Baking Gift Guide for the Aspiring Pastry Pro
Treat the baker in your life with a gift recommended by experts from the Institute of Culinary Education.
The Institute of Culinary Education has no affiliation with the below brands receives no payments or revenue from these product suggestions.
If you have friends or family members who are avid baking enthusiasts with designs on a professional pastry career, baking gifts are gifts that give back. (Hopefully in the form of cookies, cakes, breads, etc.)
Baking essentials, for pros and enthusiasts alike, range from inexpensive tools and ingredients, to small appliances, accessories and extensive decorating kits. To Chef-Instructors from our Pastry & Baking Arts program to share their picks for the best baking gifts of 2024.
KitchenAid Stand Mixer ($269.99 and up)
It may be a big ticket item, but a KitchenAid mixer has serious staying power, and, “it is the best baking essential for an aspiring pastry professional,” accoridng to Chef-Instructor Ravindra (Ravi) Verma. Coming in mini, tilt-head and stand-lift models, as well as a multitude of vibrant colors, Chef Ravi says “it’s very versatile."
“You can whip up pastry preparations as well as knead the dough for your bread," he says. "With its attachments it can also help you make pasta, and do other things like grating or shredding fruits and vegetables.”
Related:Choosing the Best Flour for Bread Baking
Offset Metal Spatula ($9.95)
“An offset metal spatula is an essential tool for icing cakes and cookies,” Art of Cake Decorating Dean Toba Garrett says.
Chef Toba recommends both a large and small model of offset spatula with a wooden handle. The L-shape in an offset spatula allows you to apply icing in a flat, even layer, accessing your cake or cookies without getting your hands in the icing.
“They also have a sharp edge,” Chef Toba says, “and I use it a lot for cutting parchment paper in making paper cornets.”
Flexible Bowl Scraper ($1.75)
An inexpensive bowl scraper is a pro tool that not many home cooks or aspiring pros typically have, but should.
“I would say a good bowl scraper is absolutely essential for any pastry chef,” Chef-Instructor Chelsea Burgess says. “A bowl scraper is similar to a bench scraper, but it’s flexible and can mold it to the shape of the bowl,” she says, which is invaluable when it comes to heavy or sticky doughs. “There's a lot of different kinds out there, but when you find one that's right for you, it's something you'll never go without.”
Rubber Spatula ($20.99 for 3 pieces)
Chef-Instructor Keiry Palma seconds the above bowl scraper recommendation, and adds a rubber spatula to the mix. The spatula is small and useful, which makes it a great stocking stuffer.
“Both are affordable, flexible, and can come in an array of different sizes that excel in a variety of techniques including, folding, scraping, and spreading,” Chef Keiry says.
Reinforced Strainer/Sifter ($11.90)
“I asked for this sifter when I was in pastry school,” Chef-Instructor Kathryn Gordon says. “I still have it all these years later, and use it regularly.”
Wide mouth tamis drum sieves for sifting and mesh conical strainers for making sauces and purees are also useful tools for pastry chefs, but come with a larger storage requirement. This small strainer “works pretty well for anything,” accoridng to Chef Kathryn.
“I use it also for straining seeds out while making jam, and it can work for dry ingredients with a bowl scraper, and it can be adapted easily for catching egg coagulation in a custard if you line it with a piece of cheesecloth,” she says.
Set of Round Cutters ($14.49)
“I highly recommend a set of round cutters by Ateco,” Chef-Instructor Luisa DeGirolamo says.
This set of 11 round cutters ranging in size from ¾” to 3 and ⅝” in diameter is compact, but with a high degree of utility.
“They are so useful with sugar cookies, gingerbread, tarts, biscuits, doughnuts, chocolate work, fondant/gumpaste, and sugar deco,” Chef Luisa says. “I even use them to portion and form my hamburger patties at home!”
Digital Kitchen Scale ($27.49)
If your loved one is still measuring dry goods via measuring cups, and especially if they are haphazard about leveling, now is the time for a kitchen scale.
“Scaling or weighing ingredients are more precise and more consistent,” Chef-Instructor Pauline Pelea says. “It’s also the most efficient tool in getting all ingredients together."
Using a scale instead of measuring cups also brings the added gift of reducing the number of dishes that need to be washed.
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment ($99.99)
“So many bakers already have a KitchenAid mixer,” Chef-Instructor Kierin Baldwin says.
If your loved one already has number one on this list, you can add to it. The KitchenAid ice cream attachment includes a double-walled bowl, a churning paddle, and a toggle to attach the churn to the stand mixer’s motor.
“Why buy another appliance when you can give the one you already have an additional purpose?” Chef Kierin says. “Also, everyone loves ice cream.”
