Essentials & Must-Have Accessories for Baking in Apartments

Living in an apartment doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your love for careful and creative baking. With the right tools, kitchens of any size can become the perfect setting for creating delicious treats of all shapes, portions and difficulties!

Whether you’re a beginner experimenting with cookies and cupcakes or an experienced baker perfecting pies and pastries, having the right accessories makes all the difference. We’ve curated a list of 15 essential baking tools tailored to apartment dwellers — specifically, items that are designed to maximize functionality while minimizing clutter, ensuring you can bake like a pro without overwhelming your space. 

Must-have baking supplies for bakers in apartments

Mixing bowls

Mixing bowls are the foundation of any baking project, since whatever you’re making will always need to be mixed, sifted, whisked, stirred or prepared in some way or another. Plus, they’re great for organizing your ingredients in a complicated recipe! 

Stainless steel or glass nesting bowls are perfect for apartment kitchens because they save space and are versatile enough to double as serving bowls. Bowls that are heat-safe are best, since they can hold hot items safely and can be thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleanup!

Measuring cups and spoons

Accuracy is key in baking, so a reliable set of measuring cups and spoons are a must-have item. From cups upon cups of flour to the smallest amount of vanilla extract, these tools ensure your measurements are precise in the science that is the baking world. Stackable sets are easy to store in small drawers, making them ideal for apartment dwellers with limited kitchen space.

Silicone spatula set

Silicone spatulas are a baker’s best friend for scraping batter, folding ingredients and spreading frosting — they’re heat-resistant, easy to clean and won’t scratch your nonstick bakeware. Plus, their slim design makes them easy to store, and a set with a few different sizes ensures you’re covered for any task.

Handheld whisk

A handheld whisk is a simple yet essential tool for everything from mixing batters to emulsifying sauces to whipping cream, incorporating dry ingredients and keeping liquids from burning on the stove. It’s a lightweight and compact alternative to a stand mixer for quick jobs, and anything you need an electric mixer for can be done with a hand whisk, too (although it will take much more time and effort). 

If you don’t have space for a stand mixer, a handheld whisk is a must-have — and if you do have an electric mixer, a handheld one is good to have anyway!

Baking sheets

A half-sheet baking pan is a versatile piece of bakeware that every baker needs, as you can use it for all sorts of baking and cooking tasks. That, plus at least one larger one, will equip you for making nearly every kind of recipe in any size of kitchen.

Opt for durable, lightweight and nonstick options that will minimize cleanup and make storage easy. 

Muffin tin

A 12-cup muffin tin is a must for creating muffins, cupcakes, mini quiches and more. Its compact size makes it easy to store, and its versatility means you can experiment with both sweet and savory recipes without requiring additional specialty pans. Add a few of those reusable silicone baking cups and you’re good to go!

Rolling pin

Rolling pins are crucial for preparing doughs for pie crusts, cookies and biscuits. Trust us, DIY-ing a rolling pin from a water bottle or broom handle just ain’t gonna cut it in the long run (we’ve suffered through this experiment so that you don’t have to). 

Lightweight, compact options such as a tapered French rolling pin are easier to handle and take up less storage space than bulkier models. Plus, they’re handy when it comes to crushing nuts or making pasta!

Parchment paper or silicone baking mats

Nonstick surfaces like parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats make baking and cleanup hassle-free. These items prevent food from sticking to pans (especially if you have older pans that aren’t nonstick) and are perfect for apartment bakers who may not have a dishwasher or extensive counter space for scrubbing pans. 

Silicone baking mats are reusable, easy to clean and are a great sustainable swap for parchment paper, too!

Hand mixer

For amateur bakers or bakers with limited space, a hand mixer is a compact alternative to a stand mixer, offering enough power for most tasks like creaming butter, mixing dough or whipping cream. It’s affordable, lightweight and stores easily in a small cabinet or drawer. It will make your life much easier if you find yourself making whipped cream or meringue regularly!

Cooling rack

Cooling racks are essential for letting baked goods cool evenly and preventing soggy bottoms on pastries and breads. A stackable or collapsible design is especially useful in apartments with limited counter space, as it allows for multi-tiered cooling without taking up too much counter space.

Extra supplies for more advanced bakers

If you feel like you’re ready to delve into the more complicated world of baking, there are a few tools that you’ll find handy pretty quickly.

Kitchen scale

A kitchen scale is a game-changer for precision baking, especially for bread or pastry recipes that require exact measurements by weight rather than volume. Compact digital scales are perfect for apartment kitchens, taking up little space while offering professional-level accuracy on a fairly simple machine.

Pastry cutter or blender

This tool is perfect for cutting butter into flour when making pie dough, biscuits or scones. Its compact size makes it easy to store, and it eliminates the need for a food processor, which can take up significant counter space. It’s less useful outside of the pastry-making realm, but it’s one of those things that’s better to have it and not need it than to not have it when you do. 

Springform pan

A springform pan is designed with a removable bottom and a latch to release the sides, making it ideal for cheesecakes, tortes or any delicate dessert that you don’t want to tip on its head. Its unique design eliminates the risk of damaging your baked goods during removal, and it can make for faster cooling if you’re in a time crunch. Opt for a smaller size (6 or 8 inches) to save space in an apartment.

Bench scraper

This multipurpose tool is a bread baker’s secret weapon. Use it to divide dough, scrape countertops or transfer chopped ingredients quickly and mess-free. Its slim, flat design makes it easy to store in tight kitchen spaces, and it’s invaluable for advanced baking techniques.

Silicone pie shield or adjustable shield

A pie shield protects the exposed edges of your crust from overbaking while the rest of the pie cooks, giving you a perfectly-cooked crust with zero burnt edges. Sure, you can do this with some tinfoil in a pinch, but if you bake pie often enough or have an oven with a fan, a silicone one will make your life much easier. Most silicone versions are adjustable, compact and reusable, making them a smart addition to an advanced baker’s toolkit in a small kitchen.

Each of these handy baking tools were chosen not only for its utility but also for its adaptability to limited storage and counter space that many apartment-dwellers might face. Many of the items are multi-functional, collapsible or stackable, giving you the most use out of the tool while not overcrowding your kitchen in the process.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned baker, these accessories are essential for creating delicious baked goods while navigating the challenges of apartment living. Now, all you need is to try them out!

Have fun!

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Featured photo by tabitha turner on Unsplash