In a world of gluten-free, dairy-free and lactose intolerant dietary requirements the festive season brings with it welcomed permission to let go and indulge in the vast array of delicious naughty delights. For those of us who love to spoil ourselves by making glorious cakes in our festive holidays, it can be easy to be overwhelmed with the desire to buy all the shiny speciality tools out there.
The truth is, unless you are a professional cake decorator or someone with more space in their kitchen than they could possibly fill, you probably won’t use all these shiny temptations in your beautiful creations.
Award-winning TV chef, master cake decorator and cookbook author, Grace Stevens, shares with us her top choices for tools that make tantalising gifts for bakers this festive season.
Cloth Tool Bag
The array of icing tools out there is almost as vast as the kind of creations you can make with them. To create your amazing creations it is important that you can keep them in a storage solution that is simple to use and easy to store. This cloth tool bag not only holds all your essential decorating tools for easy storage and transport but can easily be popped in the washing machine to keep it fresh and clean for decades to come.
Cookie Turntable
This cookie turntable will have you dizzy with delight. Make decorating cookies and cupcakes a breeze with this small and portable turntable which will allow you to have more control over your creation by providing a level surface to work on, and the ability to reposition your creation without getting accidental fingerprints on your perfect surface.
Tea Towels
A high-quality tea towel is not just for cleaning as you go and quickly mopping up spills before they turn into monstrous sticky messes. In classic French recipes such as roulade’s they are key to getting the perfect roll without cracking the sponge cake.
Cake Tester
These adorable confectionery cake testers are not only delicious to look at and handcrafted and a great stocking filler for the beginner or advanced baker. They help you gauge changes in the texture of your baked good and tell when your cake is cooked when the metal is clean when it comes out. You also have less damage and leave smaller holes that are easier to ice over, leaving your final produce flawless.
Palette Knife
Palette Knives are to a pastry enthusiast what chef blades are to professional cooks. A great tool to add to your tool kit they generally come in two forms, straight or cranked (bent). Straight palette knives are great for delicately placing layers on a cake, and cranked knives help achieve a flatter base on which to place your icing decorations.
For more delicious tips and recipes to celebrate this festive season follow Grace on Instagram @grace_stevenschef or browse her fabulous store at www.gracestevens.co.za.