Tools of the trade
Tools of the trade
People have been baking for thousands of years with little more than a pot, a cutting device and some fire. While it’s tempting to buy lots of beautiful bits and pieces, many of these end up in the bottom of a drawer gathering dust, or break easily and end up in the bin. Rather than buying lots of equipment, I think it’s much better to invest in a few basic good-quality pieces. To achieve good results you don’t necessarily need all the bells and whistles, and you can always improvise — a simple bottle makes a perfect rolling pin and a pair of hands can knead bread dough to perfection. 
Ovens
There are several different types of ovens available, but I will focus on the ones you are likely to use in a domestic kitchen.
Convection ( fan-forced ) ovens
This is the most common domestic oven and all the recipes in this book use this type. Convection ovens work by rotating the ambient heat generated by the heating element, ensuring a better heat distribution. It also increases the overall oven temperature in the oven compared to a static (non-fan-forced) oven.
Static ovens
These ovens use radiant heat via elements situated inside the cooking chamber and rely upon natural convection to distribute the heat. As such, they are more likely to have an irregular cooking pattern and are prone to hot spots (see tips). When using a static oven, increase the recommended temperature for the recipes in this book by 10°C (18°F).
Refractory ovens
Most often powered by wood-fire or electricity, these ovens work by ambient heat, where the heating element warms a thick layer of bricks or baking stones situated on the bottom of the oven. The heat is then refracted from the top by another layer of bricks or stone. Personally, I think this is the only type of oven suitable for baking sourdough breads and because most home cooks don’t have access to this type of oven, I did not include any recipes for sourdough bread in this book. If, however, you’re lucky enough to have a backyard wood-fired oven, all of the bread recipes in this book will cook perfectly in it.
Important tips :
Cool it: Keep in mind that the oven in your kitchen is a fraction of the size we use in commercial baking and, as such, the heating element will be closer to your goods. While I have tried to adjust the recommended cooking temperatures to accommodate this, your oven will almost always be hotter than what the dial indicates. To be safe, begin baking at 10°C (18°F) less than recommended; you will have fewer problems cooking with a slightly cooler oven than a hotter one.
Never cook with radiant heat … insulate: We have all experienced this before: when you sit in front of a radiant heater you soon start to fry, but take one step away and you freeze — such is the wonder of radiant heat! Likewise, if the heating element inside your oven is visible, you will need to insulate it to disperse the heat. To do this, place a baking tray between the element and your goods during baking. This will help dissipate the radiant heat, making it more regular and ‘softer’.
Hot spots: Most ovens, from the domestic kitchen to the largest factory oven, will have hot spots. These are areas where the heat is more prominent than others. In order to work out where that is and fix it, heat your oven to its maximum temperature, sprinkle an even layer of flour over your baking tray, then place the tray in the middle of the oven. Close the door and wait for the flour to brown — watching very carefully to make sure that it doesn’t catch alight. If you notice that some areas are darker than others, simply cut a 20 cm (8 in) square of foil, fold it into quarters, then place it on your insulating tray (the one between the heating element and your baked goods) on the spot where the flour browned the most.
You will find that unless you bake in a refractory oven, the bottom of your pastries are almost always going to be cooked less than they are on the top, so I recommend using the thinnest baking tray you can find.
Thermometers
I recommended a digital probe thermometer scaled to 200°C (400°F), as it allows you to get an instant, easy and accurate reading. This is especially useful when doing sugar work and tempering chocolate, and also for checking the internal temperature of cakes, creams, meat and fish. Traditional lead thermometers are fine, although they are infinitely more fragile and can be difficult to read.
Kitchen scales
‘What is heavier, a kilo of lead or a kilo of feathers?’
The most critical piece of equipment for a baker or pastry chef is an accurate digital scale. Unlike other areas of cooking, where you can add a splash of this and a handful of that and end up with something delicious, the success of baking relies entirely on following the recipe carefully and precisely measuring each ingredient.
For decades, professionals have avoided the volumetric system (cups) to measure ingredients, not only for the sake of accuracy, but mainly to simplify production. Each ingredient has its own specific density. For instance, a cup of water doesn’t weigh the same as a cup of oil, and similarly flour is lighter than sugar, but a kilogram of anything will always weigh a kilogram, irrespective of how much volume there is. As such, what matters is the weight of ingredients in your recipe, never the volume.
I recommend a good digital scale that weighs to the single gram as opposed to those that weigh in 5 g (1/8 oz) increments. This will make all the difference when it comes to measuring out small quantities of ingredients such as yeast, baking powder and salt. You don’t have to spend a small fortune either, as most digital scales are quite affordable.
A golden rule to follow :
I recommend that you have all your ingredients ready and weighed before you start baking. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, some ingredients react with another; for instance, if you pour sugar on egg yolks without stirring immediately, the sugar will absorb water from the yolk and create a protein lump (this is called ‘burning the eggs’). Secondly, if your ingredients are not weighed before you begin, you might find yourself burning a toffee while weighing out your cream, or overwhipping your egg whites while measuring your sugar when making meringue.
Electric mixers
While it will be one of the most expensive pieces of equipment in your kitchen, a good stand mixer with a strong motor will last you a lifetime and will save you a lot of time and effort. When choosing a mixer, stick to the basics: all you need are the three attachments (whisk, paddle and hook) and variable speed buttons. If you don’t have a dough hook or you think the motor isn’t quite up to the challenge of working a bread dough, knead the dough by hand, the old-fashioned way.
Food processors
Food processors are not exactly essential for baking, but will certainly make your life a lot easier. They’re great for emulsifying creams and custards, crushing nuts, slicing fruits and vegetables or even mixing small amounts of dough, such as shortbread. My personal recommendation is to look for a processor with double blades. They’re a lot more efficient, provide a more consistent finish and generate a lot less friction and therefore heat, which is especially important when crushing nuts, as too much heat will turn them into a paste.
Immersion or stick blenders
An immersion or stick blender is an important tool in a bakers’ arsenal. It does a great job of emulsifying the fat and liquid in creams and sauces, from chocolate ganache to beurre blanc or mayonnaise. Unlike a whisk, which introduces air into the mixture, an immersion blender binds the fat and the liquid together (making an emulsion), thus improving the texture and reducing the fatty sensation on the palate.
Knives and spatulas
Chefs are notoriously protective of their knives and spatulas, not just because they’re so costly but also because they’re almost like an extension of our hands. The more we become used to their weight or shape, the more precise and fast we become when using them, and the less likely we are to cut ourselves. While this applies to a lesser extent to amateur bakers, I would always advise you to invest in quality tools (or put it on your Christmas wish list), as they will last longer and perform better over many years than poorer quality tools. My suggestion for buying knives, spatulas and, indeed, any kitchen tool is to go to a good kitchenware shop, touch and hold them in your hands until you find one that feels comfortable.
Ideally, you should have three types of knives and one spatula:
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Chef’s knife |
This knife is used for everything, from cutting croissants to cutting zest into julienne, and comes in a wide range of sizes. While entirely subjective, I think excessively long or heavy knives are difficult to handle and not very useful in baking. I recommend a heavy-handled knife with a 25 cm (10 in) blade. Paradoxically, the bigger the knife, the less likely you are to injure yourself. |
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Paring knife |
This knife is used for more precise tasks, such as coring or peeling fruit and vegetables. It is a multi-purpose knife, very similar to a chef’s knife but with a smaller blade of around 10 cm (4 in). |
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Serrated knife |
Also known as a bread knife, the blade is typically 15–20 cm (6–8 in) in length, very sharp and designed to cut through soft breads and brioches. |
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Steel spatula |
These are used to fill or decorate cakes. Choosing the length of spatula, its weight and flexibility is entirely a matter of personal preference. |
Piping bags and nozzles
A piping bag is one of my favourite tools in the kitchen. I use it for simple tasks such as piping and filling choux puffs, to very tricky decorating and writing techniques. For the recipes in this book, you will only require one small (4 mm/1/8 in) plain nozzle and one large (1 cm/½ in) nozzle and a small piping bag. They are cheap and readily available online or from a cake decorating store.
Tins and rings
You don’t need one of every shape and size on the planet. If you don’t have exactly the right tin, use the closest size you have — generally 1 cm (½ in) larger or smaller won’t make much difference.
A few basic tins that you will need are a 20 cm (8 in) and 25 cm (10 in) round cake tins, a 25 cm (10 in) tart tin with removable base (or tart ring) and a 25 cm (10 in) loaf (bar) tin. As long as the volume of the tin is roughly the same as what the recipe calls for, you can also use square or rectangular cake tins instead of round tins. Tart rings (also called ring moulds) are often used by pâtissiers for aesthetic reasons but are interchangeable with fluted tart tins with removable bases. If you are using a tart ring, place the ring on a piece of baking paper, line with the pastry, then slide a thin baking tray underneath.
Silicone mats
While completely interchangeable with baking paper, silicone mats are a worthwhile, if not necessary, investment because they’re reusable and virtually indestructible. When buying a mat, make sure it matches the size of your baking trays, as they can’t be trimmed to fit.
