Great Gifts for Bakers

For the longest time, baking scared the living crap out of me. It took a stint in culinary school to get me even remotely comfortable with the idea that once your ingredients are mixed together and popped in the oven, there's no going back. Unlike stovetop cooking, where it's relatively easy to make slapdash substitutions and estimate your measurements, baking is a project of precision. That's why my baker's tools are some of the most important items in my kitchen arsenal.

From a precise, easy-to-use scale to a killer set of pastry tips, we've pulled together our favorite gift-worthy picks for the baker in your life. Here are a few highlights:

A smooth and versatile marble slab: Some folks are lucky enough to have vast marble countertops in an expansive home kitchen...others (*cough*, me) have a wee little surface littered with appliances. Whether space is tight or just otherwise occupied, a marble pastry slab can work wonders. Its smooth surface isn't just easy to clean—it stays remarkably cool (and this one can even be loaded into the fridge or freezer to chill). It won't impart flavors to your food or absorb moisture, and it's about as close to nonstick as a surface can get. All those factors come in handy for everything from rolling out pie crusts and laminating temperature-sensitive doughs to tempering chocolate. I especially love this one because it's pretty enough to use as a serving platter, too.

Flavor-infused sugars: Experimenting with baking recipes can be tricky—the slightest adjustment to the ratio of ingredients can wreak havoc on the final product. Luckily, it's easy to add a little flair without messing around with proportions. These flavored sugars from La Canne provide extra depth and nuance to cookies and cakes without impacting texture or rise. Try one with a hint of spicy ginger, floral lavender, or smoky pecan.

An epic set of pastry tips: I like to think of pastry tips as the coloring stencils of the cake-decorating world. Simply load up a piping bag with buttercream frosting, attach a tip, give the bag a squeeze, and voilà: You're making gorgeous piped flowers, leaves, stars, and basket-weaves in no time at all. Sure, it takes a little practice, but novice and experienced bakers alike are guaranteed to have a field day with this tremendous 55-piece decorating kit. Pro tip: Practice on some parchment paper until you're comfortable, then return the icing to the bag to get decorating. And hey, if you're feeling a little intimidated by taking the full plunge, you can pick up a still-impressive 26-piece set instead.

An accurate, easy-to-use scale: I absolutely cannot overemphasize the necessity of weighing ingredients for baking. Measuring dry goods like flour or sugar by volume is an inherently inaccurate process that can drastically impact the outcome of your cake, cookies, or breads. And when accurate scales are so easy to come by, why risk it? We love this stainless steel digital scale from OXO—it's precise, lightweight, and intuitive to tare; flips between pounds and kilograms at the touch of a button; has a removable surface that's easy to clean; and features a backlit display that can be pulled out to make measuring easy, even when you're working with an extra-large bowl.

The classic stand mixer: Once you have a stand mixer, it's hard to imagine how humans ever managed to get by without them. Not only do they make quick, easy work of batters, doughs, and icings, but if you go with KitchenAid, there's a vast range of attachments to be had—everything from homemade sausages to ice creams to pastas is suddenly at your fingertips. (The awesome color selection doesn't hurt, either.)

But Wait, There's More!

We're not done. You can find plenty more gifts for bakers right this way »