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Kitchen drawers have a way of becoming retirement communities for gadgets we thought were going to change our lives.
Strawberry slicers.
Avocado tools.
Various objects purchased after watching someone use them successfully on television at 11:30 p.m.
This isn't that list.
These are the baking tools that earn the space they occupy because they're useful, versatile or simply make baking less annoying.
Some are baking-specific. Others you'll use constantly.
And none requires remodeling the kitchen.
A Really Good Half-Sheet Pan
MFG Researched Pick: Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet
This might be the least exciting recommendation on the list.
It's also probably the most useful.
Cookies, biscuits, roasted vegetables, sheet-pan dinners, toasted nuts, bacon, reheating pizza and catching whatever is threatening to bubble out of the pie sitting above it.
A rimmed aluminum half-sheet pan is a workhorse.
The Nordic Ware version keeps showing up in professional product testing for good reason. It's simple, relatively inexpensive and doesn't have a coating we're going to worry about scratching.
Why it earns the space:You'll use it for considerably more than baking.
MFG verdict:Buy two.
A Bench Scraper
MFG Researched Pick: OXO Good Grips Bench Scraper & Chopper
This is one of those tools that looks unnecessary until you own one.
Then you wonder why you've been using your hands to move chopped vegetables around the kitchen like some sort of animal.
For baking, a bench scraper portions dough, cuts pastry and helps clean flour and stuck dough from the counter.
For everything else, it scoops chopped ingredients, scrapes cutting boards and helps clean up.
Why it earns the space:Cheap, compact and surprisingly useful.
MFG verdict:One of the easiest recommendations on this list.
A Kitchen Scale
MFG Researched Pick: KitchenAid KQ909 Dual Platform Digital Kitchen and Food Scale
Baking rewards accuracy.
Unfortunately, a cup of flour isn't always a cup of flour.
How you scoop it, how tightly it's packed and even the measuring cup itself can change the amount.
A digital scale eliminates most of that nonsense.
Put the bowl on the scale. Zero it. Add the ingredient.
Done.
It also means fewer measuring cups to wash, which may be the strongest argument of all.
Why it earns the space:Better consistency and fewer dirty dishes.
MFG verdict:If you bake regularly and don't own one, start here.
A Pie Plate That Lets You See What's Happening
MFG Researched Pick: OXO Good Grips Glass 9-Inch Pie Plate
Metal pie pans have their advantages, but glass offers one particularly satisfying benefit.
You can actually look at the bottom of the crust.
For anyone who has removed a gorgeous pie from the oven only to discover a pale bottom crust later, this is useful information.
The OXO version is deep enough for substantial pies and comes with a lid, which becomes considerably more important the moment you're trying to transport the pie somewhere.
Why it earns the space:Baking dish and storage/transport solution in one.
MFG verdict:Particularly useful for the person who is usually asked to bring dessert.
A Quarter-Sheet Pan
MFG Researched Pick: Nordic Ware Naturals Quarter Sheet
A half-sheet gets all the attention.
The quarter-sheet might get used even more.
It's perfect when you're roasting something small, baking a few cookies, toasting nuts, heating leftovers or cooking for one or two people.
It also fits into places a full-size sheet pan doesn't.
Why it earns the space:It's the baking pan you reach for when the big one feels ridiculous.
MFG verdict:Small but mighty.
Parchment Paper
Not technically a tool.
We're including it anyway.
Parchment makes cookie removal easier, protects pans, simplifies cleanup and prevents you from spending the evening chiseling caramelized sugar from metal.
Pre-cut sheets are particularly convenient.
Because if you're already making cookies, cutting parchment paper to exactly 13 by 18 inches isn't the part of the experience anyone was looking forward to.
Why it earns the space:Cleanup.
MFG verdict:Enough said.
A Silicone Spatula That Isn't Terrible
Every kitchen seems to contain six spatulas.
Usually only one is good.
A useful silicone spatula should be firm enough to scrape a bowl, flexible enough to get into corners and heat-resistant enough that accidentally leaving it against a warm pan doesn't turn it into modern art.
Buy one good one instead of collecting mediocre ones.
Why it earns the space:Batter left in the bowl is cake you don't get to eat.
MFG verdict:We take this seriously.
A Microplane-Style Fine Grater
MFG Researched Pick: Microplane Premium Classic Series Zester/Grater
Lemon zest.
Orange zest.
Nutmeg.
Chocolate.
Parmesan.
Garlic.
A fine grater takes up almost no room and performs enough jobs that calling it a baking tool is actually underselling it.
Fresh citrus zest also does more for many baked goods than another teaspoon of extract ever will.
Why it earns the space:Tiny footprint. Huge usefulness.
A Cookie Scoop (or scoops)
Can you portion cookie dough with a spoon?
Of course.
Can you also estimate whether you've eaten one serving of ice cream directly from the container?
Of course.
Accuracy is another matter.
A spring-loaded scoop makes cookies more uniform, which means they tend to bake more evenly.
It's also excellent for muffins, meatballs and portioning various other things.
Why it earns the space:Consistency without effort. I cannot express how easy these have made so many tasks. Consistency is king. Although these seem like a luxury item and not a necessity, splurge a little - you'll thank me later.
A Rolling Pin
No Wi-Fi.
No motor.
No charger.
No app.
Just a cylinder.
And somehow, after centuries, it remains remarkably effective.
For pie dough, biscuits, cookies, pizza and pastry, a simple rolling pin is still hard to improve upon.
You don't need one made from a rare tree harvested during a full moon.
You need one that's comfortable, smooth and long enough to roll dough without fighting it. If you need a guide on rolling, there are some great options with thickness guides that make the job super easy.
Why it earns the space:Some things don't need reinventing.
What You Don't Need
This list is just as much about what we're not recommending.
You don't need every gadget marketed to bakers.
You don't need twelve specialty pans before you've made twelve cakes.
And you definitely don't need to replace perfectly good kitchen equipment because someone released it in this year's fashionable color.
Buy tools when they solve a problem.
Replace them when they stop doing their job.
Splurge when the better product actually makes a difference.
That's the philosophy around here.
Because a kitchen should contain things you use.
Not things you're storing.
Find something worth having.