Does Quality Equipment Make a Difference in Baking Quality?

[Galadriel]

I'm a poor college student and can't afford to purchase quality cooking and baking equipment. I haven't had a problem just hand-blending most things so far, but it made me wonder how much of a difference it really makes. Has anyone noticed a significant difference in the quality of their baking since upgrading to better equipment?

 

[Jessi]

I suppose that for some things, yes, I have seen a noticeable improvement, such as when making breads. Kneading dough for long enough can take a while by hand and I tend to stop before I should. Tossing it in a stand mixer does all the dirty work for me, though, with very little effort, and my breads have been noticeably better since then.

I find that my bulk cooking results are better, too. Using a mixing spoon for small cakes, brownies, etc, is sufficient usually, but if I'm doing more than one batch at a time, they mix much better in my stand mixer and I don't have to worry about dry spots getting missed.

When you say "hand-blending" do you mean with a spoon with with a hand mixer? If it's the former, then I recommend getting a hand mixer at some point to test out the difference yourself. You can get them for $10, so the price isn't crazy.

 

[Youtuber1320]

Well, if you don't do it right it could be very crucial in the solution.

 

[Galadriel]

I suppose that for some things, yes, I have seen a noticeable improvement, such as when making breads. Kneading dough for long enough can take a while by hand and I tend to stop before I should. Tossing it in a stand mixer does all the dirty work for me, though, with very little effort, and my breads have been noticeably better since then.

I find that my bulk cooking results are better, too. Using a mixing spoon for small cakes, brownies, etc, is sufficient usually, but if I'm doing more than one batch at a time, they mix much better in my stand mixer and I don't have to worry about dry spots getting missed.

When you say "hand-blending" do you mean with a spoon with with a hand mixer? If it's the former, then I recommend getting a hand mixer at some point to test out the difference yourself. You can get them for $10, so the price isn't crazy.

Thanks for the response! When I said "hand mixing" I mean that I only use a whisk or a mixing spoon - my collection of cooking utensils is incredibly limited. I'm trying to decide, essentially, if I bake/cook enough for it to justify the cost of investing in better utensils. From what you've said, I think I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, as I don't tend to bake bread very often. If I decide to pick that up I may start getting better "equipment." Thanks again!

 

[Jessi]

If you're just occasionally making some brownies or a quick cake, no, I don't think you're going to see a lot of difference. You may still find it beneficial to pick up a cheap hand mixer, though. Really, 10 bucks isn't all that much if you're going to use it semi-regularly (once a month or more?).