Baking With Melissa 101: What You'll Need In The Kitchen

Welcome to Baking with Melissa 101!

Let me tell you a secret about being a baker: you don’t need special, expensive, or trendy equipment to make something super delicious.

I like having cake pans, pastry bags, and measuring cups in my kitchen, not because I’m exact, but because the right tools make clean up SO much easier. I admit it—I’m a messy baker! Making a mess is all part of the fun (and it’s totally unavoidable when you’re making cupcakes with two kids right beside you in the kitchen).

What can’t you live without in the kitchen?

The electric stand mixer is a kitchen classic that lives up to the hype. I recommend a KitchenAid or something similar, but an electric hand mixer will do the trick just the same. Of course, you can stick to whisking by hand and call that your workout for the day.

Stainless steel or microwave-safe mixing bowls are another must-have. I think I have every size of mixing bowl on the planet. They make it so easy to see exactly what you’re doing, whether that’s tye-dying your icing or prepping different flavors of batter for a layer cake.

A food processor is one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten, especially for blitzing nuts or making a perfectly crumbly crumble! But a good ole blender will do in a pinch.

(Pro-Tip: You can also use a blender to whip up banana bread or pancakes. Throw everything in the blender in thirds. Start with liquid ingredients first then add in the dry ingredients. This will save you a ton of time and clean up.)

Why do my cupcakes stick to the liner?

People ask me all the time, “How can I prevent cupcakes from sticking to the paper or liner I bake them on?” While there are non-stick liners out there, I’m a big believer that you need to be prepared for anything in the kitchen.

Before pouring your cupcake batter into the pan, use non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter. Reusable silicone liners are another good option (and much easier on Mother Earth). You can also use this process for cakes. Use wax or parchment paper in your cake pan, lightly butter to prevent crusty cake edges, and voila!

Make sure your goodies are completely cool before removing wrappers or liners. If you’re pressed for time, stick them in the fridge to accelerate the cooling process.

**Do I really need a sheet pan for my cakes?**

The short answer? YES.

I think the sheet pan is the unsung hero of every baker’s kitchen. It’s the kitchen tool I swear by for layer cakes for so many reasons—no crispy edges, perfect, even layers, and scraps to sample!

The other tools you need depend on the kind of baker you are.

If you’re making tons of sweet breads or muffins, hit the store for a standard loaf pan or muffin tin.
For a cupcake-centric kitchen, you’ll need cupcake pans, mini cupcake pans, and liners, of course.
For cake bakers and decorators, you may want to get a cake turntable, a piping bag, or a set of piping tips to make beautiful works of art with your icing.

Now that you know what you’ll want to keep on hand in your kitchen, go bake outside the box!

P.S. Tag us in your creations—I wanna see them all.