ARTICLE
Winning Kitchen Combinations: A Baker’s Choice
September 1, 2021-3 min read
Whether you find baking cathartic or consider yourself a pâtissier in training, you’ll know that to get the best results, you need the right tools for the job. Choosing the best-suited cooking appliances for your kitchen is just as important as your choice of whisk and measuring cups – just ask Alex Cadger, Director of Baked by Blonde Butler, whose loaded (and customisable) brownie slabs you’ll recognise from Instagram. Here, Alex shares his team’s top tips and preferences for the ultimate baker’s kitchen and explains how to curate the ideal cooking appliance combination.
The Baker’s Oven
It’s “make or break” time when your cooking creations reach the oven, so this is arguably the most important home cooking appliance in the baker’s kitchen. You’ll need accurate and consistent temperatures, even heating and enough space for your biggest baking creations to rise. New technology in residential ovens such as steam cooking and moisture control can also be beneficial to the baker, but it isn’t everyone’s choice. “Our bakers at Baked by Blonde Butler prefer an electric oven for baking, as it’s easier to control than a gas oven,” says Alex Cadger. Another consideration: while a freestanding oven might be appealing, a wall oven at eye height will be easier to keep an eye on.
Shop Baker’s Ovens
Smeg 60cm Classic Thermoseal Oven
The Baker’s Cooktop
Most keen bakers have a set of pots and pans they use over and over again – their trusty, reliable (maybe slightly rusted) favourites. Picturing yours now? Steer clear of an induction cooktop then, as induction cooking uses electromagnetism to heat pans and cook, which means investing in new cookware that’s compatible. But what’s the baker’s choice? “In terms of baking, the team will use a cooktop to melt chocolate or butter, so we prefer gas because we can control the flame ourselves,” explains Alex Cadger.
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Fisher & Paykel 60cm LPG Gas on Glass Cooktop
“Our bakers at Baked by Blonde Butler prefer an electric oven for baking, as it’s easier to control than a gas oven.
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The Baker’s Rangehood
There’s nothing quite like a home filled with the aroma of freshly baked goods. One of the beauties of baking is that just about everything you make smells great. This, and the fact that your oven is used a great deal more than your cooktop, takes the pressure off needing a high-powered rangehood. Fixed, integrated and slide-out models are all you really need. “Unless you are deep frying a lot, a rangehood doesn’t come into play much for baking,” says Alex Cadger. Stop and enjoy the smell of cake.
Shop Baker’s Rangehoods
Chef 50cm Integrated Rangehood Black
Technika 60cm Slideout Rangehood
Euromaid 60cm Slideout Rangehood
The Baker’s Microwave
Bench space is prime real estate in any kitchen, but especially in the baker’s kitchen, where pastry is rolled and pies are filled. You’ll want to invest in a built-in microwave or a model that will fit neatly into your kitchen cabinetry. “A simple microwave that is very easy to use is all you really need,” says Alex Cadger. “You would need it to soften butter or melt chocolate, so there’s no need for anything too fancy or complicated.” Look for at least 1000W of power for effective heating and a removable glass plate that will allow for easy cleaning when things overflow.
Shop Baker’s Microwaves
Miele 60cm Microwave Oven – Obsidian Black
Samsung 23L 1000W Microwave Stainless Steel
Smeg Linea Built-in Microwave Oven Black Glass
Finding the best kitchen appliance package for your home is no easy task, but we’re here to help. Browse our wide range of kitchen appliances online or visit us in-store for more. If you’re about to start renovations, we’ve got you sorted with kitchen design inspiration.
