you never had it in the first place). There are several ways to go about replacing meringue powder, all without having to put your snow boots on. Here are our go-to meringue powder substitutes.

From Our Shop

How to Decorate Cookies Like a Pro Baker

20 Easy Cookie Recipes for Simple (Yet Show-stopping!) Bakes

But First, What Is Meringue Powder?

Real quick: meringue powder is made up of a combination of cornstarch, egg whites, and sugar. There are some gums, preservatives, and artificial flavors added to most store-bought versions, but at its core, that’s all meringue powder is.

de Buyer Reusable Piping Bags (Set of 3) $30–$42

Marble & Walnut Rotating Cake Stand $115

Holiday Cookie Cutters, Set of 4 $50

How to Decorate Cookies Like a Pro Baker

20 Easy Cookie Recipes for Simple (Yet Show-stopping!) Bakes

But First, What Is Meringue Powder?