Baking on a Budget

Baking is a wonderful tradition going back thousands of years, but although they may want to, many are unable to bake because of the massive perceived paywall.

Baking can indeed be a bit pricey. Between the cost of all of the fancy equipment used by baking influencers and the high quality ingredients they swear by, many feel too limited by their small budget and opt to not partake in the activity at all.

Fear not, there are ways around these obstacles. By following these simple tips, you too can bake on a budget:

1) More expensive doesn’t always equal better

When thinking of flour, sugar, or many other common baking materials, many relate these to big expensive brands like Gold Medal and Pillsbury. But while they may claim to be the best, an overwhelming majority of taste palettes will be unable to tell the difference between those brands and your local store brand. Many food bloggers have preferred brands, so they may specify to use the one they like in their recipe (especially if they’re getting a brand deal out of it), but it likely won’t matter what brand you use.

2) Use what you have

A lot of beginner bakers will find a fun looking recipe on a website like Pinterest but then are quickly disappointed when the directions suggest using stand mixers, fondant molds, piping bags, piping tips, certain odd baking dishes, or any kind of other equipment that they don’t have. But often, these are merely recommendations. The things you have around the house could easily be substituted for these tools: a Ziploc bag could be used in place of a piping bag, a whisk or hand mixer could be used if you don’t have a stand mixer, heck, you could even attempt to form by hand whatever the recipe is saying needs a fondant mold to make. This also loosely applies to ingredients, fancy or basic. If you’re in the middle of the recipe and you realize you don’t have an ingredient that it calls for, use what you have. Baking is a science, but it is because it’s a science that you’re able to experiment with it. Many times you will be able to swap in butter for oil because it’s the fat that the recipe needs, and not the ingredient (sometimes, you can even substitute with apple sauce). You just need to be sure that the substitution will work with the recipe, and won’t change it significantly. The best way to do this is to ask the owner of the recipe yourself, but you can also just try different methods if you have the time and ingredients.

3) Get thrifty with it

There are times when a baker won’t have the tools or equipment they need. Using what you have can only get so far, and it’s difficult to use a saucepan in place of a cookie tray (speaking from experience). When this happens, just get what you need from the thrift store. Secondhand stores will often carry things like cake pans, cupcake trays, loaf pans, utensils, and even things like immersion blenders and bread makers. It doesn’t take much luck to find these things either because people donate them all of the time, and it ensures that you can do a variety of unique bakes for much cheaper prices than you would for new tools.

4) Be content with imperfection

Time is money as well, and in that sense, most food bloggers are rich. A lot of time means they get a lot of practice, which means that they will be better at making delicious and pretty-looking baked goods every time. Often, they are also able to get expensive tools that a lot of novice bakers simply don’t have access to. A cake or two might turn out a little dense because you’re unpracticed or your frosting may look wonky and uneven because you were free-handing it without any tools. That is perfectly fine. Beginner bakers are just that, beginners, and desserts don’t need to be pretty to taste great.

Anyone can cook, and that means anyone can bake. Don’t let a perceived price tag become a barrier to creating the best desserts. All baking takes is a recipe and time, and anyone can bake on a budget.