Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Up to 43% off Alexa devices $22.99

Snag this sale on Amazon's Echo devices in 12 sizes, colors, and versions. Read Review

BUY NOW
The Best Baking Tools Credit: Getty / Pekic

The Best Baking Tools of 2024

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

The Best Baking Tools Credit: Getty / Pekic

Why trust Reviewed?

Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.

Learn more about our product testing
1
Editor's Choice Product image of GE Profile Smart Mixer P8MSASS6T
Best Stand Mixer

GE Profile Smart Mixer P8MSASS6T

Check Price at Amazon

This is a modern interpretation of a legendary kitchen workhorse with all the expected features plus upgrades not found anywhere else. Read More

Pros

  • Integrated scale and timer
  • Auto-sense technology
  • Easily accessible controls

Cons

  • Only comes in 7.5-quart capacity
2
Editor's Choice Product image of Cuisinart HM-90 Power Advantage Plus
Best Hand Mixer

Cuisinart HM-90 Power Advantage Plus

Check Price at Amazon

The Cuisinart kneaded yeast dough into a smooth elastic ball as well as the human hand. The on/off switch and speed controls are intuitive to use, and the mixer always starts off slowly, so you never get an initial spatter of flour in your face. Read More

Pros

  • Intuitive speed controls
  • Includes helpful manual
  • Dishwasher safe attachments

Cons

  • None that we could find
3
Editor's Choice Product image of GIR 11-inch Ultimate Whisk
Best Whisk

GIR 11-inch Ultimate Whisk

Check Price at Amazon

This balloon whisk is the best whisk we tested because it's super comfortable to hold, stylish, and mixes ingredients with ease. Read More

Pros

  • Easy to clean and use
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Stylish

Cons

  • None that we could find
4
Editor's Choice Product image of Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, Set of 3
Best Mixing Bowls

Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, Set of 3

Check Price at Amazon

Among stainless steel mixing bowl sets, this one from Cuisinart checks all the boxes. They're sturdy, versatile, and long-lasting. Read More

Pros

  • Sturdy with tall sides
  • Comfortable rim for gripping
  • Includes lids

Cons

  • Not microwave safe
5
Editor's Choice Product image of Bellemain Stainless Steel Measuring Cup Set
Best Dry Measuring Cups

Bellemain Stainless Steel Measuring Cup Set

Check Price at Amazon

We love nearly everything about this set, from their low profile to the two nonstandard sizes thrown in for good measure. Read More

Pros

  • Includes 2/3- and 3/4-cup scoops
  • Etching shows both cups and ml
  • Sturdy

Cons

  • Short handles
  • Best Stand Mixer GE Profile Smart Mixer P8MSASS6T
  • Best Hand Mixer Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus
  • Best Whisk GIR 11-inch Ultimate Whisk
  • Best Mixing Bowls Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, Set of 3
  • Best Dry Measuring Cups Bellemain Stainless Steel Measuring Cup Set
  • Best Pie Dish Emile Henry Modern Classics Pie Dish
  • Best Cake Pan Chicago Metallic
  • Best Loaf Pan Rachael Ray Yum-o! Nonstick Oven Lovin' Loaf Pan
  • Best Rolling Pin J.K. Adams Plain Maple Rolling Dowel
  • Best Baking Sheet Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet
  • Best Cookie Sheet Great Jones Holy Sheet
  • Best Flat Spatula Cutco Turn n’ Serve
  • Best Baking Spatula Di Oro Seamless Spatula
  • Best Oven Thermometer KT Thermo 3" Dial Oven Thermometer
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

Baking is an exact science, which means your results will only be as good as your tools and ingredients. If you’re trying to perfect your pies or impress your friends with the finest cakes and cookies, you’ll need the best baking essentials to help you mix, measure, roll, whip, and flip your way there.

Some of our favorite tools, like the KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer (available at Walmart), speak for themselves in terms of quality and performance in the kitchen. But investing in smaller tools like spatulas, measuring cups, and rolling pins can also help make the difference between okay bakes and fantastic bakes.

The GE Profile Smart Mixer sits on a black counter in front of a window with the whisk attachment to its left and the paddle attachment on a dish towel to its right.
Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
Best Stand Mixer
GE Profile Smart Mixer P8MSASS6T

Although the KitchenAid has (rightfully) been a historic frontrunner in this category, we've recently crowned the feature-rich GE Profile Smart Mixer as our new favorite.

That's because it streamlines the baking process in a way we'd never experienced before, thanks to a built-in scale, accompanying app, and auto-sense technology that works to automatically stop when foods have achieved the right texture. It's like having a mini sous baker in your kitchen!

During testing, we immediately fell in love with the user-friendly design of the appliance. From the digital display screen and the speed adjustment dial to the accessible bowl-lift design that can be accessed with just one hand from either side of the bowl.

But beyond aesthetics, its performance also impressed us. From whipping meringue to kneading dough and mixing batter, this workhorse produced results that knocked it out of the park time and time again, even when using the hands-off Auto Sense feature.

If you're open to the idea of technology aiding your baking performance—and minimizing dishes and tools during prep time—this stand mixer is a no-brainer.

See more of the best stand mixers we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Integrated scale and timer

  • Auto-sense technology

  • Easily accessible controls

Cons

  • Only comes in 7.5-quart capacity

$799.00 from Amazon

$799.00 from Best Buy

$799.00 from Abt
Best baking Tools: Hand Mixer
Credit: Cuisinart
Best Hand Mixer
Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus

From whipping cream to kneading bread, you can’t beat the Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Hand Mixer with Storage Case. It simply didn’t have any weak spots on any of our tests.

We didn’t have to stop and scrape the bowl when we were making sponge cake batter and when it came to cookie dough, it sailed right through, easily beating in oats and raisins thoroughly so we didn’t have to do a quick mix with a spatula before forming cookies. The Cuisinart kneaded yeast dough into a smooth elastic ball as well as the human hand.

The on/off switch and speed controls are intuitive to use, and the mixer always starts off slowly, so you never get an initial spatter of flour in your face. Of all the hand mixers we tested, it has the most helpful manual, which even includes recipes you might actually want to make.

Plus, the attachments are dishwasher safe and can be stored in the included case, snapped on the top of the mixer. The only drawback is that this is the noisiest model we worked with, although it is certainly nowhere near as loud as a blender or a hairdryer.

See more of the best hand mixers we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Intuitive speed controls

  • Includes helpful manual

  • Dishwasher safe attachments

Cons

  • None that we could find

Buy now at Amazon

$59.95 from Best Buy

$59.99 from Target

$79.95 from Abt
A person whisks together the ingredients for an omelette in a glass bowl.
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser

The best whisk overall that we tested is the GIR (Get it Right) Ultimate 11-inch Silicone Whisk.

Best Whisk
GIR 11-inch Ultimate Whisk

This balloon whisk is an all-around winner with a satisfying silicone grip and a featherweight lightness. The fine wire balloon is easy to clean and it breezed through each test with flying colors.

Its shape and size make this GIR whisk incredibly versatile—plus, it made some of the quickest whipped cream I’ve ever mustered. It’s priced on the higher end for a whisk, but the quality certainly justifies the price.

See more of the best whisks we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Easy to clean and use

  • Comfortable to hold

  • Stylish

Cons

  • None that we could find

$11.19 from Amazon

$12.96 from Walmart
Holiday Dinner: Mixing Bowls
Credit: Reviewed / Lindsay D. Mattison
Best Mixing Bowls
Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, Set of 3

If you ask us which we prefer (glass or stainless steel bowls), we’ll say stainless every time. There’s nothing to shatter or chip, making them both durable and long lasting, and their lightweight profile makes them easy to use.

While they shouldn’t go into the microwave, they can be used on the stovetop as a double boiler–and the small- and medium-sized bowls in the Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids worked perfectly for melting butter and chocolate over a 2-quart saucepan.

In addition, this set had nice, tall edges and a comfortable rim to hold onto while whisking. Each bowl was heavy enough to keep movement at a minimum (especially when we placed a towel underneath it) but light enough to hold in one hand while scraping out batter with the other.

As a bonus, the bowls come with air-tight plastic lids, so each bowl doubles as storage and transportation container. Put all this together and it's easy to see why these bowls earned our top spot as the best stainless-steel mixing bowls.

See more of the best mixing bowls we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Sturdy with tall sides

  • Comfortable rim for gripping

  • Includes lids

Cons

  • Not microwave safe

$30.15 from Amazon

$39.99 from Target

$30.15 from Walmart
Credit: Reviewed.com/Lindsay D. Mattison
Best Dry Measuring Cups
Bellemain Stainless Steel Measuring Cup Set

The heavy-duty Bellemain Stainless Steel Measuring Cups aced all of our tests. With short (but functional) handles held together by an easy-to-remove chain, the cups scooped with ease and benefited from a low-storage profile. The etched-on measurements include both American cups and European milliliters (just in case you don’t want to reach for that liquid measuring cup).

In addition to the common sizes (1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/4 cup), the set includes a 2/3- and 3/4-cup for ease of measuring. They fit inside standard flour and oatmeal containers and they didn’t bend easily when scooping brown sugar. These cups were the least expensive stainless cup option on our list but they out-performed all of the more expensive sets, making them a no-brainer for our top choice in the best dry measuring cups category.

See more of the best measuring cups and spoons we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Includes 2/3- and 3/4-cup scoops

  • Etching shows both cups and ml

  • Sturdy

Cons

  • Short handles

Buy now at Amazon

$40.66 from Walmart
Holiday Dinner: Pie Dishes
Credit: Emile Henry
Best Pie Dish
Emile Henry Modern Classics Pie Dish

You can’t beat the Emile Henry Pie Dish for looks or turning out a pie with a crispy, flaky crust. It’s made in France of ceramic and comes in lots of pretty colors. While this 9-by-2 inch dish is deep enough to hold almost two quarts of filling, we didn’t find our pies came out skimpy looking. Its large capacity and attractive appearance make it a good choice for baking and serving other items like scalloped potatoes or candied sweets.

As it can withstand high temperatures, you can run the Emile under the broiler if you want to brown off a lemon meringue pie or a mac and cheese casserole. Plus, it’s microwave and dishwasher safe. While its ruffled top adds to its appeal, it won’t help you create a fluted edge. Keep in mind that ceramicware is heavy, so this might not be the right choice for carrying a pie to a potluck. And there’s not much of a rim, so you need to grasp it firmly by the sides.

See more of the best pie dishes we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Attractive and available in several colors

  • Safe for dishwasher, microwave, and high heat

  • Deep

Cons

  • Fluted edge prevents crimped crusts

  • Heavy

  • No handles or lip

$43.90 from Amazon
Chicago Metallic Commercial II Round cake pan is our top pick.
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Best Cake Pan
Chicago Metallic

This 9-inch cake pan (also available in 8-inch) from Chicago Metallic aced our tests, coming out at the top of a very solid cake pan lineup. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of some other cake pans, but it does its job superbly. The Chicago Metallic cake pan baked perfectly round yellow cakes without significant doming and one evenly browned pound cake with a moist interior texture and a patina-like finish.

The unmolding process was smooth and easy—it was one of the few pans that didn’t struggle in this step. It’s made from heavy-duty aluminized steel, which is a more costly material than others used in cake pans, but the functionality and durability of the pan is also significantly higher. The dual-coating technology makes the pan nonstick and safe to use.

In terms of care, this cake pan doesn’t require too much cleaning. As the pan is nonstick, there was nothing for us to scrub. Run it under warm, soapy water and dry immediately, then you’ll be ready to bake again. If all you need is a round cake pan that can bake perfect chiffon, sponge, and tiered cakes consistently, then this is your best choice.

See more of the best cake pans we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Easy to release the cake

  • Heavy-duty construction

  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • No special feature

Buy now at Amazon

$15.69 from Walmart
A Rachael Ray Yum-o! Nonstick Oven Lovin' Loaf Pan is in the center of a crowded kitchen counter. Inside the pan, there's a loaf of quick bread.
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Best Loaf Pan
Rachael Ray Yum-o! Nonstick Oven Lovin' Loaf Pan

It has a silly name and it doesn’t look like a professional tool, but when it came to results and ease of use, we liked everything about the Rachael Ray Yum-o! Oven Lovin' Loaf Pan for loaf baking. First of all, the handles are large and have silicone inserts in Rachael’s signature orange color that make it super easy to get a firm grip on the pan.

The nonstick finish never faltered, even when we didn’t grease the pan. And because the nonstick finish is dark, it gave a nice deep crust to white bread. The Rachael Ray is roomier than some of the others we tested, so meatloaf juices never bubbled over onto the oven floor. As it’s safe up to 500°F, you can quickly brown off a crumb topping, if need be.

See more of the best loaf pans we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Large, grippy handles

  • Nonstick coating safe up to 500°F

  • Large capacity

Cons

  • None that we could find

$13.95 from Amazon

$13.99 from Home Depot

$13.99 from Walmart
Holiday Dinner: Rolling Pin
Credit: J.K. Adams
Best Rolling Pin
J.K. Adams Plain Maple Rolling Dowel

When they say there’s beauty in simplicity, they’re talking about this wooden rolling pin. It’s really just a sturdy wooden cylinder of a medium-heavy weight, nothing more, nothing less. But during testing, it rolled out perfect dough every time.

The simple design of this wooden pin, combined with its weight, makes it easy to control the amount of pressure you use based on what you need for your dough. For tough dough you can push a bit harder, and for soft dough you can keep a light touch. The long, cylindrical body and lack of handles also means that you'll never cut an edge through your dough the way you sometimes might with smaller, handled rolling pins. This translates to an even, non-lumpy dough that's easy to shape however you want.

To top it off, flour sticks to the pin just fine, which keeps dough from sticking while in use. The pin also cleans up easily. The only downside is that, depending on the size of your kitchen, it might be tough to put this beauty away. Its 19 inches of length simply make it harder to tuck into a drawer.

See more of the best rolling pins we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Easy to control pressure while rolling

  • Long body makes for consistent dough

  • Holds flour well

Cons

  • None that we can find

Buy now at Sur La Table

Buy now at Amazon

$33.99 from Walmart
Best Baking Tools: Baking Sheets
Credit: Crate & Barrel / Nordic Ware
Best Baking Sheet
Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet

There’s a reason this American-made baking sheet tops charts around the internet. It’s lightweight, large enough to fit more than a dozen cookies, and distributes heat like a dream. Measuring 12 by 17 inches, we're confident we can use it to cook enough vegetables for a small crowd—or for myself with plenty of leftovers. Even covered with goodies, this tray is light enough to hold with one hand while you scoop whatever you’re making onto a waiting plate.

My biggest concern was cleaning. While the pizza slid off easily, cookies and vegetables took a bit more work and left a bit of residue. However, everything heavy duty came off with a few minutes of soaking. Personally, I’d use parchment paper or a Silpat mat under my cookies to ensure that nothing sticks.

Given the high-quality construction, if you take care of this pan—wash it by hand and don’t even think about touching it with a metal spatula or fork—there's no reason why it shouldn't last for ages.

See more of the best baking sheets we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Versatile

  • Distributes heat evenly

  • Large and lightweight

Cons

  • Lining (parchment, foil, Silpat) recommended

Buy now at Amazon
Raw sugar cookie dough evenly spaced on a green baking sheet, ready to go into the oven.
Credit: Reviewed / Madison Trapkin
Best Cookie Sheet
Great Jones Holy Sheet

Cooking baking is a serious business, which means you need to invest in appropriate bakeware that will help—not hinder—the process.

The Great Jones Holy Sheet pan is especially up for the task thanks to its slick nonstick coating that means you won't even need to pre-grease it before baking a batch of easy-release treats. Even without parchment paper or cooking oil, cookies released evenly and clean-up was incredibly easy.

We also found that this pan yields impressively even results. Plus, it comes in several bright and fun colors that will make you want to show it off.

See more of the best cookie sheets we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Nonstick

  • Bakes evenly

  • Attractive

  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • None we could find

Buy now at Great Jones
Best Spatulas: Flat
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Best Flat Spatula
Cutco Turn n’ Serve

A flat cooking spatula is a kitchen staple—ideal for removing cookies from a baking tray, flipping pancakes and eggs, and any other cooking task that requires slipping under food to move it around. And the Cutco Turn n’ Serve flat cooking spatula takes the cake. (No seriously, we used it to move a cake and it worked great.) It’s more expensive than we would typically recommend for a spatula, but this is a “you get what you pay for” situation. It’s pricey, but comes with a lifetime guarantee and will never send you back to your utensil drawer looking for a better tool.

This spatula performed incredibly well on all of our tests. The flat head is thin enough to easily slide under delicate eggs and tofu, but sturdy enough to flip burgers and lift a cake from a cake turner onto a serving plate. It’s a good size as well. It hits the sweet spot between being narrow enough to fit into your brownie pan and lift out a piece, and wide enough to be useful for flipping pancakes and removing cookies from your baking tray.

The only downside we found with this spatula is that it’s metal. And while this allows it to be as thin as a delicate fish spatula, it cannot be used on a nonstick pan. So if you only use nonstick cookware, you will have to opt for a silicone tool.

See more of the best flat spatulas we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Fantastically multipurpose

  • Includes lifetime guarantee

  • Versatile size

Cons

  • Pricey

  • Cannot use on nonstick surfaces

Buy now at Cutco

Buy now at Amazon
Best Spatulas: Baking
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Best Baking Spatula
Di Oro Seamless Spatula

Everyone needs a silicone baking spatula, and the Di Oro Large Silicone Spatula is an excellent choice for folding flour into your batter and then scraping down the sides of your bowl. It’s a single, slick piece of silicone, so you don’t need to worry about the head snapping off. The handle is sturdy and solid, while the head is just flexible enough to scrape down tricky-to-reach areas of your bowl.

The one-side-curved, one-side-straight head of this spatula makes it excellent for reaching into different types of corners (for instance, when scraping dough from a round bowl or when smoothing brownie batter into a square tin). As well, the medium/large spatula head means you can get the job done quickly and easily. Overall, this spatula worked wonderfully through all our tests.

See more of the best baking spatulas we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • No pieces to come apart

  • Head has one curved and one straight side

  • Medium to large head

Cons

  • Nothing we could find

Buy now at Amazon
KT Thermo Oven Thermometer
Credit: KT Thermo

KT Thermo makes one of the most accurate and easy to read oven thermometers we tested.

Best Oven Thermometer
KT Thermo 3" Dial Oven Thermometer

Like the Goldilocks of oven thermometers, the KT Thermo is just right. The face is large and uncluttered enough to clearly read through a closed oven door. But the body is small enough to be unobtrusive, with a simple hook that snuggly locks it to a rack, and a base that’s just wide enough to allow it to sturdily perch on the grates.

It also accurately clocks temperatures, and ranges from 100° to 600°F, meaning it begins registering at a cool room temperature, and stands up to even the most blistering, pizza-hot conditions.

But if it somehow doesn’t meet expectations, know that the thermometer comes with a 30-day money back guarantee as well as a two-year warranty.

See more of the best oven thermometers we tested and reviewed.

Pros

  • Easy to read

  • Accurate

  • Stays in place

  • Two-year warranty

Cons

  • Lacks Celsius marks

Buy now at Amazon

Meet the testers

Lindsay D. Mattison

Lindsay D. Mattison

Professional Chef

@linzdmattison

Lindsay is a professional chef, recipe developer, writer, and developmental editor. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, she turned to writing to share her passion for local, organic, and seasonal ingredients with home cooks and food enthusiasts.

See all of Lindsay D. Mattison's reviews
Bethany Kwoka

Bethany Kwoka

Contributor

Bethany is a freelance contributor for Reviewed. An avid home baker and aspiring home cook, she reviews and writes mostly about kitchen gadgets (with the occasional fitness review thrown in). Her specialty might be fancy desserts, but she's never met a batch-cooked dinner recipe she didn't like.

Outside of her work for Reviewed, Bethany is a content creator working on clean energy and climate change at a regional non-profit and runs a tabletop game at her local comic book shop.

See all of Bethany Kwoka's reviews
Sharon Franke

Sharon Franke

Contributor

Sharon has tested and reviewed kitchen equipment for over 30 years. Before becoming a cooking tools maven, she worked as a professional chef in New York City restaurants.

See all of Sharon Franke's reviews
Cassidy Olsen

Cassidy Olsen

Contributor

@olsencassidy

Cassidy covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed from 2018 to 2020. An experimental home chef with a healthy distrust of recipes, Cassidy lives by the "Ratatouille" philosophy that, with a few techniques and key tools, anyone can cook. She's produced in-depth reviews and guides on everything from meal kits to stand mixers and the right way to cook an egg.

See all of Cassidy Olsen's reviews
Valerie Li Stack

Valerie Li Stack

Senior Staff Writer

@

Valerie Li Stack is a senior staff writer for Kitchen & Cooking. She is an experienced home cook with a passion for experimenting with the cuisines of countries she's visited. Driven by an interest in food science, Valerie approaches the culinary scene with a firm grasp of cooking processes and extensive knowledge of ingredients. She believes food speaks to all people regardless of language and cultural background.

See all of Valerie Li Stack's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next