My Favorite Small

A round-up of some of my favorite small-batch baking tools for all of your small-batch baking needs.

Hey, friends. As regular readers of the site might remember, I did a reader survey back in December and asked if there were any particular topics you’d like to see covered on Baking Mischief. Most popular request number one was for posts on meal planning (so I wrote How to Meal Plan and How to Meal Plan Using Google Calendar ).

And most popular request number two was for a post on where I buy my small-batch baking tools. This one surprised me! I had no idea this was something so many of you had been wanting to know. But I’m more than happy to answer the question.

Where do I buy small-batch baking equipment?

I went through my baking posts (and some of my favorite personal recipes) and pulled together a list of my most-used tools so you can equip a small-batch kitchen of your own.

If you have any questions leave them below. You know I’m always happy to chat about small-batch baking.

Collage of small-batch baking tools with text: My Favorite Small-batch Baking Tools. - 1

Collage of small-batch baking tools with text: My Favorite Small-batch Baking Tools. - 2

Pyrex Bowl Set // I use at least one of these bowls for every single baking recipe on the site. They are hardy, easy to clean, and between the three, you have the perfect size for almost any small-batch baking need. I’ve used them to melt chocolate for Chocolate Souffles , steam broccoli , and make way too many small-batch cookie batters to count.
Donut Pan // Because donuts . That’s why. 😉
Six-cup Muffin Pan // You do not need a six-cup muffin pan. Small-batch muffins bake up just as well in a standard-size tin, but I LOVE having one. It takes up less counter space, feels like less of a pain to wash, and is just nice to use. When I’m baking a small batch of cupcakes or muffins, this is always the pan I reach for first. Favorites made in this pan include these Banana Muffins , these Vanilla Cupcakes , and these Hostess Cupcakes .
7×5-inch Pyrex Dish // This is one of my very favorite small-batch baking tools because it’s the perfect size for baking small cakes and bars AND comes with a lid so it doubles as storage. Even though I tend to use a stoneware dish for most photo shoots of recipes this size (sorry, I don’t have a link for that container–it’s from a now defunct company out of Portugal), if I’m baking for myself or recipe testing, these are the containers I’m using.
6-inch Cake Pan // I’d consider a 6-inch cake pan essential for anyone who plans to do a lot of small-batch baking. I love making tiny cakes (like this Small Red Velvet Cake or my Small Banana Cake ), so expect to see a couple more this size on the blog soon, and in the meantime, it’s also the perfect size to make a Small Batch of Cinnamon Rolls .
9×5-inch Loaf Pan // A 9×5 loaf is a little large to be considered small-batch, but a 9×5-inch loaf pan can be used for so much more than just bread. Like the 7×5-inch dishes, these are perfect for bars, especially Small-batch Brownies and the occasional batch of ice cream .
Ramekins 6 ounce and 12 ounce // Ramekins are such handy workhorses. They’re great for recipe prep, souffles, and individual servings of things like Scalloped Potatoes , Mac and Cheese , and Chicken Pot Pies . Plus, they’re just so darn cute that you’ll want to have a cupboard full of them.
Handheld Electric Mixer // As much as I love my stand mixer, it’s often just too large to effectively handle a small-batch recipe. Handheld models are 1/10th the price and powerful enough for all your small-batch needs, from whipping egg whites for Angel Food Cupcakes to beating together the perfect Small-batch Chocolate Frosting .
Immersion Blender // The great thing about immersion blenders is that they can do many of the jobs of your heavier, more powerful equipment with less fuss and way less cleanup. For the purposes of small-batch baking, the chopper attachment is absolutely perfect for replacing your food processor when it comes time to puree a bit of fruit or process oatmeal for cookies .

For more of my favorite kitchen tools, try my posts 8 Life-Changing Kitchen Tools and Small Luxuries for the Kitchen .

One-pot Homemade Spaghettios with Italian sausage and crushed San Marzano tomatoes: all the fun of the canned stuff and ten times more delicious.

Image of Homemade Spaghettios in pot in front of salad. - 3

Image of Homemade Spaghettios in pot in front of salad. - 4

Hey, I have something pretty fun for you today, One-Pot Homemade Spaghettios!

I know, I’m excited about it too.

This is the ideal dinner idea for those world-weary days when you’d like to feel like a kid again and eat something delicious out of a can with a cartoon character on the side of it, without actually, you know, eating something out of a can with a cartoon character on the side of it.

One-pot Homemade Spaghettios is all the saucy, pasta-y fun of the canned stuff, but classed up a little to better appeal to your grown up sensibilities.

Best of all, it’s cooked all in one pan, so sure, it’s a little more work than opening up a can and heating it in a pot, but it’s still the same number of dishes to wash.

And when I say work, I don’t mean much. This is actually an incredibly simple dinner to make, and most of the cooking time is hands-off simmering time.

Photo of Homemade Spaghettios in a white bowl. - 5

Photo of Homemade Spaghettios in a white bowl. - 6

Our Homemade Spaghettios start with a couple links of mild Italian sausage (if you don’t usually cook with sausage, see the recipe notes below for some extra tips).

You squeeze them out of their casings and shape into cute little meatballs that get browned in butter. After that, you cook some onions and garlic in the drippings, and once those have gotten a little stove time, you’ll add the pasta to the pan.

The type of pasta you use is up to you. If you want super traditional Spaghettios, you’ll want to use anelli or anelletti, but depending on where you live, you might have trouble finding them locally (I did!). Other good options are conchiglie, orecchiette, or macaroni (what I used in the photos).

Following the pasta are the rest of the ingredients, including a little dash of apple cider vinegar, which boosts the flavor and gives everything a fabulous tangy kick.

Simmer together for 25 to 30 minutes, just enough time to do dinner cleanup and chop veggies for a side, and then dig into your super saucy fabulous grown-up pasta with a childlike amount of glee and enthusiasm.

Wide image of Homemade Spaghettios in a pot. - 7

Wide image of Homemade Spaghettios in a pot. - 8

Homemade Spaghettios Recipe Tips

If you don’t usually cook with/buy Italian sausage, you can generally find packages of it near the hamburger in the butcher department. To remove the casings, you can make a shallow slice down the sausage lengthwise and peel it off, or just squeeze the sausage until it bursts out the top or bottom and squeeze the meat into a bowl.
Italian sausage is usually sold by the pound and this recipe calls for 1/2 pound of meat. You can freeze the extra sausages in their casings or form the extra meat into meatballs and freeze to make this dish again later. Just be sure to defrost the meatballs completely before cooking.
Turkey sausage can be substituted, but if there’s not enough fat in the pan after browning your meatballs, you may need to add another tablespoon of butter to the pan before adding your onions.
Perfect sides for this dish include: super simple Broccoli Steamed in the Microwave , crunchy Panko Parmesan Broccoli , and the ever-popular Butter and Garlic Green Beans .
If you have extra tomato paste, see my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage ideas and recipes to use up the leftovers.

As written, this recipe makes two huge or three more modest servings. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings (or click if you are on mobile), and slide the slider. No cooking changes are necessary.

Looking for more Dinner Ideas for Two? Try this Asparagus Chicken Pasta , Salsa Chicken , Baked Ziti , and Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas for Two .

Dinner for Two One Pot Homemade Spaghettios - 9

Ingredients

▢ 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage casings removed
▢ 1 tablespoon butter
▢ 1/4 cup diced onion
▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
▢ 1/4 teaspoon pepper
▢ 1 clove garlic minced
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste or ketchup
▢ 4 ounces ( 1 cup) anelli, macaroni, conchiglie, or orecchiette
▢ 1 (14-ounce can) crushed tomatoes San Marzano if you can get them
▢ 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
▢ Shredded Parmesan cheese optional for topping

Instructions

Scoop your sausage into approximately 16 half-ounce balls and roll into tablespoon-size meatballs. In a medium to large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
Add meatballs to the pan and cook a couple minutes per side until completely browned. Transfer meatballs to a plate.
Turn heat down to medium. Add onions, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook until the edges of the onions turn translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add garlic and tomato paste/ketchup and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until garlic is lightly golden.
Pour in pasta, crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and oregano, and stir together. Return meatballs to the pan. Bring to a boil and turn stove down so your mixture is just at a simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding a bit more of the chicken broth if too much of the liquid simmers away.
Dinner is done when the meatballs are cooked through and pasta is al dente.
Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe From The Kitchn

This Easy Chicken Curry is one of my family’s favorite quick weeknight meals. Just a bit spicy, with a fragrant, slightly sweet tomato base and big chunks of tender chicken breast throughout, it’s made with pantry staples and can be on your table in about 35 minutes.

Image of Easy Chicken Curry in pan. - 11

Image of Easy Chicken Curry in pan. - 12

Hey, friends. Today’s recipe is a fun one because it’s both an old family favorite and something I just learned to cook myself: super easy Chicken Curry.

Unlike other childhood favorites I’ve posted ( Mom’s Simple Sunday Beef Stew , Chicken Cacciatore , Slow Cooker Tri-tip Sandwiches, etc.), I’ve eaten this Chicken Curry literally hundreds of times in my life, and yet somehow never actually been the one to make it. When I asked my mom for the recipe a couple weeks ago, she looked at me like I was a moron because everyone else in the family knows it by heart. She must have said “Really?” approximately seven times when I told her I didn’t know how to make it.

But, I have good excuses! The first is that because it’s so easy to make, it was one of the first recipes my little sisters learned to cook growing up, so now they’re the ones that always make it for family functions, and second, because the original makes a giant, family-size vat of curry that I’d never be able to eat on my own.

So for today, in addition to learning how to actually cook chicken curry for myself so I could share it with you, I cut the recipe way down so now it serves just two or three.

Picture of Easy Chicken Curry in pan. - 13

Picture of Easy Chicken Curry in pan. - 14

If you don’t usually make curries at home, this is a perfect curry to start with because you don’t need any special spices or chilies, just curry powder. And while completely delicious, this is a very mild curry, only the slightest bit spicy with a fragrant, slightly sweet tomato base and big chunks of tender chicken breast throughout.

Because this Chicken Curry is so simple and quick to make, in our house growing up, it was usually a weeknight meal, and the scaled down version is even quicker since there’s hardly any chopping to be done, just a bit of green bell pepper, onion, and one chicken breast.

After cutting, the chicken breast gets floured and browned on the stove, the vegetables and spices get a couple minutes in the skillet, and then chicken gets added back to the pan and everything simmers with a can of stewed tomatoes for about twenty minutes. At the very end, you stir in a spoonful of jam for a little added sweetness, and you’re done!

From start to finish, this curry will take just over half an hour, which is perfect because that’s about the time your rice cooker should be done too, so dinner is on the table and ready to go all at the same time. And since the curry is served over rice, this is a very filling meal all on its own, no need to go all out on sides. Just serve with some simple steamed broccoli and enjoy.

Picture of Easy Chicken Curry over rice in a white bowl. - 15

Picture of Easy Chicken Curry over rice in a white bowl. - 16

Easy Chicken Curry Recipe Notes

This recipe calls for stewed tomatoes, and sometimes you can only find stewed tomatoes that are labeled Italian- or Mexican-style. Given the choice, my family usually uses Italian, but we’ve used both and both taste great.
Stewed tomatoes come in pretty large chunks, if you don’t love chunks of tomatoes or are feeding a picky eater, you can open the can, stick a pair of kitchen shears inside and chop the tomatoes into smaller pieces inside the can.

As written, this Easy Chicken Curry recipe makes two very generous portions or three more modest servings. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings (or click if you are on mobile) and slide the slider–no preparation changes are necessary for doubling or tripling.

Square photo of Easy Chicken Curry over rice in a white bowl. - 17