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Life - Taste

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

Baker's Dozen

From favorite tools to special ingredients, these must-haves take the cake and more

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Peeking into a baker's pantry is a lot like peeping into someone's refrigerator — it yields a glimpse of their individuality and personality.

I poked through my own pantry for must-have items and polled other home bakers and pastry chefs to compile a baker's dozen of items we just can't live — I mean bake — without. Truly telling is what the baker holds most dear. Is it a certain ingredient, a tool, a decoration?

Extracts

When it comes to flavoring cakes, cookies and frosting, high-quality extracts can pack a punch of flavor. Look for pure extracts, which generally are made from natural essential oils or spices and alcohol.

Star Kay White's Orange Blossom Water ($5.99 for 2 ounces) is one of my favorite extracts; I use it in orange cake and orange buttercream recipes. It bolsters the citrus flavor and imparts a slight floral note.

Whipped cream

Albert Kutternig, head pastry chef and owner of Konditorei Austrian Bakery Cafe in Davis, lists fresh whipped cream as his essential baking item.

Many of the bakery's confections use whipped cream in place of buttercream, which Kutternig said tastes "old-fashioned." "A lot of people love (buttercream), but whipped cream is so much lighter in flavor and lighter in taste," he said.

Dark chocolate

The difference between a decadent, Hail Mary-worthy brownie and a brownie that's easily resisted? High-quality dark chocolate.

It's worth cutting a few corners in other areas (buying flour, sugar, butter and eggs in bulk at warehouse stores) to afford cacao products from acclaimed chocolatiers like E. Guittard and Scharffen Berger. Bittersweet chocolate yields a rich chocolate flavor.

Look for chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids.

Baking cups

A cute baking liner can turn even the plainest

cupcake into a dessert worth celebrating.

• Almond and oat flour: Jodie Chavious, pastry chef at Taylor's Market and Kitchen and Mason's Restaurant in Sacramento, substitutes almond or oat flour for all-purpose flour in some of her sweets.

"They have a better flavor, texture and can turn a normal chocolate chip cookie into something much more tasty," she said.

• Piping bags and tips: Spreading frosting with a knife is so passé. By using a piping bag and a decorating tip, you can adorn that cake or cupcake with an elegant swirl of frosting. Piping bags and tips can be found at party, craft or baking supply stores.

• Local fruit in season: Locally grown fruit in season can add nutrients to dessert and tantalize the taste buds.

• Vintage tools: Sometimes a beloved old kitchen utensil or gadget is the secret ingredient. Check antiques stores, online sellers and even thrift stores for vintage tools.

• Sugar flowers: All the clever prettiness, none of the work. Sugar flowers, made from royal icing or gum paste, can turn a cake into a work of art.

• Insurance: Silpat baking mats and parchment paper are perhaps a baker's best method to prevent sticking.

Silpat nonstick mats, made of fiberglass and silicone, can be used atop cookie sheets and are heat-resistant up to 482 degrees. They're a bit of an investment up front, about $19.99, but they virtually eliminate the possibility of cookies with charred bottoms.

• Pastry cream: Louise Maestretti, pastry chef at Tower Cafe in Sacramento, lists pastry cream as her must-have ingredient due to its versatility.

"I can use it to fill a cake or a fresh fruit tart," she said. "It can be baked into things as well."

• Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chips add zing to zucchini bread, coffee cakes, banana muffins and more.

• Carriers: You spent hours carefully crafting your confections. How are you going to transport them? It was love at first sight when I spotted Progressive International's Collapsible Cupcake and Cake Carrier ($29.99) atop a shelf at Sur La Table recently. The domed carrier holds 24 cupcakes, and the inserts can be removed if a cake is the desired dessert. The best part? The dome collapses down to about 5 inches tall to make for easy storage.