Image credit: Kitchen Aid

Set your clocks, clear your calendars, and check out these best baking buys in preparation for the iconic Great British Bake Off, which returns to our screens on Tuesday 24th September.

Online searches for “autumn baking” are up a massive 750% in the past month alone and the BBC has just released its line-up of contestants. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for.

In preparation Good Homes has run the rule over the best baking buys, from must have baking utensils like the Dualit hand-mixer, a three-tier cooling rack and a game-changing silicone baking mat, and delved into which KitchenAid is used on the Great British Bake Off (spoiler, it’s a thing of beauty).

On your marks, get set, bake.

Best hand-mixer on the market

• Dualit Hand Mixer, £74.99 from Lakeland – buy here

The Dualit hand-mixer is regularly featured on TV shows from Nigella’s Kitchen to MasterChef and it’s a firm favourite in the Great British Bake Off tent for good reason.

It’s got a powerful 400W motor so glides through heavy mixing with ease, has four speed settings and a retractable cord winder.

Its multi-purpose attachments run the gamut from flat beaters and dough hooks to a balloon whisk, ideal for mixing batters, whipping cream, kneading dough, and preparing meringues. 

Its replaceable parts make it one of the more sustainable hand-mixers on the market, and it comes in a sleek choice of copper of chrome finishes.

Must have baking utensils: cooling rack

• Tala cooling rack, £14 from Dunelm – buy here

Dunelm’s game-changing three tier cooling rack by Tala allows you to easily cool a batch of bakes without using up all your counter space, so it’s ideal for small spaces.

The racks stack neatly on top of each other but can be used on their own for smaller batches.

It measures at W 41cm x L 26cm x H 5cm, so fits a fair amount of bakes, and can be either hand-washed, or stuck in the dishwasher.

The non-stick coated racks also help smaller bakes slide off easily once cool.

What KitchenAid is used in the Great British Bake Off

Good Homes’ has done a bit of digging, and the exact KitchenAid used in the Great British Bake Off is the KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L Stand Mixer.

The mixers are known for their iconic retro design (and range of pastel colours) that look great on the worktop.

They’re a baking favourite, thanks to their 10-speed settings and tilt-head design.

• KitchenAid Mixer Design Series, £899 from KitchenAid – buy here

KitchenAid was the first brand to launch a household kitchen mixer back in 1919, and they continue to be revolutionary, and a leader on the market.

For 2024, KitchenAid has launched the Evergreen Design Series (pictured) and wow is it a thing of beauty, with a lush matte forest green stand with a glossy wooden walnut bowl.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled to see if we see it on our screens in the famous Bake Off tents this season.

Sustainable baking storage

• Zwilling Fresh and Save Glass Starter Set, £69.95 from Zwilling – buy here

We’ve all been there when it comes to baking more than you can eat, and that’s where Zwilling’s award-winning Fresh and Save Glass Starter Set is genius for reducing food waste.

First up, it’s got two ergonomically designed vacuum containers made from borosilicate glass, four reusable vacuum bags and a handy, automatic vacuum pump.

The glass containers are microwave, freezer, dishwasher safe and heat resistant (and perfect for storing biscuits), while the vacuum bags are re-usable & BPA free. The best bit?

The containers and bags come with their own QR code to be scanned, so you can download the ZWILLING Culinary World App to easily keep track of use by dates. 

It even pings you a reminder for when you need to enjoy your bakes by.

What utensils do you need to bake a cake?

• Mary Berry Cake Tins, from £13 at Next – buy here

Dame Mary Berry’s of course. Ok, not literally, but her range Mary Berry At Home bakeware (selling in Next) is pretty spot on.

Featuring the likes of springform cake tins, muffin pans, loaf tins, the sweetest measuring cup sets (with acacia wooden handles and stainless steel heads) and smart white cake tins to put your proud bakes in.

The bakeware range is made from 100% carbon steel, Quantum two non-stick coating , is oven-safe up to 240 °C and is fridge, freezer and dishwasher safe. Meaning (hopefully) no soggy bottoms in sight.

Sustainable silicone baking mats

• Lakeland Silicone Baking Mat, £9.99 from Lakeland – buy here

Another product on the market to up your sustainable baking credentials and one that goes firmly on our baking best buys lists is Lakeland’s Silicone Cookie and Macaron Baking Mat.

Its template guides will help you pipe 30 perfectly formed macaron halves on one side and 6 cookies or meringues on the other – ensuring patisserie-perfect bakes.

Unlike baking paper it will stay perfectly flat while you work, and it’s oven safe up to 230°C. When you’re done it can be popped in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

Precision measuring

• Heston Blumenthal Precision Scale by Salter: £45 from Amazon – buy here

It’s doesn’t take too many episodes of Great British Bake Off to realise that baking is all about precision, which is why Salter x Heston Blumenthal’s precision digital scales make one of Good Homes’ best baking buys.

Starting in 1760, Salter has been a mainstay in kitchens for centuries. Salter describes their collaboration Heston Blumenthal’s as being “built with the highest precision of sensors and the dual display shows you measurements for each platform on one backlit LCD.”

“Clear, and easy to read, you can weigh your food and ingredients accurately up to a capacity of 10kg which accurately measures in 1g increments and a second precision platform up to 200g which accurately measures in 0.1g increments.”

It also has a clever aquatronic feature for liquids and fluids, meaning you can ditch the measuring jug – we think this is a super handy baking buy.

Best baking buys: decoration

• Wilton Open Star Decorating Tip #18, £1.95 from The Cake Decorating Co. – buy here

So you’ve nailed your bakes, but what about decoration? The Cake Decorating Co. is a one-stop shop for both professional bakers and hobbyists to give your creations the wow-factor. Stocking every baking buy you can think of their edible decorations section is one of the biggest.

On the food colourings front Sugarflair and Roxy & Rich have it all, from neon-effect sugarcraft paste colours to superdust chocolate food colour powder.

There’s dried fruit, edible pens and markers, paints and pearls, and a fine line of cake toppers. Don’t miss the edible gold leaf, the edible flowers and the lustres.

When does the Great British Bake Off start in 2024?

Great British Bake Off is back for a 15th season on Tuesday, September 24. It will air on Channel 4.

There will be 10 episodes, with 12 contestants battling it out to bag one of the three baking spots in the final – before one baker will be crowned the 2024 winner.

Want more baking inspiration? The UK’s biggest baking event, The Cake and Bake Show will be held at Olympia, London from the 27th November – 1st December 2024… and Good Homes readers can get £10 weekday tickets (or £12 weekend tickets) when using the code CABGH10 at checkout*.

The show is brimming with all things baking, cake decorating and sugarcraft. Gain insight from celebrity experts, stock your shelves with the latest baking equipment and be wowed by the spectacular Cake Competition and exquisite wedding cake display tables, plus many more treats for your taste.

Get your tickets here.

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• Candice Brown’s marbled Bundt cake recipe

*Cake and Bake Show Ticket Offer – Terms & Conditions

£10 weekday adult ticket. £12 weekend adult ticket. Kids 0-15 years old go free weekdays. Weekends – Kids aged 6 and under go free. Kids aged 7- 15 years old ticket price £5. Concessions not included. (Advance adult ticket price advance is £14 weekday/£16 weekend. On the door price is £20 weekday/£22 weekend).