||Food (Kitchen) Scales
|A useful kitchen device is the kitchen scale,
also called a food or dietary scale. Used
to measure baking/cooking ingredients and
food for dietary reasons, it is a quick and
convenient way to get accurate amounts. |
There are three types of scales. Balance
scales (the kind that “Lady of Justice” holds)
are large and often difficult to use; they
are more for the antique collector than the
serious cook. Spring (analog) scales use
a needle on a dial to show the amount of
weight; generally less expensive, they tend
to be more accurate for large amounts and
take up more counter space. Digital scales
are very accurate, smaller, have easy to
read displays, and can have databases and
diet tracking programs.
When buying a kitchen scale, some features
you should consider are:
- Parts that are removable, easy to clean,
and dishwasher safe.
- A tare setting that determines the weight
of an ingredient without the weight of the
bowl. These are quicker and prevent errors
from subtraction mistakes.
- Large, easily seen weight display.
- Scale resolution and increments as small
as 1 or 2 grams for accurate measurement
of small amounts.
- “Add and Weigh” lets you add the right weight
of additional ingredients (one at a time)
without having to empty the bowl out for
If you are buying a digital model, also consider:
- Low battery warning light/tone.
- Automatic turnoff so you don’t accidentally
leave it on and waste batteries. Those that
let you adjust the amount of time before
turning off or have an on/off option might
be useful to you.
- Uses standard batteries so you can easily
replace them. A model that also has an AC
adapter lets you plug it in instead of using
- Built-in databases for common foods so sugar,
fat, and calorie information can be displayed.
Look for one that lets you supplement the
data with food that is not in the database.
Scales also can be used for determining postage
or for craft projects such as soap making
and candle making.