My essentials 2025

1. Christmas Cookbook, Jamie Oliver:

A book I love to pull out every year, it offers several traditional recipes and an inspiring section for using up leftovers from holiday meals.

2. Comfort Food, Jamie Oliver:

This book by Jamie is perfect for impressing without cooking gourmet food. The recipes are full of flavor and modernize comfort food. Perfect for winter cooking projects!

3. Book on pie, Erin Jeanne McDowell:

This book is a bible for learning how to make tarts and puff pastry desserts. Well explained, it offers several variations for each recipe, offering an infinite number of flavor combinations!

4. Savory baking, Erin Jeanne McDowell:

By the same author as the Book on pie, Erin explores and explains in detail how to make different types of dough, from scones to yeast dough. Her pretzel-crusted sausages are a staple at the Super Bowl every year.

5. The Red Notebook, Josée DiStasio:

All of Josée's books are adorable, but the format and contemporary festive flavors of this one make it a holiday classic in my house.

6. Pastry School, Julie Jones: 

Julie Jones is causing a sensation on social media with her impressive culinary creations. In her second book, she presents many baking techniques in detail and with pictures. A feast for the eyes… and the taste buds!

Gift ideas for little chefs

Here are some suggestions for items to offer as gifts for little ones, and older children!

1.Round observation:

A safer alternative to the kitchen chair that you pull up to the edge of the counter, the observation tower allows curious children to sit comfortably next to you and participate in meal preparation. A great way to create memories!

2. Your first recipes, Three times a day:

New to shelves this year, this superb book by Marilou offers recipes of several levels of difficulty, but also very adequately addresses the importance of having a healthy relationship with food.

3. Hat and apron:

Every cook should be dressed for the occasion!

4. Utensils for little hands:

This is a nice set of wooden tools for children.

5. Waffle iron:

What could be more fun than heart-shaped waffles to warm up those chilly mornings!

6. Funny mold:

I love silicone molds for their ease of removal and durability. This one allows you to make donut shapes to vary the little ones' snacks. It's a safe bet that they'll want to participate in the preparation as well as the tasting.

My Favorite Tools for Successful Pie Crust

Making your own pie crust can seem very intimidating, but with the right tools, the task is much easier!

1. Rolling pin:

I prefer the simplicity of a wooden rolling pin without handles, I appreciate the width when I have to roll large doughs as well as the ease of maintenance.

2. Dough cutter:

A very practical tool for making pies or scones, it allows you to cut cold butter in order to integrate it well into the flour without reheating it. Cold butter allows you to obtain a nice flaky pastry.

3. Danish whisk:

Another very useful tool in the kitchen that allows you to mix denser doughs such as yeast doughs well, without overworking the dough.

4. Ceramic plates:

I usually use steel plates to bake pies, but I like to use glass or ceramic plates when I have guests over. These are especially pretty!

5. The Book on Pie, Erin Jeanne McDowell:

This book is a true bible for anyone wanting to learn more about making tarts and puff pastry desserts. Well explained and well illustrated, it also offers several variations for each recipe, the flavor combinations are endless!

6. Accordion dough cutter:

Here's a tool that will be making its way into my own stocking this year! I'm sure this accordion dough cutter will make my braided pies a lot easier!

The Essentials for Decorating and Making Perfect Cakes

In this section, I invite you to discover the essential tools for making stunning cakes. Whether you are a novice or experienced, having the right utensils allows you to create unique, well-finished and visually impressive creations.

1. Good cake pans:

Made of thick aluminum and with straight edges.

2. The angled spatula:

Essential for spreading frosting easily, one of my favorite kitchen tools that I use regularly. I find that small angled spatulas are easier to handle than wide, straight ones.

3. Scraper:

To ensure a smooth finish to the icing. Can also be used as a dough cutter and counter scraper.

4. The turntable:

An easily rotating turntable makes smoothing icing perfect. I received this one as a gift a few years ago and it works wonderfully.

5. Piping tips and bags:

To add a little flourish. I really like the Wilton tips, these are gold and come with disposable piping bags.

6. Food coloring:

Oil based and gel, allows you to color icing quickly. I use either Americolor or Color Mill, the latter are however harder to come by.

Whether you want to create intricate sugarcraft or simply improve your icing, these pieces of equipment give you professional-level precision. Cake decorating can seem intimidating, but with the right tools, it can be an accessible and fun activity.

Whether for birthdays, weddings or simply for the pleasure of sharing a beautifully decorated dessert, these tools will transform your creative ideas into gourmet realities.

Baking essentials

To make baking less stressful and more efficient, it is essential to equip yourself with the right kitchen assistants. These devices simplify tasks, while giving you more time to express your creativity.

1. A digital kitchen scale:

If there’s one tool that’s indispensable in baking, it’s the digital scale. While I do use measuring cups, I much prefer using a scale. I publish most of my recipes in grams because it’s the most accurate way to bake. Not only are cups inaccurate, but their volume varies around the world. There’s no way I can provide a cup measurement that works for everyone. However, publishing by weight solves that problem.

2. Silicone spatulas:

One of my most frequently used tools, whether it's for mixing ingredients or scraping the bottom of a bowl. I like to have them in several different sizes; I'm particularly partial to the small spatulas I use to color frosting, for example.

3. Stackable grids:

These stackable cooling racks are a must-have for saving counter space. They allow you to cool your baked goods without taking up all your counter space.

4. Sieve:

Whether it's for sifting flour, powdered sugar, cocoa, or ensuring you have a smooth pastry cream, it's an essential tool for any professional or amateur pastry chef.

5. French rolling pin:

I prefer the simplicity of a wooden rolling pin without handles with thinned tips, I appreciate the width when I have to roll large doughs as well as its ease of maintenance.

6. Stand mixer:

While a hand mixer may be sufficient, I wouldn't go without my stand mixer. There's no better tool for whipping egg whites, kneading dough, or making cake batter.

Useful kitchen tools to fill the Christmas stocking

Here are some suggestions for tools that I like and use often in my kitchen. 

1. Cake Tester:

This tool may seem trivial, but I much prefer using a tester rather than a toothpick.

2. A digital thermometer:

Just like the digital scale, there is no better tool to accurately check the temperature of sugar, a sauce or oil for frying, for example. My favorite is the Thermapen and I use it just as much in baking as when I cook meat.

3. Cookie cutter:

I use cookie cutters regularly, whether it's for cookies or to cut fun shapes for kids' dinners. Vegetables always taste better when they're cut into star shapes, as we all know!

4. Measuring spoons:

You can never have too many measuring spoons, especially when there are little people who sometimes borrow our tools for fun!

5. Cookie spoons:

I love using spring-loaded spoons to portion cookie dough, fill muffin tins, or make energy balls.

6. Silicone brushes:

Silicone brushes are easily dishwasher safe and are a very useful tool for brushing a pie crust or oiling a pan.

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