Thursday, April 5, 2012

Subject: Fan from Virginia!

I received this sweet email from a fan of my blog who lives in Virginia:

"Hi my name is Greta & I just wanted to tell you that ever since I stumbled across your blog you have been a great source of inspiration to me! I have just started to get into baking & I hope to one day start a blog about it also. I must say that I love how organized your baking is...I would love to read in your blog about some of your favorite gadgets! I love your work & you are truly talented!! Hope you have a nice day:) ~ Greta"


So this is for you, Greta - and for anyone else who wants to know!

I chose 10 items that I use almost every time I bake.
These 10 items are a essential part of my baking process and most of them were inexpensive to purchase, which is always a plus!

In no particular order...except the last one : )

My Apron

A couple Christmas' ago, my Mother gave these to me as a gift. She made them for me. She is the best.
I don't always wear an apron when baking but I ALWAYS wear one when I am working with fondant...whether I am making it, coloring it, rolling it, cutting things out or covering a cake - it's a must.

Cooling Racks


Now, I can't actually say for sure that these things are cooling racks. I think they might actually be cupboard shelves, like for canned foods or something. Regardless, I use these guys every time something comes out of the oven. They work perfectly for cakes, cupcakes and cookies.

Lazy Susan

You can buy the fancy cake swivel thingy at Michaels or your local Cake Store....or you can go to Target and get one of these for less than $12. It works great for frosting round cakes, piping and adding borders and decor to a cake.

Dough Cutter

I believe I purchased this dough cutter at Smart n Final. I use it for giving cakes smooth frosting jobs and for cleaning up the edges and bottoms of cakes before covering them in fondant. I have never used it to cut dough.

Pizza Cutter

Not only do I use this when we have Pizza for dinner but it is also my Fondant Cutter.
It works perfectly for cutting off the excess fondant from a cake after it's been covered or for cutting strips of fondant for decorating.

Cake Leveler

This tool is one of the very first that I purchased when I started my cake adventure. I use this for every cake because I think the inside of the cake should be just as beautiful as the outside and that means nice clean, even layers of cake.

Trays

I use trays for a lot of things. 
Cake Pops/Balls, Chocolate Butterflies, Decorating Cookies, Fondant Decorations, Candy, Chocolate Dipped Fruit...lots of things!
I am pretty sure I bought all of my trays from the Dollar store.
They are also great for parties and hosting the Holidays.

Wax Paper

I go through Wax Paper like I do Diet Coke.
It is a huge part of what I do.
I use it for cakes when I remove them from the pan, stacking cake layers so they can be wrapped and refrigerated, underneath cake pops/balls, underneath fondant decorations, for piping chocolate decorations....it just makes things easier.

Cupcake Carriers

I purchased these Cupcake Carriers from Nob Hill one day on my lunch break.
I chose these ones over the Wilton carrier or other stacked carriers out there because they are taller.
Often when I decorate cupcakes they are frosted high or have a topper and a lot of carriers don't accommodate them, but these ones do almost every time.
Even better, the cupcake bottoms comes out and these carrier can be used to haul around cookies, cake pops/balls, baking tools or any other kind of treat!
I like to use these for family events or when I am baking for a party that I will be attending as a guest. It saves me from having to use cake boxes or disposable cupcake carriers that I can better use for drop off orders.

Last but certainly not least....in fact, my most valued piece of baking equipment:
KitchenAid Stand Mixer

This too was one of the first items I purchased when I started baking.
A few times working with a hand mixer will definitely get you to the store faster for one of these.
I remember saving my money and using a 20% Coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond when I got mine.
I love my KitchenAid.
It does all the hard work for me and it has been worth every penny.
I actually want another one...how awesome would it be to have TWO?!
Someday.

Well, there you have it.
Just a sneak peak into my kitchen and some of the gadgets I use to make yummy treats.
I hope you enjoyed reading this!






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