Whether you’re a seasoned home baker or just starting out, having the right tools and equipment can make a world of difference in your NOMU MiniMakes Small Batch Baking endeavours. These are the top 12 basic tools that every baker should have in their home for easy, effortless baking.

#1 Mixing bowls

Let’s get the super obvious one out of the way first. Make sure to have a few sizes of mixing bowls to accommodate different MiniMakes recipes, like cake batters, crumble toppings and buttercreams. Although stainless steel and glass bowls are good choices for durability, you can also get great small plastic mixing bowls for a fraction of the cost.

#2 Whisk

Because of their Small Batch nature, MiniMakes mixes aren’t suitable for whipping up in a stand mixer. An old-fashioned reliable whisk will do just the trick! You’ll need for everything from breaking up eggs and smoothing out thick fillings, to vigorously whipping sugar-egg mixtures for shiny brownies, and gently bringing cake batters together.

#3 Electric hand mixer

Some MiniMakes recipes require a little more mixing action, so having an electric hand mixer definitely comes in handy. It’s the perfect tool to make fluffy frostings and to cream together butter and sugar for snap cookies.

#4 Measuring cups and spoons

Essential for accurately measuring basic ingredients like milk and oil. Make sure that your set includes a 1/3 cup measure for MiniMakes recipes, as not all sets do!

#5 Digital kitchen scale

While measuring cups are handy for liquid ingredients, a kitchen scale is useful to accurately weigh ingredients like softened butter, chocolate, nuts and other add-ins.

#6 Silicone spatula

A baker’s best friend! This versatile tool is useful for scraping batter out of bowls, folding dry ingredients into wet mixtures and smoothing buttercream over cakes. We highly recommend having more than one!

#7 Basic baking tins

We use the same basic set of baking tins for all our MiniMakes recipes to save on expense and storage. We recommend starting with a large baking tray (or two), a 21cm loaf tin, a standard 12-hole cupcake tray, and a 20cm round or square cake tin. Bundt tins, skillet pans, and mini cupcake trays are some nice-to-haves if you’re looking to up your regime.

#8 Wire cooling racks

These are important for cooling your bakes evenly without any sogginess. Try get a cooling rack with ample space for big bake days.

#9 Rolling pin

A must-have to roll out snap cookie dough with an even thickness and smooth texture. A simple wooden rolling pin even comes in handy for crushing up biscuits and nuts for add-ins.

#10 Small offset spatula

The ideal tool for spreading buttercream on cakes, smoothing batters into tins and lifting delicate cookies off baking trays.

#11 Piping bags and tips

A great way to level-up your decorating skills. We recommend starting with a basic round tip – handy for filling sandwich cookies – and a simple star tip for beautifully piped cupcakes (the Wilton 1M is a hero amongst the baking community for a reason).

#12 Oven thermometer

Even if you prepare your recipe to the T, an inaccurate oven temperature can be the reason why cakes collapse, cookie bases over-brown and brownies dry out. An oven thermometer is a game-changing baking tool worth investing in! Read more on the impact of oven temperature settings on the outcome of your bakes.

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