Consistently browned crust, golden brown sides, a lighter shade on the bottom, juicy and flaky crust, and perfectly cooked filling that’s smooth and even with a well-blended flavor is a baker’s dream of a good pie. And it’s possible to achieve all these seamlessly with the right pie baking tools. Here’s a close look at the baking tools market growth forecast before we dive into the helpful pie baking tools sellers should stock up on in 2024.
Table of Contents
7 helpful tool trends bakers need to make the best pie in 2024
Rounding up
7 helpful tool trends bakers need to make the best pie in 2024
Digital food scale
While it’s possible to bake a pie without a digital scale, using one is a great way to enhance precision and consistency during the baking process. There is no need to eyeball measurements and end up with inconsistencies; digital scales are here to help consumers get accurate weight measurements for a reliably delicious crust.
Filling the pie is another area that greatly benefits from precision. Regardless of type (fruit or custard pie), balancing the ingredients is key to getting the perfect flavor and texture. Digital scales can help consumers follow that recipe to the last gram, ensuring the fruit, sugar, and spices are consistent enough for every pie to come out tasty.
Digital food scales are at the top of their game this year. They’ve consistently been pulling in high-volume searches, showing that many consumers want them for their next baked treat. According to Google data, these products pulled 110,000 searches in March 2024.
Mixing bowls
Mixing bowls are another amazing tool for baking pies because they provide the space to combine ingredients thoroughly without making a mess. They come in various sizes, allowing consumers to mix different ingredient quantities depending on the pie size they want to make. Some mixing bowls have helpful features like spouts, making pouring liquids like milk or water a breeze. More importantly, mixing bowls makes it easy to transfer mixed ingredients into pie pans for baking! But that’s not all.
With multiple bowls, bakers can prepare different pie parts simultaneously, like the crust and filling. This multitasking capability saves time and effort during the baking process. Don’t forget durability, as mixing bowls are tough enough to withstand the rigors of mixing and kneading dough. Consumers can rest assured their mixing bowls will serve them repeatedly without fail. Mixing bowls are essential baking tools that are always in high demand. 2024 is no exception, as Google data shows they raked in 74,000 searches in March.
Pastry brush
Picture this: consumers have carefully crafted their pie crust, and now it’s time to give it that beautiful, mouth-watering golden-brown color. This part is where the pastry brush comes into play. With this tool, consumers can evenly apply a glaze of egg wash over the crust, enhancing its visual appeal while adding that delicious flavor.
Pastry brushes have soft, flexible bristles that won’t damage the delicate crust. So, consumers can glaze their pies to their satisfaction without worry. Silicone brushes are the most popular types because of how easy they are to clean. They also won’t shed bristles like some natural pastry brushes. Contrarily, natural bristle brushes are more common with professional bakers.
These pie baking tools are also attracting some attention this year. But what’s more interesting is that their keyword has grown in one month. Search interest in pastry brushes grew from 18,100 searches in February to 22,200 in March—a 20% increase.
Rimmed baking sheet
Sometimes, pie fillings may bubble and ooze while baking, leaving a messy trail behind in the baker’s oven. But with rimmed baking sheets, consumers can skip the hassle of cleaning up their ovens after each pie. How? This tool acts as a barrier, containing any drip or leaks and keeping the over-clean and pies intact.
Rimmed baking sheets come in various dimensions, but a standard half-sheet size is a common option for most home kitchens. It offers plenty of space for baking multiple pies or other goodies simultaneously, maximizing efficiency and saving time. Plus, if consumers are tight on storage space, these sheets can stack neatly on each other, making them a practical choice for small kitchens.
Even better, rimmed baking sheets are usually dishwater-sage, making cleanup a breeze—no scrubbing required. According to Google data, rimmed baking sheets attracted 5,400 searches in March 2024. Although smaller than other trends, it’s still an impressive performance.
Pastry blender
Making a pie crust involves blending cold fat—like butter or shortening—with flour until it reaches a crumbly texture. While it’s possible to do this by hand, pastry blenders make the process much easier. Their multiple sturdy wires or blades effortlessly cut through the fat, distributing it evenly throughout the flour mixture without overworking the dough.
But the best part is they are incredibly simple to use. Consumers only need to hold the handle and press down, allowing the wires or blades to do the hard work of cutting the fat into the flour. Speaking of handles, many pastry blenders feature rimmed or soft ones for a comfortable and secure hold while bakers work—Goodbye hand fatigue and hello easy blending control.
Pastry blenders appeal to many pie bakers today. They make the dough-making process easier, leading to constant searches for them, even in 2024. According to Google data, these tools drew 27,100 searches in March 2024.
Rolling pin
After making the pie dough, the next step is rolling it out to the perfect thickness for the pie crust. That’s where the rolling pin comes in. It’s one’s trusty partner in the pie-making process, helping to flatten and shape the dough with ease. Without them, consumers would have a hard time achieving that uniform thickness needed for a beautifully baked pie crust.
Now, what makes rolling pins so great? Well, for starters, they come in various styles and materials, each offering its own benefits. There are the classic wooden rolling pins, which are durable, smooth, and great for traditionalists. Then there are sleek marble rolling pins, which stay cool and prevent the dough from sticking, making them ideal for working with delicate pastry. And let’s not forget about stainless steel or silicone rolling pins, the lightweight and easy-to-clean variants that are perfect for busy bakers on the go.
But regardless of the material, all rolling pins share one common trait—they make rolling out dough a breeze. With a simple back-and-forth motion, consumers can gradually flatten and shape the dough to their desired thickness. In March 2024, rolling pins attracted 135,000 searches, proving their status as a trendy baking tool (based on Google data).
Pie dish
When baking a pie, whether filled with fruit, custard, or savory ingredients, consumers need a reliable container to hold all that goodness in place. Pie dishes provide the perfect shape and structure for these pastries, ensuring they bake evenly and hold their form throughout the baking process. In addition to being sturdy, pie dishes come in various materials (glass, ceramic, and metal), each changing how consumers bake their pie.
Glass pie dishes are transparent, allowing consumers to watch the bottom crust to ensure it’s perfectly golden brown. Ceramic pie dishes, on the other hand, retain heat well, resulting in a nicely baked crust. Metal pie dishes are lightweight and durable, making them ideal for frequent use.
Pie dishes also have sloped sides, which makes it easier to slice and serve pies while creating a beautiful presentation that’s sure to impress guests. Pie dishes may not be the most popular, but they’re still making waves in 2024! Google data spills the beans, showing that these essential pie baking tools are getting serious attention, with an average of 27,100 searches in March alone.
Rounding up
Pie baking is a delicate art that requires many tools to be perfected. Every tool has a role to play, allowing them to create better results than when consumers make this treat barehanded. While the tools in this article attract significant attention, they are also essential! That’s why many consumers are searching for them in 2024. Ready to beef up that baking equipment inventory? Invest in the tools discussed here and watch sales rush in like a flood. Remember to subscribe to the Alibaba Reads blog home and garden category for more articles like this.