The MK team’s favourite baking tools aren’t just handy – they’re game-changers. These kitchen MVPs will do all the heavy lifting for you! 

Liezl Vermeulen, Editor-In-Chief 

A food processor is a fantastic baking appliance. Granted, this is something you save for… but once you have it on your kitchen counter, you can never live without it again. Unlike a stick blender, which can fulfil some of the same tasks, a food processor has a wide surface area that really manages to mix things without immediately turning it into a fine crumb or pulp (like a stick blender would). It works great for everything from making homemade pastry to simply crushing cookies for your fridge tart. 

@food24_southafrica Love a good hack? So do we! ⁠ ⁠ We recently put one to the test and it’s a game-changer, especially if you don’t have a spice grinder at home! ⁠ ⁠ Did you know you can use a stick blender to grind small amounts of seeds and spices? It might get a tad messy, but the results are totally worth it! ⁠ ⁠ We were inspired by aruna_vijay_masterchef to try this awesome hack! ⁠ ⁠ Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.⁠ Visit the link in our bio for more foodie hacks! #food24_southafrica #SAMA28 #foodhacks #foodtipsandtricks #viralhacks #spices ♬ original sound – Food24_SouthAfrica

Lichelle May, Food Editor 

There are two baking tools that I cannot be without – a digital kitchen scale and a dough cutter. Goodbye “cup” guessing; the digital scale gives the perfect ratios every time. I also love dough cutters, which can be used like bench scrapers. They make lifting, dividing and cleaning up dough stuck on a counter effortless.  

@bakingbycece How to use a digital kitchen scale! #baking #howto #bakingbasics ♬ original sound – bakingbycece

Sjaan van der Ploeg, Deputy Food Editor 

I love an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer). Having some sort of electric beater that can combine batters or mixtures for your bakes really makes a difference. Of course, many bakes can be made using a whisk, wooden spoon or even your hands, but the extra power provided by a mixer transforms the end result from a dense cookie to a chewy one or from lumpy cake to light. The second tool I can’t bake without is a sieve. It really helps when it comes to adding flours or dry goods to your bakes. They don’t only prevent any hardened or dried pieces from making their way into the mixture, but they also aerate the flours, making the ingredients lighter and evenly distributed.  

@lotsacakes If you’ve ever wondered why it’s important to sift your dry ingredients. Well, here’s a video that hopefully answers all those questions! ##homebakery##baking##bakingtips##bakefromscratch##homebakery##bakerylife##bakery##cakedecorator##customcake ♬ original sound – LotsaCakes

Photography: Pexels

Also read: 3 Baking mistakes you may be making (and how to fix them)