1. Stand mixer
   Hand mixer
2. Whisk
   Sifter

A stand mixer is an essential baking gadget. It can be expensive, but so worth the investment. It will make creating bread dough, whipping cream or egg whites and achieving the perfectly fluffy cookie dough a breeze.

1. Wooden spoon
   Candy thermometer
2. Oven
   Sugar pull

The best thing about an actual candy thermometer is that it has markers right on the side with things like "soft ball" and "hard ball," which are both stages of heating sugar. Most candy recipes will have those terms in them, so having the thermometer pretty much does the hard work for you.

1. Measuring cups
   Measuring spoons
2. Scale
   Tablespoon

While most recipes will call for ingredients in cups, tablespoons or teaspoons, the ones that have you weigh out ingredients will give you a better result almost every time. Because of that, a kitchen scale will be your best friend.

1. Aluminum foil
   Plastic wrap
2. Parchment paper
   Silpat

Silpats are a baker's best-kept secret. It's a silicon mat that can be washed and reused and prevents sticky things from sticking to your sheet pan. The bottoms of your cookies will be perfectly brown, and your homemade marshmallow will come out easier than ever.

1. Microplane
   Cheese grater
2. Paring knife
   Reamer

OK, so it's not actually a plane like the air kind, but it is an apparatus that allows you to scrape the very fine top layer of color off of things like lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit. A lot of citrus forward recipes call for the zest, so this is a must-have.

1. Cutting board
   Marble slab
2. Countertop
   Icebox

While this serves as an excellent background for photos of your finished product, it's also great for rolling out things like pie dough. Marble holds temperature really well, so it will keep the butter in your pastry dough cold to keep those flaky layers.

1. Butter knife
   Rubber spatula
2. Offset spatula
   Pancake flipper

The benefit of an offset spatula, especially when frosting cakes, is that your hand is further away from the surface. With this method, you run less of a risk of messing up your frosting by brushing it with the side of your hand. It's also great for getting into the corners of high-sided baking pans.

1. Masher
   Tenderizer
2. Mallot
   Rolling pin

For any dough that needs to be thinned out to a specific thickness, a rolling pin is really the only solution. There are substitutions you can use in a pinch, but none will do the job as accurately as the classic rolling pin.

1. Pastry cutter
   Pizza wheel
2. Food processor
   Chopper

Incorporating butter with flour for pastry dough is called "cutting." You don't want to do this step by hand because your body heat will melt the butter and your pastry dough won't be flaky.

1. Wax paper
   Parchment paper
2. Butter and flour
   Acetate

You might be wondering how this is different than a Silpat. Parchment paper is cheaper, for one, but it's also more practical for simple baking like brownies and loaf cakes or bread. A Silpat wouldn't be ideal for these types of baked goods.

1. Spatula
   Paddle
2. Scraper
   Bench

Having a flexible scraper made of hard plastic will make your life so much easier when you need to ease bread dough out of the bowl or if you want to make sure you get every single last drop of batter into your cake pan.

1. Strainer
   Sieve
2. Colander
   Sifter

Squeezing the handle and trigger of a traditional sifter gets your workout in so you can eat more of whatever it is you're baking. It works differently than other mesh strainers in that there's a mechanism that forces lumps through the mesh to ensure powdery perfection.

1. Piping bag
   Spatula
2. Crumb coat
   Edible flowers

Getting those perfect letters on a birthday cake or the fluffy balloons in the corner like they do at bakeries is made much easier with a pastry bag. They come in tons of sizes and are best utilized with a variety of tips for different styles and patterns.

1. Ravioli cutter
   Serrated knife
2. Chef's knife
   Saw

A serrated knife is able to get through the initial crust of a cake of brownie without crushing it. This will lead to cleaner cuts and hopefully more even layers. Heating up the knife ahead of time will also help with the precision.

1. Beater
   Balloon whisk
2. Hand mixer
   Fork

If it's not in your budget to get a stand mixer or if your recipe doesn't require one, a hand mixer is a great option. You have complete control of where the mixer hits and you can move the bowl around as well. Your arm might get tired, though.

1. Ice cream scoop
   Measuring cup
2. Tablespoon
   Cookie scoop

These are essentially mini ice cream scoops that are used to get cookie dough or cupcake better out of the mixing bowl and onto a pan. The most important aspect of it is getting all of the baked goods the same size.

1. Cooling rack
   Air fryer
2. Counter top fan
   Sheet pan

A cooling rack is designed to let air flow underneath of whatever it is that you're cooling so that the bottom isn't sitting in its own heat. This will cause soggy and gummy bottoms, which is not ideal.

1. Popover pan
   Sheet pan
2. Casserole dish
   Pizza stone

A sheet pan can either be rimmed or not, but either way, it is what you will bake cookies or sheet cakes on. They're designed to keep everything level for even baking and come in a variety of sizes ranging from quarter sheet to full sheet.

1. Cupcake tin
   Cake pan
2. Springform pan
   Loaf pan

Cheesecakes usually have a delicate and crumbly graham cracker crust so a typical cake pan won't really work. With a springform, you can release the sides of the pan and get the cheesecake out in full, so you don't have to dig around in a container for a piece of cake.

1. Seasoning bowls
   Sauce pans
2. Tupperware
   Mixing bowls

Mixing bowls are essential. They are big enough to combine all of your ingredients without them spilling all over your counter but small enough that you can hold them to pour your batter into the proper pan.

1. Measuring spoons
   Eating utensils
2. Measuring cups
   Fingers

Measuring cups won't work for ingredients in smaller amounts. Things like salt, baking soda and powder and the like will require something smaller like measuring spoons. They will range in measurements from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon.

1. Scraper
   Silicon spatula
2. Hard spatula
   Plastic spatula

Silicon spatulas are far more flexible than their plastic counterparts. They can get into the tight spaces that a scraper cannot to make sure that your batter or mixture isn't missing any key ingredients that got left behind in your measuring tools.

1. Cake pan
   Springform pan
2. Pie plate
   Tart pan

A traditional pie plate will have built-in fluted edges for that desirable and decorative crust. It can be deeper or more shallow, depending on which kind you get, but all of them are designed specifically for pie baking and serving.

1. Upside down bowl
   Cake pan
2. Plate
   Cake stand

A cake stand was once only used by professionals, but now the everyday home baker has discovered this magical item. It brings the cake more up to eye level so that you can get a better look at it and have a better vantage point for decorating.

1. Pastry brush
   Spoon
2. Paper towel
   Sifter

You can get a pastry brush with hair like bristles, or a silicon kind that looks like sea anemone. This will lightly apply your egg wash to the surface of whatever needs it without drowning it.

1. Apron
   Pot holder
2. Side towel
   Tongs

Pot holders are made of materials that protect your hands from the heat when taking things out of the oven. The other options will work, but you won't regret having specific pot holders.

1. Dutch oven
   Stand mixer
2. Bread machine
   Steamer

When do you stop kneading? When has it risen enough? When is it done baking? A bread machine literally does all of this for you. You'll still have to measure or weigh out all the ingredients though.

1. Food press
   Squeezer
2. Juice fork
   Reamer

Shaped to fit right inside a half of a lemon or lime and ridged to get through the membrane in between the individual pieces, a citrus reamer is the most efficient way to get the most juice out a piece of fruit.

1. Cookie press
   Cookie cutter
2. Rolling pin
   Pastry shaper

Basically, you shove your cookie dough into the tunnel, put the pushing piece on top, and squeeze the handle. That will force the cookie dough out of the patterned disk at the bottom and leave you with beautifully shaped cookies.

1. Scale
   Timer
2. Oven thermometer
   Toothpick

Any recipe you follow has been carefully thought out and tested. There will be a specific time you'll need to bake your item, and you should stick to that, at least at first. Once you get comfortable baking, you might be able to adjust things based on your oven and texture preferences.

1. Flour
   Parchment paper
2. Pie weights
   Pie server

Pie weights are an actual thing made of steel or ceramic. But pro tip. Dried beans work just as well! Just make sure you line the raw crust with parchment paper before putting the weights in so it doesn't dent and stick to your crust.

1. Slotted spoon
   Whisk
2. Stand mixer
   Wooden spoon

A wooden spoon is an all-purpose utensil, but it comes in especially handy for batters can that can be easily over mixed. You won't be able to get out all the lumps, which is actually a good thing.

1. Kitchen towels
   Bench scraper
2. Sponge
   Apron

Having plenty of kitchen towels on hand will make your baking experience so much better. You can quickly wipe up a rogue batter or an egg white that didn't want to stay in the shell. Keep a damp one for getting up flour before it cakes to your surfaces.

1. Finger bowls
   Mise en place bowls
2. Mixing bowls
   Ramekins

Mise en place is a French expression that translates to "everything in its place" and means that all of your ingredients and equipment are measured out and ready to go for when you need them.

1. Sugar
   Wax paper
2. Cupcake liners
   Non-stick spray

They come in paper, silicon or foil, but no matter what kind you buy, cupcake liners will elevate your cupcake process. Not only do they prevent the batter from sticking, but they also add a decorative touch.

1. Grater
   Spoon
2. Strainer
   Egg separator

An egg white and a yolk come as a package deal, but that doesn't mean they always need to be used together. You can separate them in your hands, but that grosses a lot of people out. Getting a slotted egg separator will solve that problem.

1. Biscuit cutter
   Mason jar
2. Cookie cutter
   Paring knife

When you cut biscuits, you don't want to squish the sides. If you do, they won't rise in those perfect layers you love. Regular cookies cutters aren't always sharp enough to do this, so a specific biscuit cutter is needed.

1. Oven mit
   Trivet
2. Pot holder
   Placemat

Trivets are often made of ceramic and have little feet on them to further get a hot pan off your table. These are perfect if you plan on serving hot apple pie or if you're too impatient to take your cookies off the sheet pan.

1. Microplane
   Reamer
2. Huller
   Melon baller

A huller is designed to get the top leaves and part of the core out of the strawberry, so you're only utilizing the freshest and most juicy part of the berry. This isn't a necessity, but it is the easiest and safest way to accomplish the task.

1. De greaser
   Cake pan cleaner
2. Spatula scraper
   Whisk wiper

Whisk wipers are somewhat of a new gadget, but how did we ever live without them? It gets all of the remaining batter or mixture off of your whisk to avoid it getting dry and making the whisk impossible to clean.