Kitchen Gift Guide: The Baker

Bakers who strive for precision know that weighing ingredients, especially flour, provides a much more exact measurement than traditional measuring cups. But who wants to keep a scale on their counter all the time? That’s why we love this handy folding scale. It fits neatly away when we’re done with it.

Joseph Joseph Folding Scale at Sur La Table

There might not be a better way to start a cold, Winter weekend than with a cup of coffee and a warm, homemade donut straight from the oven. With this specialty pan, you’ll get perfect donuts with little fuss.

Wilton Standard Doughnut Pan at Sur La Table

Even the most experienced baker will get an accidental burn from time-to-time. That’s why we recommend giving them a silicone oven guard. Make sure that whatever guard you pick is rated to handle extremely high temperatures and is easy to wash. We like this model from JAZ Innovations because it snaps easily on and off your oven racks.

JAZ Innovations Oven Rack Guard at Amazon.com

Baking with Julia is not only a book full of recipes, but also one that continues Julia’s teaching tradition. Here, basic techniques come alive and are made easily comprehensible in recipes that demonstrate the myriad ways of raising dough, glazing cakes, and decorating crusts. This is the resource you’ll turn to again and again for all your baking needs. With Baking with Julia in your cookbook library, you can become a master baker.

Baking WIth Julia at ShopPBS.org

Ken Haedrich’s “Dinner Pies” cookbook has over 100 recipes for savory pies. Bakers are dentists’ worst nightmares with the amount of sugar we use, but savory pies are a great way to bring heart into your baking without heaping on the sweets. The book covers a span of cuisines as well. Haedrich is the author of 13 cookbooks, and is a past recipient of the Julia Child Cookbook Award.

Dinner Pies at Amazon.com

We love vanilla extract, but when we really want to infuse a warm, delicious vanilla flavor, we use vanilla beans. Most vanilla originates as a species from Madagascar, so we recommend finding beans that were grown in the region.

Premium Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla Beans – 16 beans at Amazon.com

No matter how hot you get your oven, you’ll never have to worry about pulling out a hot dish when you use a pair of silicone oven mitts. A couple sessions with these high-tech mitts and your baker will be hooked.

Kitchen Elements Ultra-Flex Red Silicone Kitchen Cooking Mitt, Pack of 2 at Amazon.com

Decorating combs will save a lot of time for anyone looking to decorate a cake. Find a set that is as versatile as possible — that can both provide a variety of designes, but also will work in a variety of icings and glazes. Decorating combs will give any cake a little bit more style.

Ateco Large Rectangle Cake Decorating Comb at Sur La Table

Cupcakes have been the rage for years now, but what excites us are the endless possibilities for presenting your cupcakes. We love the different designs for cupcake stands that have hit the market in the past few years. From floral to modern, a distinctive stand will accentuate your cupcakes.

Midwest CBK White Twelve Arm Cupcake Tower at Amazon.com

We love this personalized cookie gift set from The Mason Jar Cookie Company. Just pick a cookie base and the three add-ins that represent your custom cookie. The pick a clever name for your creation and a custom label and presto, you have a great gift.

The Mason Jar Cookie Company

Mechanics have toolboxes. Fishermen have tackle boxes. Bakers have their own tool caddies as well. You can find a wide range of sizes and designs, but this Ultimate Tool Caddy from Wilton is definitely the biggest and baddest on the market.

Wilton Ultimate Tool Caddy, Purple at Amazon.com