When a big oven finally lands in your kitchen, congratulations, it’s almost time to enter a big pit in life: Western baking!

This is a whole new world that is completely different from Chinese cooking. Looking at the dazzling array of tools, how do you choose?

Open Taobao and you will see all-purpose baking kits for beginners. Most of the product descriptions imply that as long as you buy this set, you will have everything you need. But is this really the case?

This seemingly complete set is not as good as it looks. You may find out in the actual use that it is not suitable for you, not suitable for others, and lacks this and that! In order to help you avoid the set pit, I will take a detailed inventory!

Useless articles: These things are not useful

❶ Split stirring rod: The design is not convenient

The stirring stick is also called a scraper. It is used for basically all cake base mixing. The scrapers in most sets look like this:

There are two important problems with this scraper design: one is that it is not integrated and has fine gaps, which increases the difficulty of cleaning; the other is that the curvature of the mixing head is not curved enough, making it uncomfortable to scrape when actually stirring or scraping the wall.

Recommendation: Choose a one-piece steel core stirring rod.

This type of stirring stick is easy to clean. The outer silicone material is comfortable to touch and has a moderate curvature, which makes it easier to operate. Typical representatives are: Kai and Cakeland.

❷ Heat-insulating gloves: poor quality

The common heat-insulating gloves on the market are similar in shape, but their quality, thickness, etc. vary greatly.

But unfortunately, in general baking sets, heat-insulating gloves are mostly small accessories that are not carefully made. They are loose in shape and have rough stitching, like this:

Before you get it, you have no idea of ​​its workmanship. If the cotton fabric thickness is not enough or the outer insulation material is not good, it will be very dangerous to take things out of the oven in practice, and burns can easily occur.

Recommendation: Go directly to the physical store to buy, carefully compare the workmanship and thickness to ensure safe operation.

My experience is that silicone insulated gloves are more heat-resistant and waterproof than ordinary cotton ones.

If you are not used to two-finger gloves, Japanese split-finger insulated gloves are also a good choice.

The split-finger design is more flexible to use, has a maximum heat resistance of 350 degrees, and can be hand washed and dried. The downside is that it is not waterproof, so be sure not to contact it with high-temperature liquids.

p.s. If you have a large oven at home, you should choose gloves that are longer so that they can more fully protect your lower arms.

❸ Flour sifter: size is a problem

Sieving flour is a common step in baking , so a flour sifter is a must. But most beginner kits only come with a round flour sifter with a larger area, like this:

In actual operation, you will find that such a large round sieve requires a larger cooking bowl to hold the powder, and it must be operated with both hands. The powder can easily spill out during the shaking process, and the cooking table will be a mess.

Recommendation: Choose a cup-shaped flour sieve, preferably one with a double-layer mesh.

In comparison, the cup-type flour sifter is much more user-friendly. On the one hand, it can be operated with one hand, and on the other hand, its diameter is relatively small, so it does not require such a high size for the cooking bowl, and the flour will not be scattered everywhere.

If it is a double-layer net, the sieving can be more delicate. For example, Kaiyin, Pearl Life, etc. are good.

❹ Cooking bowls: Not enough

Most of the novice sets only come with a cooking bowl, which is basically not enough for general baking.

Taking the more basic cream cake as an example, the raw materials that need to be weighed include butter, low flour, eggs, baking powder, and white sugar.

In addition, you need to prepare syrup separately to brush the surface. If it is flavored, such as lemon flavor, you also need to shred lemon. In total, you will need at least five or six cooking bowls, large and small.

Recommendation: Prepare at least 5-6 cooking bowls, choose glass ones for small sizes and stainless steel ones for large sizes.

Nowadays, there are many styles of cooking bowls, which are usually a complete set of nesting dolls, with a full range of sizes from small to large. The materials include plastic, glass, stainless steel (also distinguished by whether with silicone bottom), etc., and they each have their own advantages and disadvantages.

• Plastic cooking bowls are light and easy to hold, but they are easily scratched and difficult to clean.

The cooking bowl below, although its color is nice and looks good, I personally don’t like it very much because it is too easy to get scratched when beating eggs, and people with obsessive-compulsive disorder cannot accept it at all!

Moreover, oils and fats are attached to it, so it is relatively difficult to clean it. I think it is more suitable for people who pursue beauty and are not obsessive-compulsive.

• The glass cooking bowl is convenient for observation, but it is too heavy.

The biggest feature of a glass basin is its transparency, which makes it easy to observe the appearance or state of the ingredients. It is very suitable for classification, weighing, melting in water, etc.

However, given its heavy weight, plus the weight of the ingredients, it would be difficult to pour things over, so it is recommended that only small glass bowls with a diameter of 8-18cm be selected, and the mixing can be done with stainless steel.

• The stainless steel cooking bowl is durable and lightweight, but not transparent.

Stainless steel is not afraid of scratches and is relatively lightweight, making it very suitable for use during mixing, stirring, whipping, and other steps. It does not feel too heavy even when you add a lot of things to it.

Because of the needs of these steps, it is recommended to choose a large-sized cooking bowl, that is, with a diameter between 20cm-30cm.

In addition , try to choose a deep basin to prevent splashing when whipping, and it is best to design it with a backflow port or backflow edge so that it will be smoother when entering the mold.

Stainless steel cooking bowls are divided into those without silicone bottoms and those with silicone bottoms. The former is convenient for heating in water for beating whole eggs; while the latter can play a role in ordinary beating, increasing friction and making the cooking bowl more stable when beating. You can use 2-3 without silicone bottoms and 1 with silicone bottom.

❺ Electric egg beater: insufficient power and low efficiency

An electric egg beater is indeed an important weapon for beginners, but the problem is that the egg beaters that come with most beginner kits are not easy to use at all!

A good electric egg beater can have four hard criteria:

First, the power is greater than 150W. Egg beaters with a power lower than 150W take a long time to beat eggs, and the machine is prone to heat and damage after a long time of beating, which is not worth the cost and is not considered;

Second, the egg beater is made of high-quality stainless steel. The egg beater will directly contact the food, especially when making cold cakes, the food does not go through high-temperature baking, just freezing. If the material of the egg beater is not good, food safety will not be guaranteed.

The third is the combination of gears and inching. When whipping, you need to adjust the whipping speed according to the specific state to avoid under-whipping or over-whipping. Three or five gears are enough, step by step, supplemented by inching buttons to adjust the whipping state.

Fourth, the overall body material is qualified. There are two types of body: plastic and metal. The former is lighter and easier to use for a long time. For example, it takes a long time to beat egg whites to hard foam.

The disadvantages of a plastic body are that it heats up easily and vibrates more at high speeds; a metal body is heavier, but is more stable when operating at high power and has higher efficiency. It depends on which one you prefer.

Unfortunately, the whisks in most sets get stuck at the first point. Most of them are 100W in power, and some try to tempt people with 7 settings.

Recommendation: Choose a professional egg beater separately.

Disadvantages: These things can have

Below are some small items that are basically not included in the beginner set, but I think it is necessary to buy.

❶ Thermometer: A must-have for perfect baking

The capacity of most household ovens is not too large (compared to commercial ovens), and even with electronic temperature control, there will inevitably be temperature differences.

When it comes to baking cakes, temperature difference can be said to be the key factor for success or failure. Therefore, a thermometer is essential on your road to perfect baking.

Recommendation: A immersion thermometer with a white base and yellow needle, or a probe thermometer.

Place it in the center of the oven when it is preheating, adjust the temperature to the temperature required by the recipe, and then bake.

This kind of dial with white background and yellow needles is a better combination. Try not to choose a dark-colored dial, otherwise it will be difficult to see the numbers after putting it in the oven.

❷ Timer: remind yourself to have double insurance

Why is a timer necessary? Because if the household external oven is mechanical, there may be timing errors.

Be sure to take an extra step and set the oven timer to long on, using an electronic timer to assist in accurate timing.

In addition to this, for beginners, use positive counting when beating, such as beating egg whites at medium speed for 3 minutes until wet peaks form, or beating egg yolks for 8 minutes until white and fluffy. If you don't quite understand the status, using a timer can also ensure that the basic beating is in place.

Although this can also be done with a mobile phone, the button operation of the timer is more convenient.

Recommendation: Choose a dual-channel timer that can count up or down, which is convenient for use in different situations.

❸ Grater: The icing on the cake

In order to add flavor to the pastries, you sometimes need a grater to help, but this is basically not included in the beginner's set.

Graters are mainly used to grate lemons, oranges, cinnamon, large pieces of cheese, etc.

For example, if you want to make a lemon cream cake, then although the amount of lemon zest is very small, it is absolutely indispensable, otherwise the lemon fragrance will not come out.

Recommendation: Choose one that won’t easily scratch your hands.

The grater I use is also from Zhan Yi. It comes in two sizes, is cheap, and has a high cost-effectiveness. I have never scratched my hands while using it.

In short, when you first get into baking, don’t rush to buy a beginner’s set just because it’s too troublesome. You should carefully distinguish the pros and cons of the specific products in it, and carefully weigh them according to your needs before considering whether to buy them. Spend your money on the most worthwhile investment, so that every day of baking is sweet and comfortable!