Cue the music. The Great British Bake Off is back! As an avid baker who blames her sunken soufflés on the oven and never her technical skills, I am always keen to know what appliances they use on the show.

If you – like me – have had your eyes glued to the screen during the first episode of season 14, I am here to bring you the complete guide to The Great British Bake Off appliances.

And, I have all the inside knowledge – from the retro fridges and the slide and hide ovens to the fancy stand mixers. With these appliances, I think you too can be a star baker. Excited?

On your marks, get set, bake!

Bake Off stand mixers

Name an iconic fixture of the tent – Paul Hollywood, anyone? Maybe, but the correct answer is the Kitchenaid mixer. An ever-present in the Bake Off tent, the mixer is crucial in every episode, from using the whisk to make meringue to the paddle attachment for cakes or the dough hook during bread week.

The stand mixer, of course, comes in fun pastel Bake Off colours that match the tent perfectly. If you want the official Bake Off colours, here they are: Almond Cream, Pistachio, Dried Rose and Ice Blue. I personally have my eyes on the Dried Rose shade. Mmm, all the better for baking with …

Warming drawers worth your dough

Warming drawers will become more of a fixture in later bread and dough weeks, as this will help the proving process against the clock. The bakers tend to use large-sized drawers as the contents can fit in a mixing bowl, for example. This appliance might feel like a luxury, even for most keen bakers, but remember that these solutions are useful in other situations, too – such as dinner parties or just taking the chill off of your coffee cups before enjoying your morning brew.

Reliable and compact ovens

Neff’s Slide and Hide oven has become even more iconic since Bake Off. Does anyone remember when Alison Hammond got confused on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off, where she “lost” the oven door? Hilarious.

While it performs excellently for an oven, its primary benefit is the door. The contestant’s baking area could be dangerous with oven doors hanging down, so the Slide and Hide appliance is an essential. A slide and hide door ensures a safe and effective flow in the kitchen – or the tent. We all know the struggle of making sure we don’t spill filling as we pop a pie or quiche in the oven and, as an avid baker, I’m saving up for my first slide and hide.

Retro fridge

While the retro fridge has never really gone out of style since the 50s, Bake Off put it back on the map when the series started 14 years ago. It has always been an iconic part of the set up and the colourful appliance complements the brightness of the tent. But, remember the freezer isn’t always the largest, as we learned from that infamous baked Alaska in 2014.

So, I’ve found the exact fridge they used in season 14: the Zanussi ZTAE31ED1 freestanding fridge-freezer. However, it appears to be have been discontinued. Possibly, the tent scooped up all the available models but fear not – the increased popularity of these retro-style models means there are plenty of options to choose from.

Super-speedy microwaves

Oddly enough, the Swan Nordic digital microwave was one of the easiest to identify. The combination of the blue casing and wooden handle gives it a distinctive look. While most baking happens in the oven, a microwave is always a helpful companion – from melting chocolate to creating microwave mug cakes when you need a cake within three minutes (a daily occurrence in my life).

Small appliances featured on Bake Off

Several small appliances help the bakers power through their time in the tent. Accuracy is a must while baking, and they have chosen to use dual-platform scales by Taylor, available in the UK through Amazon or Lakeland, for example. This type of scale is designed with a large plate for more prominent ingredients and a petite side to measure more precise quantities.

Hand blenders are another must-have – whether you are making soup or whisking up the filling for your layer cake. In the tent, they use the Braun MultiQuick 5 Vario hand blender; it has many accessories to help you whisk, chop and blend.

The bakers also use the Dualit hand mixer. It is small but perfectly formed and comes equipped with a lot of power. With three attachments – a whisk, flat beaters and dough hooks – this hand mixer will make baking a piece of cake.

Are you renovating your kitchen? We have some tips for you to create the perfect baker’s setup

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