Ron Ben-Israel's Must-Have Holiday Baking Tools

Baking expert and Sweet Genius host Ron Ben-Israel shares his list of must-have tools for the holiday season.
Guest Chef Ron Ben-Israel of Food Network's "Sweet Genius" visits "Worst Cooks in America" for the Cake Bake Off Challenge. Recruits must prepare their versions of  a Basic Vanilla Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting that Chef Ron demonstrated how to prepare, bake, and frost. Chef Ron gave the recruits very specific directions to follow as a basis for their own unique cakes, as seen on Food Network's Worst Cooks in America, Season 4.

Guest Chef Ron Ben-Israel of Food Network's "Sweet Genius" visits "Worst Cooks in America" for the Cake Bake Off Challenge. Recruits must prepare their versions of a Basic Vanilla Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting that Chef Ron demonstrated how to prepare, bake, and frost. Chef Ron gave the recruits very specific directions to follow as a basis for their own unique cakes, as seen on Food Network's Worst Cooks in America, Season 4.

Photo by: Heidi Gutman © 2012, Television Food Network, G.P.

Heidi Gutman,  2012, Television Food Network, G.P.

Guest Chef Ron Ben-Israel of Food Network's "Sweet Genius" visits "Worst Cooks in America" for the Cake Bake Off Challenge. Recruits must prepare their versions of a Basic Vanilla Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting that Chef Ron demonstrated how to prepare, bake, and frost. Chef Ron gave the recruits very specific directions to follow as a basis for their own unique cakes, as seen on Food Network's Worst Cooks in America, Season 4.

We asked baking expert Ron Ben-Israel for his must-have tools for the holidays. It turns out that it’s not about having a lot of tools but about knowing which tools work well for the job at hand. And in Ron’s case, all items in the color red: “I like everything red. My kitchen is all red and black. I collect cake spatulas, and people know to bring me red stuff, so I have a red can opener and red measuring spoons. But that’s just a particular peeve of mine.”

Ron's Must-Haves:
1. A set of sifters
2. A scale
3. Glass measuring containers like Bennington Glass, which can be put on the stove, in the microwave and even in the oven. “They’re very lab-like, and because they’re a cylinder, the measurements are very clear,” says Ron.
4. Silicon spatulas
5. A spice grinder
6. A black-pepper grinder and a mixed-pepper grinder 
7. A coffee grinder to use for freshly grinding spices

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