Best Baking Tools for Under $10

By Dede Wilson on March 20, 2014

My KitchenAid mixer is probably my favorite piece of equipment, but there are plenty of smaller and much less expensive baking tools that help us in the Test Kitchen, so we thought a roundup of our favorites was in order. We gave ourselves a limit of $10 so that these would be accessible to everyone. If you don’t have anything on this list yet, you are missing out!

_{Image: Peter Muka}

Luminarc stacking bowls (above). You will want several in a variety of sizes, but the smallest ones start at about $1. We use these heatproof glass bowls daily as general prep bowls, to melt butter and chocolate, and anytime we need to microwave something.

Wooden utensils. These are a must, especially when stirring caramel (they don’t conduct heat) or working with nonstick pots and pans. Bed Bath & Beyond has a set called Totally Bamboo 6-Piece Bamboo Utensil Set with six different utensils for about $6.

_{Image: Dédé Wilson}

Bamboo skewers. These are my go-to cake testers and they work in the deepest cake pans. If I’m making fruit skewers or need to dip a marshmallow in fondue, they multi-task, too. Look for them in your supermarket for about $1.50 per 100.

OXO Measuring Beakers. OXO is a company we always keep tabs on for their ingenuity and quality products. We are partial to their 4-Piece Mini Measuring Beaker Set. You can measure out vanilla extract with ease and have it waiting for you on the counter when you need it. $9.99 for all 4.

Table crumber. I didn’t think I needed one of these, even though every time I serve baked goods, there are crumbs all over the table. Once I used this elegant Aluminum Pocket Crumber, I couldn’t believe I had gone without for so long. At less than $5, it might just be the perfect hostess gift.

Brown Sugar Bears. These terra cotta bears are about $5 and can save you from ever having to deal with hardened brown sugar again. Simply soak in water and store in an airtight container with your brown sugar. You can even get one for light brown sugar and one for dark and you are still within our budget!

Microplane graters. These come in all price ranges and most are a bit more than $10; however, there exists a mini for $1.99 – the Microplane Classic “Try Me” Zester.

_{Image: Dédé Wilson}

Wooden reamer. When I have to juice a lemon I usually reach for my reamer, as seen above. This simple, yet incredibly functional tool does the job effortlessly and can be found for less than $5.

Lemon hat. A great alternative to a reamer is a lemon hat – well, that’s what I call it anyway. It looks like a cheesecloth shower cap for a lemon half and is often referred to as a lemon cheesecloth bag or stretch wrap. It holds the seeds back and allows the juice to flow and you can pick them up for less than $5.

Old toothbrushes. They’re free! We use them to scrub all the tiny fluted edges of tart pans, to get into the corners of square pans, the inside of pastry tubes, to spot scrub stains on cutting boards and so much more.

_{Image: Dédé Wilson}
A tip: Don’t overlook the dollar store. Don’t buy your measuring implements there (they will most likely not be calibrated correctly), but on a recent trip, we saw kitchen shears, a pizza cutter, tons of spoons, spatulas, twine, hot mitts, woven placemats, clips to close bags, paring knives with protective sleeves (great for picnics), pie servers and so much more. All for a dollar!