The market is overflowing with different gadgets to help you bake with ease, but baking isn’t hard if you have the right tools. Here are some basic pieces of equipment you’ll need to bake anything from scratch.Measuring Cups and SpoonsBaking is a science and requires ingredients to be in exact quantities. For successful baking, you’ll need a liquid measuring cup, dry measuring cups and small measuring spoons. When using thick liquids, like honey or molasses, try spraying the inside of a liquid measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray — this will help these ingredients slide out easily and you won’t have to scrape the cup to get everything out.Mixing BowlsYou’ll need something to mix your ingredients in, so a set of mixing bowls is a no-brainer when it comes to baking essentials. A typical set includes three bowls: a 1 12-quart bowl, a 2 12-quart bowl and a 4- or 5-quart bowl. Try to find mixing bowls that have a curved rim for easy pouring.Baking SheetA baking sheet can be used to make cookies, brownies, shortbread and more. Look for a pan with a large rim so you can use it to bake cakes as well as cookies. When buying a baking sheet, avoid nonstick and dark pans — nonstick pans scratch easily and may have to be replaced more often, and dark pans tend to brown items too quickly. Look at a restaurant-supply store for cheap, high-quality sheet pans.Round Cake PansA traditional round cake pan, typically eight or nine inches, is required for round layer cakes, but you can use it for other dishes, such as biscuits or cinnamon rolls. Buy two pans to save time when making a layer cake, and look for a nonstick coating.Additional PansOther pans you may consider buying include a: 12-cup muffin tin, standard 9X5-inch loaf pan, 9-inch pie pan, 9X13-inch casserole pan and springform pan.Hand MixerA standard whisk is fine, but an electronic hand mixer is more versatile and can help save time. A hand mixer will make it easy to beat butter or cream cheese, whip cream, beat eggs and mix batter or dough. To make beating butter or cream cheese easier, let these ingredients come to room temperature before mixing.Rubber SpatulaA flexible spatula will come in handy when scraping batter out of a mixing bowl, or when you need to mix something gently, like a souffle. Look for a rubber spatula made of silicone so it’s heatproof and can be use to mix hot items.Parchment Paper or Nonstick Baking MatsBoth of these baking tools provide a nonstick surface for baking. A baking mat is more expensive than parchment paper, but can be washed and re-used. However, parchment paper can be cut to fit a variety of pans. When baking with parchment paper, remember that parchment can be used a couple of times before it gets too greasy and has to be tossed.