them so that they don’t deflate the whipped ingredients
they're being folded into. Sifting also removes any lumps,
particularly in fine dry ingredients that tend to clump,
including cake flour, cocoa, and confectioners’ sugar.
Choose a fine-mesh sifter or sieve for best results.
SPATULAS
A heatproof silicone rubber spatula is great for stirring batter,
scraping it out of the bowl and into the pan, and spreading it
evenly before baking. An offset spatula, which features a stiff
metal blade that is bent near the handle, facilitates moving
cake layers from wire cooling racks to a cake stand or platter,
and is useful for spreading fillings, frostings, and glazes. An
icing spatula has a long, straight blade and is also excellent
for spreading fillings, frostings, and glazes.
CUTTERS
A paring knife, pizza wheel, and/or kitchen shears are all
helpful when trimming excess dough from a lined pie dish
or cutting out strips of dough (with the help of a ruler) for a
lattice top.
DOUGH SCRAPER
When rolling out the dough, it’s important that it doesn’t
stick to the work surface. A dusting of flour helps, but to
easily move the dough around and to loosen it when it does
stick, a scraper works wonders.
11
COOKIE PRESS
You’ll need a cookie press for our Spritz Cookies (page 25)
and a special madeleine pan for Chuck Williams’ own
recipe for madeleines (page 38).
PARCHMENT PAPER
Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to line baking
sheets to prevent dough from sticking.
BAKING SHEETS
Baking sheets are used for baking cookies, focaccia, and
sheet cakes. Cookies can be baked on either rimmed or
rimless baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone
baking mats to prevent dough from sticking. Sheet cakes and
roulades, or rolled cakes, are typically baked in a 12-by-16-
inch (30-by-40-cm) sheet cake pan (also called a half sheet
pan or rimmed baking sheet) with 1-inch (2.5-cm) sides.
PIE WEIGHTS
When partially or fully baking a pie shell before filling it (see
page 233), you will need pie weights to help the crust hold
its shape during baking. You can purchase ceramic pie
weights (which look like small balls), or use dried beans or
uncooked rice.
PIE DISHES
A standard-sized pie dish is 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter
and 1
1
/
2
inches (4 cm) deep and is used for most of the pies
in this cookbook. Some recipes require a deep-dish pie dish,
which is 2–4 inches (5–10 cm) deep. Pie dishes are made of
glass, metal, or ceramic. Glass conducts heat particularly
well, plus it allows you to see if the bottom of the crust is
nicely browned. If using a metal pie dish, choose a thick,
sturdy steel one.
CAKE PANS
Different cakes require different types and sizes of pans.
Whatever pan you use, be sure to prep it as directed in your
recipe before making the batter, as it will need to go in the
oven immediately. For most cake pans, choose ones made
from sturdy, heavy-duty aluminum.
Round cake pans: Most of the layer cake recipes in this book
call for two round 8- or 9-inch (20- to 23-cm) cake pans
that are 2 inches (5 cm) high. Avoid nonstick pans when
baking sponge cakes, which need an ungreased surface in
order to rise high.
Muffin pans: Standard-sized or mini, a muffin pan can be
greased or lined with paper cupcake liners for cupcakes, tea
cakes, and other mini or bite-sized cakes.
Specialty pans: Angel food and chiffon cakes are
traditionally made in a tall, 10-inch (25-cm) diameter
footed tube pan with a removable base. A Bundt pan is a
popular ring-shaped pan that gives cakes a distinctive
scalloped or patterned look; they range in size from mini to
extra large, but 12-cup (3-l) pans are the most common. A
springform pan features a spring-loaded latch that tightens
a collar around a removable base; these are great for tall
cakes, coffee cakes, and cheesecakes.
PASTRY
