Cooking and baking tools for cookies, cakes and decorating

Cooking and baking with the right tools

In the Cooking & Baking category, you'll find tools that help you prepare, bake and decorate, from cookie cutters and baking pans for cakes and muffins to food coloring for fondant and icing. Wooden spoons, cutting boards, kitchen knives and peelers are part of it too.

Which tools for which job

With baking pans, the material determines how they handle: metal pans conduct heat well and give even browning, while silicone molds are flexible and release easily. With food coloring, the choice depends on what you're coloring. For fondant and royal icing, gel or powder usually works better than liquid coloring, because it barely changes the consistency. For chocolate and other high-fat mixtures, you need oil-based colors.

Metal cutters usually cut fine outlines more cleanly, while plastic ones are comfortable to hold. Under Cooking & Baking Accessories, you'll find helpers such as rolling pins, fondant smoothers, pastry brushes and measuring cups. Material, dimensions and dishwasher suitability are listed with each item.

• Cookie cutters and embossing cutters for cookies, marzipan and fondant
• Baking pans made of metal or silicone
• Food coloring as gel, powder or liquid
• Cooking spoons and cutting boards in wood or plastic
• Chef's knives, vegetable peelers and paring knives

Tip: Wooden spoons and wooden boards last longer if you wash them by hand, let them dry well and rub them with a little cooking oil from time to time.