Behind every cake, cupcake, pie, decorated cookie, swirl of chocolate, or buttery morsel of pastry you see on the pages of Living are talented food editors and a well-equipped pastry kitchen. Here’s a glimpse into the cabinets and drawers where we keep the tools of the trade.
Sanding sugar in every color of the rainbow.
Candy sprinkles for every holiday and occasion.
A cabinet of carefully classified cookie cutters.
Each bin full of cookie cutters is organized by type.
There are enough cookie cutters to make cookies for every holiday ... and then some.
Food coloring to create any shade imaginable, plus pearl and luster dusts to make it all shimmer.
With hundreds of containers of food coloring and powders, the potential for mess is great. Careful cleanup rules must be observed!
Every drawer in this cabinet holds carefully categorized pastry tips.
Finding the right tip for the job.
Plenty of pastry bags.
Enough chocolate to crush any craving.
Mini pie, tart, and springform pans for creating just-so desserts.
Brioche tins and canneles molds galore.
Want to learn more about the tools of the pastry kitchen?
See Martha demonstrate the differences between liquid, gel-paste, and powdered food colorings in the Food Coloring 101 video.
In this classic clip from “Martha Stewart Living Television,” Martha teaches a fun course in Pastry Tips 101.
PHOTO CREDITS: MIKE KRAUTTER
From: Kristina | 7/5/12 at 6:09 pm
This is so lovely! Its really inspiring to see all of the tools you all have to work with. I also love how that sanding sugar is organized!
From: Julie | 7/7/12 at 6:47 pm
Those food coloring bottels get really leakey.
From: Bea la cocinillas | 7/9/12 at 7:19 am
Simply A-MA-ZING!!!! The kitchen of my dreams
From: Janet | 7/9/12 at 2:41 pm
I’m jealous of that cookie cutter collection. I cut my daughter’s PB&J sandwich using cookie cutters every day (she’s 3 and doesn’t eat the crusts). I try to change it up believing that she notices (and cares). The bat one would be cool for Halloween. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for one like that.
From: Gloria | 7/18/12 at 12:22 pm
How do you keep the coloring for the frosting?
From: carlette | 7/19/12 at 3:55 am
I’m really struggling to keep my cutters organised. How do you determine which container to put them into while ensuring that you never forget they’re there?
From: Jennifer Anderson | 7/31/12 at 10:17 am
Hi Carlette, we like to keep our cookie cutters in plastic bins with labels on the side that faces the front of the cupboard — that way, we can tell what’s in the bin without having to pull it down off the shelf first. Depending on how many cookie cutters you have, it can be helpful to separate them by holiday and category, such as “Christmas,” “Halloween,” “Animals,” “Alphabet,” etcetera, so you don’t have to sift through the Santa Claus cutters in October to find the pumpkins and bats.
From: Jennifer Anderson | 7/31/12 at 10:20 am
Hi Gloria, we keep our food coloring in tightly closed plastic containers, and keep those containers in zip-top plastic bags so that, in case there are any leaks, the mess is contained and doesn’t leak all over the cupboard.