Whether you bake occasionally or always seem to have something in the oven, the right tools can make baking easier, more consistent, and a lot more enjoyable. You don’t need a kitchen full of specialty gadgets, either. A handful of dependable basics can handle everything from cookies and cakes to breads and everyday desserts.

Here are six baking tools I think are genuinely worth having in a home kitchen.

A Digital Kitchen Scale

Measuring ingredients by weight is one of the simplest ways to get more consistent baking results. Flour in particular can vary quite a bit depending on how it’s scooped into a measuring cup, while a kitchen scale gives you the same measurement every time.

Look for a digital scale that’s easy to read, has a tare function so you can zero out the weight of your bowl, and can switch between grams and ounces. As a bonus, weighing ingredients directly into your mixing bowl means fewer measuring cups to wash.

A Stand Mixer

A good stand mixer can take a lot of the work out of baking, especially when you’re making cookie dough, bread dough, buttercream, or royal icing. It keeps your hands free while ingredients mix and makes it easier to get consistent results when a recipe requires several minutes of mixing or kneading.

The attachments also make it much more versatile than it first appears. A paddle attachment works well for cookie doughs and many batters, a whisk is useful for whipping cream, egg whites, and icing, and a dough hook can handle much of the work of kneading yeast doughs.

A stand mixer is certainly more of an investment than some of the other tools on this list, but for someone who bakes regularly, it’s one of the pieces of equipment that has earned its counter space.

A Set of Quality Silicone Spatulas

Silicone spatulas may not be the most exciting baking tool, but they’re among the ones you’ll reach for constantly. They’re useful for scraping down mixing bowls, folding ingredients together, transferring batter, and getting that last bit of frosting or icing out of a bowl.

I prefer having several sizes rather than relying on one large spatula for everything. A standard size handles most mixing jobs, while a smaller spatula is especially useful for working with smaller batches, scraping measuring cups, or handling icing and other decorating tasks.

Look for spatulas made from heat-resistant silicone with a sturdy core and as few seams or crevices as possible. One-piece designs are particularly easy to clean and don’t give batter or moisture places to collect.

Sturdy Baking Sheets

A good baking sheet can make a bigger difference than you might expect. Thin or poorly made pans can warp in the oven and develop hot spots that cause cookies and other baked goods to brown unevenly.

Heavy-duty aluminum baking sheets distribute heat more evenly and are useful for far more than cookies. I use this type of pan for everything from baking and roasting to cooling decorated cookies before they’re stored.

Half-sheet pans are a particularly useful size for a home kitchen. Pair them with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats when appropriate, and cleanup becomes much easier too.

A Cookie Scoop

A cookie scoop is one of those simple tools that can make homemade cookies look much more consistent. Using the same amount of dough for each cookie helps them bake at roughly the same rate, so you’re less likely to end up with smaller cookies overbaking while larger ones are still underdone.

Cookie scoops are also useful for portioning muffin batter, cupcakes, and other sticky mixtures with less mess. Having more than one size gives you flexibility depending on what you’re making.

If you decorate cookies, consistent sizing can be especially helpful when you want a batch to look polished and uniform. Look for a scoop with a comfortable handle and a sturdy release mechanism that can stand up to thicker cookie dough.

A Good Rolling Pin

A dependable rolling pin is essential if you make rolled cookies, pie crusts, biscuits, or other doughs that need an even thickness. The goal isn’t just to flatten the dough, it’s to create a consistent surface so everything bakes evenly.

Traditional wooden rolling pins work well, but I especially like rolling pins that make it easier to control dough thickness. Adjustable rolling pins with removable thickness guides can be particularly helpful for cutout cookies because they take some of the guesswork out of getting an entire batch the same thickness.

Whichever style you choose, look for one that’s comfortable to handle, easy to clean, and long enough to roll dough without constantly repositioning it.

You Don’t Need Every Baking Gadget

It’s easy to accumulate baking tools, especially when there always seems to be a new gadget promising to make baking easier. But a well-equipped home kitchen doesn’t need dozens of specialty items.

Start with dependable tools you’ll use again and again. A good scale, mixer, spatulas, baking sheets, cookie scoop, and rolling pin can cover an enormous range of baking projects. You can add more specialized tools as your baking interests grow.

The best baking tools aren’t necessarily the fanciest ones. They’re the ones that make you want to get back in the kitchen and bake again.