What’s a Cake Tester?

Potato peeler, steak knife, citrus juicer—some instruments have such literal names that there’s no query as to their meant function. Cake testers are an incredible instance. You decide up the sharp factor, stick it in a just-baked cake, pull it out, and verify if it’s gooey or not. Easy!

However why not simply use a toothpick as a substitute of shopping for yet one more software? You undoubtedly can, although not all baking consultants agree that cake testers and toothpicks are equally as much as the duty.

“A toothpick has texture to it—much more than a thin piece of metal—which might decide up crumbs on its approach by way of a cake,” says chef and meals scientist, Tiffany Swan. “To the untrained eye, these crumbs could make it appear to be the tester isn’t clear, and leaving the cake within the oven till the toothpick is totally clear will create an overbaked cake.”

You can too argue that the stainless-steel probe of a correct cake tester is extra sturdy than a toothpick, thus eliminating each the chance of wooden splinters in your meals and the wastefulness of tossing out toothpicks after utilizing them for testing. Cake testers are additionally extra all-purpose than you would possibly suppose. Kenji wrote about their versatility years in the past, and like all good basic, cake testers simply don’t exit of fashion.

What’s a Cake Tester?

Put merely, a cake tester is a skinny metallic skewer with a easy grip on the top. Cake testers are meant for refined poking—often into muffins, because the identify suggests. The diminutive diameter of a cake tester leaves a barely noticeable gap (much more discreet than, say, utilizing the tip of a knife) and the thought is that, towards the top of the baking time, a tester inserted into the middle of a cake ought to come out practically as clear because it went in. If it’s coated in batter, the cake hasn’t completed baking. However as Swan famous, the thought of what constitutes a “clear” tester is subjective. 

A couple of moist crumbs clinging to your cake tester (or your toothpick) is actually fairly fantastic. The cake will proceed to softly bake itself with residual warmth after you’ve eliminated it from the oven anyway—if you happen to wait till your tester is bone-dry, chances are you’ll be asking for an equally arid cake. A cake tester isn’t a foolproof methodology of assessing doneness, however it’ll offer you a fairly good thought.

What Else Can You Use a Cake Tester For?

The cool factor about cake testers is that—apart from being cheap and taking over minimal house in your utensil drawer—they can be utilized for tons extra than simply testing muffins. 

Cake testers might be particularly useful when working with delicate seafood, in keeping with chef and dietitian Melanie Marcus MA, RD.

“My cake tester is my go-to software when cooking scallops,” says Marcus. “They’re simply a type of proteins that you simply don’t need to devour ‘below,’ as a result of they’ll be slimy and unsightly—however they’re simply as simple to overcook.”

Marcus says that she inserts her cake tester into the scallop for about 5 seconds, then she does a wrist verify. If the tester feels heat, she is aware of the scallop is prepared. If it’s chilly, she offers it one other 30 to 60 seconds earlier than retesting. 

“I take advantage of the identical methodology when cooking steak,” Marcus provides. “If it’s chilly, your steak is uncommon. If it feels heat, your steak can be medium-rare, and if the tester could be very scorching, your steak can be well-done.” (Editor’s word: after all, we choose an instant-read thermometer for this activity, as we’re all about accuracy.)

You can too use a cake tester to verify greens (like boiled potatoes or roasted butternut squash). “Mainly doneness of a number of greens,” senior culinary director Daniel Gritzer says of a cake tester’s makes use of. “Wherever a recipe would possibly say to check doneness with a paring knife, a cake tester is arguably higher since there isn’t any blade edge/level that may reduce and make one thing appear extra tender than it’s. This might embody blanched greens, winter squash, broccoli, tubers, and root greens, and so forth.” Our updates editor Jacob Dean agrees: he typically makes use of a cake tester to check the doneness of potatoes. “It is a trick I picked up in Sweden,” he says. “[It] works higher than a knife, offers a way more particular tactile response for figuring out the feel.”

Swan even makes use of her cake tester to use labels on every thing from dry items to herb seedlings in her backyard, by “putting a label over the plastic grip.” Intelligent! And Daniel has one other surprising use: “I take advantage of mine to wash the very skinny house between my counter and [oven] vary of any crumbs which have gotten caught.”

What cake tester do you have to purchase?

We advocate the Ateco 1445 cake tester for its slim profile, sturdiness, and cheap worth. You may even get a set of three for lower than $10.

FAQs

Do you have to use a cake tester to check the doneness of cake?

You may! Cake testers are useful for figuring out whether or not the middle of your cake is correctly set or not. It’s okay to make use of a toothpick as a substitute—simply be aware that the wooden’s pure texture could decide up a number of additional crumbs and this doesn’t imply that the cake is underbaked.

What’s the perfect cake tester?

We choose the Ateco 1445 cake tester. It is costly and has a grippy, ridged plastic deal with that makes it simple to carry onto.