The Must Have Tools for the Low Carb Baker

I highly recommend USA baking pans in all shapes and sizes. I've been replacing my current pans with these because they work so well for low carb baking.

The pans are heavy, thick-walled, and protect low carb baked goods from over-browning.

The half sheets and quarter sheets are must-have items in my world. They do not warp and I feel they will last for years and years.

When you think of cheesecake pans I bet you think about springform pans?

Forget the springform pan for your cheesecakes, instead try a high walled tart pan.

The only warning here is that if you do use a high-walled tart pan for your cheesecake, the cheesecake needs to have a crust. Without a crust, your cheesecake will leak out the bottom.

I use this tart pan from Jamie Oliver all-the-time. It creates beautiful ruffled crusts, and I swear I have fewer issues with cheesecake cracking using a tart pan instead of a springform pan. It is one of my go-to favorite pans of all time. I like it so much I bought 3 extras as back up.

Bowls, glorious bowls. My husband thinks I have a problem with how many bowls I have.

I am a firm believer in mise en place baking. Mise en place means cooking and baking like a pro. It's a French cooking term that translates to 'put in place".

Enter the prep bowls of every size. In order to set my baking up for success, I need to pull together all my measured and prepped ingredients before I even start to bake. Having a set of stacked prep bowls in all sizes makes this job much easier.

The great thing about these particular bowls is how you can advance the set. If you want extra smaller bowls you can buy them, and they still stack together.

Seamless silicone spatulas in all shapes and sizes are a must-have in my kitchen. You can find all kinds of great brands so don't feel this is the only one.

Wooden handle spatulas are the devil. The seal between the silicone or plastic end always releases or becomes loose. Those types of spatulas are also a haven for bacteria and germs.

Get yourself a good high heat-protected silicone spatula set that you won't have to toss or replace for years.

As low carb bakers, we use a lot of lemons and limes in our baking. It's one of the low carb fruits that pack a punch in baking and without them a lot of our desserts would be pretty boring!

I am all about the fresh-squeezed juices. Lemon & lime juice is always far more tasty squeezed fresh vs opening a bottle. Rind from organic citrus is a cheap and easy way to add a whole lot of pop of flavor to desserts without adding additional carbs.

This is a great little gift for any cook and comes in an easy to wrap box as well.

I try to avoid any utensil or tool that doesn't have a fully forged handle because they do tend to loosen and come off with time and use. However, this little kit is an exception because it comes with a lifetime guarantee and has excellent reviews everywhere it is listed. I have this set and use it al the time.

Don't buy cheap measuring cups and spoons! They don't last. Invest in a good set that will last a lifetime.

I love this little kit because it truly makes a lovely gift. The set has 6 measuring cups and 7 measuring spoons all forged in 18-10 stainless steel and comes in a beautiful gift box.

These measuring cups are well made, heavy-duty, and the handles will not bend. The cups and spoons are also stamped with the measurements so they will never rub off.

I also really love these measuring spoons because the shape works well for getting into tiny spaces like spice jars.

The old stand-by. Pyrex measuring cups have been around for years and years and for good reason. They last.

They are also microwave and oven safe and I can say in all the years I've used mine, the measurements have never washed off, and I have never broken one. (and I break all-the-things!)

From melting low carb chocolate to creating smooth custards you really need a double boiler.

Risking melting chocolate in the microwave is an absolute no from me because of the cost. Low carb, sugar-free chocolate is expensive yo! Ten extra seconds in that microwave and you've got burnt garbage chocolate.

A double boiler is a great investment for baking. It protects your ingredients and creates consistent results.

Decorating cakes, or cupcakes, or anything is a breeze when you have the right tips.

I am the worst when it comes to cake decorating, but even I can manage a swirl or a ruffle with the right piping tips.

There are larger sets and smaller sets, but this one has enough to get you going. You also want to stick with Wilton's brand tips since they are numbered and most online tutorial reference that Wilton number. Without Wilton tips, you will be left to guess what size tip you need.

I feel like food should be beautiful as well as enjoyable so I am all about prettifying everything I bake. I would be lost without a baking tip or two.

I absolutely love these reuseable silicone pastry bags from bubble fish. They feel really good in the hand, and don't stretch or break with heavy pressure.

Truth - I purchased these because they were pink and felt they would look good in photographs. I was surprised by how much I actually liked them over traditional piping bags. They are now the ones I reach for all the time.

I also like that they are reusable and dishwasher safe. For the cost of one box of disposable single sized piping bags, you can get four multiple sizes and reuse them as much as you want.

Silicone baking mats are great for cookies, meringues, pavlovas, anything you don't want to stick to your pan.

They are a great addition to a waste-free kitchen since they replace parchment and tin foil.

Be sure that you purchase the right size for your baking pans as these mats come in all different sizes.

Well, I could just say all my knives, but if I had to pick just two it would be my chef knife and my paring knife as they are the most used in my kitchen.

Knives are a personal preference. I linked the set I actually use in my kitchen. They were a gift from my mom for Christmas one year and I still have them and use them every single day. (Thanks mom!)

Cheap knives won't last, they dull, chip, warp and bend. You can read all about how these Henkle knives are made, but honestly, you just want something that is going to be sharp, do its job, and last for a long time without requiring replacement. These knives fit all those requirements.

Almond flour, coconut flour, and powdered sweeteners all need to be sifted. They tend to lump up! Without a good sifting, your baked goods will end up with balls of unmixed ingredients. Trust me, I've done it numerous times.

You can buy sifters, but they tend to not work with heavy flours like almond. Instead of sifting the almond flour, most traditional sifters get gunked up with the oily heavy almond flour.

Cue the fine mesh strainers!

These work great for all kinds of uses from sifting low carb flours, to removing lumps in custards and sauces. Having multiple sizes is also a great perk because sometimes you just need to strain a tiny bit of sauce and don't want to use a large bowl and strainer.

Stainless steel is also a must. It won't rust and is dishwasher safe.

I could not be without an apron. I am the messiest person in the kitchen ever.

And I know these aprons are not cute. They are plain white in a very utilitarian style. But they work.

They are not thin, but not so heavy to make you break a sweat in your kitchen either, they seem to be a great balance between protecting your clothes, and not feeling like you're wearing heavy armor.

The other great thing about them is that they are white. A good sanitize cleaning with hot water and a bit of bleach keeps them looking new.

I've had all kinds of pretty aprons over the years that I have stained with all manners of stuff from my kitchen. But my white aprons to continue to look clean and crisp.

Too bad my kitchen doesn't look the same way.

A good set of stainless steel whisks will not set your bank account back much, but they are a kitchen must-have.

From whisking egg whites to stirring sauces, to blending dry ingredients, I always seem to have a dirty whisk somewhere on my countertops.

I go for stainless steel whisks where the handle is attached to the whisk. Honestly stay away from whisks or any kind of heavy use utensils where the handle can come clean off.