- electric mixer (handheld or stand)
- set of baking tins
- set of mixing bowls
- set of measuring spoons
- set of measuring cups
- pyrex-type microwave safe measuring cup (with pour spout)
- plastic or wooden mixing spoons
- whisk
- sieve/strainer
- pinch cups
- silpat (nonstick silicon mat for cookie sheet)
- oven glove or pot holder
- offset spatula
- wire cooling rack (grid style)
I used a cheap handheld electric mixer for years before my mum treated me to a stand mixer so don't worry about spending a lot on a mixer. It's easiest to find a set of baking tins in a dark nonstick coating. These are fine but be careful to not scratch the surface with metal tools. Wooden spoons tend to take on flavors of strong foods (like garlic) so keep a separate set just for baking. Pinch cups might seem pointless but they save a lot of time being handy for keeping lots of small ingredients in order and cracking eggs. Offset spatulas look like they're just for frosting cakes but they are the best thing ever for lifting cookies from the mat because they are thin and flexible. Finally, cooling racks have to have wires pretty close together and cheap parallel bars racks just don't cut it.
So that's the list of the things I started with or wish I started with. Additional tools such as bakeware (crockery type), rolling pins, cookie cutters etc will be discussed as we come to them.
Need a visual aide? Here are photos of all these items!
