5 Must-Have Baking Tools from the Contestants of Summer Baking Championship

Ask any home or pro baker, including three of our contestants, and they’ll tell you a stand mixer is a must-have. “Have you ever tried whisking whipped cream by hand?” Chris Jara asks. (We have. It’s not fun.) Nayibe "Nayi" Renaud agrees. “Pastry, confections, pasta. My KitchenAid mixer does it all,” she says. Austin Granados is also a fan. “It can do anything,” he says.

Tara Canaday swears by her 8-inch Hedley and Bennett chef’s knife for all of her summer baking (and cooking and grilling) needs. “I’ve put away all my other bougie, expensive knives. This thing is a workhorse,” she says. It’s more lightweight than Canaday's other knives, making it easy to tote around on weekends when she’s traveling.

A Microplane is Rob Lough’s must-have tool for zesting fruit and citrus that give his summer bakes a lot more flavor. “The size of the teeth allows you to get off more of the zest and avoid the white pith, which can give you a bitter flavor,” he says.

“My go-to, can’t-live-without tool is an offset spatula — the smaller version,” says Stephanie Tucci. You’ll often see her with one in her pocket when she’s decorating cakes. According to Tucci, just about any brand will do, but she does prefer a wooden handle.

A seemingly simple tool, it’s a must-have when it comes to baking for two of our contestants: German Rizzo and Vonshia Brown. The pliable head makes it easy to scoop around any mixing bowl and ensure all of the batter is transferred. And the sturdy handle makes it easy to maneuver no matter what kind of task you’re doing.