Hand Tools

Blowtorch.

A tool used for caramelizing and controlled browning of various pastry items and for caramelizing the sugar topping of crème brûlée. Butane or propane is used as fuel, depending on the model.

Bowl knife.

Also called a straight spatula or palette knife, this tool has a long, flexible blade with a rounded end. Used mostly for spreading icing on cakes and for mixing and bowl scraping. A variant with an angled blade is called an offset spatula. The bent blade allows spreading and smoothing batters and fillings inside pans.

Brushes.

Pastry brushes are used to brush items with egg wash, glaze, and so on. Larger bench brushes are used to brush flour from tabletops and from the surface of dough. Oven brushes are used to clean excess flour from deck ovens.

Chinois and china cap.

A chinois is a conical strainer with a fine mesh, used mostly for straining sauces. A china cap is also a conical strainer; this one is made of perforated steel, so it doesn’t strain as finely. A china cap is usually lined with several layers of cheesecloth if the liquid must be well strained.

Comb, icing.

A small plastic tool, usually triangular, with serrated edges in various patterns, for decorating icings and other pastry and decorative items.

Cutters.

Many types of cutters are used in the pastry department. Cookie cutters and pastry cutters, available in many shapes, cut decorative shapes by stamping them from rolled-out dough. Roller cutters have a handle on each end, like a rolling pin, and are rolled over rolled-out dough to cut repetitive shapes quickly and efficiently, with minimal loss of dough to trimmings and scraps. Roller cutters are often used for croissants.

Pastry bag.

A cone-shaped cloth or plastic bag with an open end that can be fitted with metal or plastic tubes or tips of various shapes and sizes. Used for shaping and decorating with items such as icing; for filling certain kinds of pastries and other items, such as éclairs; and for portioning creams, fillings, and doughs. Use of the pastry bag and tubes for decorative work is discussed and illustrated in chapter 17.

Peel.

A thin, flat wooden board or steel sheet with a long handle, used for inserting and removing hearth breads from deck ovens. Because they are thinner than traditional wooden peels, steel peels are easier to slide under baked loaves.

Roller docker.

A tool that pierces holes in rolled-out dough to prevent bubbling during baking. It consists of a handle attached to a rotating tube fitted with rows of spikes.

Rolling pins.

Many types of rolling pin are used in the bakeshop for rolling out doughs. Perhaps the most versatile pin, used for most general rolling tasks, is simply a solid hardwood rod, about 2 inches (5 cm) thick and 20 inches (50 cm) long. A French rolling pin is about 2 inches (5 cm) thick at the center and tapered toward the ends. It is useful for rolling pie doughs and other doughs that must be rolled to a circular shape. For large quantities or heavy work, a heavy ball-bearing pin may be used. This pin is 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) thick and has a swiveling rod inserted through the center, with a handle at each end. Textured rolling pins are used to emboss designs, such as a basketweave pattern, in sheets of marzipan and pastillage.

Scrapers.

A bench scraper, also called a dough scraper, is a small rectangle of stainless steel with a handle along one of the long edges. It is used for cutting and portioning dough and for scraping tabletops. A bowl scraper is a piece of plastic about the same size, but with one curved edge and no handle. It is used for scraping out the contents of mixing bowls.

Sieve.

A round metal screen supported in a stainless-steel hoop frame. It is used for sifting flour and other dry ingredients. Also called a drum sieve or tamis (pronounced tah-mee).

Strainer.

A round-bottomed, cup-shaped tool made of screen mesh or perforated metal, with a handle on one side. Used for separating solids from liquids, such as draining the juice from fruit. Screen-mesh strainers can also be used for sifting dry ingredients, like a sieve.

Turntable.

A round, flat disk that swivels freely on a pedestal base. Used for holding cakes for decorating.

Wire rack

A wire grate used to hold baked goods as they are cooling, or to hold items such as cakes while liquid icings, such as fondant, are applied.

Whip.

Loops of stainless-steel wire fastened to a handle. Whips with a few stiff wires are used for mixing and blending, and whips with many flexible wires are used for whipping foams, such as whipped cream and egg foams. Also called whisk.