This year’s summer is officially in the books. While that means several months of cold weather are on the horizon, apple-picking season is just around the corner. It’s a silver lining for pastry lovers who don’t want to say goodbye to the warm weather.
If you love baking, you can celebrate this year’s apple-picking season by making apple pies yourself. However, before you fire up the oven, you’ll need a few essential tools to help you get the job done.
Shop this article: Farberware Classic Wood Rolling Pin, Spring Chef Dough Blender and Belmaks Pastry Wheel Decorator and Cutter
A rolling pin is a baker’s best friend and is used to flatten the dough. A traditional rolling pin has handles on both sides and the same diameter throughout. Some have a rod-like, tapered design and don’t have handles, so you must use your palms to roll it across a slab of dough. Rod rolling pins are less exhausting on the hands and wrists, but pins with handles give you better control.
Mixing bowls usually come in a set of three to six and vary in size as you can use a smaller one to make a small pie or a larger one if you want to make several. Mixing bowls are inexpensive, and you can often use them as serving or salad bowls.
A pastry blender helps give the dough a thick consistency and can be used to chop fruits and vegetables and make other foods such as guacamole and salsa. You’ll use a pastry cutter to give your pie a round shape, and if you want to make an apple pie with a traditional look, you can also use it to create braided edges and lattice strips over the top.
A food processor isn’t necessary to make an apple pie, but it’s especially helpful for beginners. It can help create a flaky dough with the right consistency every time, and it does all the work for you, so you don’t need to worry about the butter melting because of the heat from your hands.
You can peel, core or slice apples yourself, but it’s time-consuming and takes a toll on your hands and wrists. An apple peeler can do all three for you. Some can even peel and slice apples simultaneously. They work fast, are easy to operate and free up more time for you to focus on other parts of the pie baking process.
Once you’ve prepared your pie, it needs somewhere to rest while it bakes in the oven. If you’re a beginner, consider getting a glass pie plate to monitor the browning on every side while it’s baking.
Pyrex Easy Grab Glass Pie Plate Two-Set
These reusable pie plates measure 9.5 inches and have easy-grab rims for grip. They’re made of durable, high-quality tempered glass and are safe to use in the dishwasher, microwave and freezer. Plus, they’re non-porous, so they don’t retain odors or stains.
Farberware Classic Wood Rolling Pin
This rolling pin is made from moisture-resistant hardwood and has ergonomic handles for maximum grip and control. The nylon bearings make it easy to roll, and it has measurement markings. Also, it’s versatile enough to use for rolling pizza dough and cookies.
This sturdy cutter has thick blades and a soft grip rubber handle that helps prevent wrist fatigue. It’s excellent if you want your pastries to have a fluffier consistency and works great for cutting through cold butter, slicing fruit and making baby food.
Belmaks Pastry Wheel Decorator and Cutter
This pie wheel cutter is safe, easy to use and made of BPA-free plastic. It creates even strips or braided edges for a precise-cut lattice crust and is excellent for pies, ravioli, puff pastries and filled cookies.
Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor
This Ninja food processor has a 1,000-peak-watt motor and can help you cut down ingredients quickly. The dedicated blades and discs deliver precise cuts, and you can use one of four preset functions and one of three speeds to prep food the way you want.
FineDine Six-Set Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
These lightweight mixing bowls are made with food-grade steel and come in six sizes. The mirror finish creates a modern look, and the wide-rolled rims allow for drip-free pouring. Plus, you can use them as salad or serving bowls.
This apple peeler is made of solid die-cast alloy and has 304 stainless steel blades. It has a suction base to prevent slipping and a three-way operation that lets you peel, core and slice, but you can set it to run two functions simultaneously.
Thirteen Chefs Villa Acacia Marble Pastry Board
This board is made of marble harvested from real quarries giving it a sturdy build and an elegant design. It keeps pastries cool to deliver better results and rests on six non-slip rubber feet for superior stability.
Mrs. Anderson’s Easy No-Mess Pie Crust Maker Bag
You’ll make perfectly shaped apple pies this season without the mess with this pie crust maker. It gives pies a round shape and consistent thickness, and it allows for a safe transfer to a pie dish without compromising quality.
This kitchen scale is cheap but provides accurate measurements to help you create the perfect apple pie. It supports a weight of up to 11 pounds, unit conversions and has a tare function to remove the food container’s weight from the final reading.
This double-headed fluted wheel is perfect for anyone who wants to give their apple pie a lattice crust or other pastries a decorative cut. It has a soft Santoprene handle for a non-slip grip and is suitable for right and left-handed users.
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Kevin Luna writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
