difficult The convenience of a good kitchen scale can’t be overstated. Digital scales open up a world of new possibilities for the better cook or baker, providing accurate measurements of ingredients, consistency in recipes, and efficiency in the kitchen. With more and more recipes being converted to grams (my favorite unit of measurement), there’s no reason to put off investing in a digital scale, especially since they’re so affordable.
Most scales come with AA or AAA batteries and are easy to use. Unlike mechanical scales, digital scales allow you to calibrate the weight to zero when weighing ingredients (more on what this means later). Using a scale reduces washups because you don’t need multiple spoons or measuring cups. The biggest advantage is that you can measure ingredients by weight instead of volume. This is especially important in baking. Ask a group of bakers to scoop and level a cup of flour and you’ll get mixed results. Ask them to measure out 120 grams of flour (which is the equivalent of 1 cup), and they’ll each get the same amount. Kitchen scales are useful for anyone, baker or not, but these are my favorites.
Be sure to check out our other kitchen guides, including the Best Chef Knives, Best Cooking Utensils and Tools for Small Kitchens, Best Food Processors and Best Stand Mixers.
Powered by unlimited access Wired. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore $2.50 $1/month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive content. Subscribe now.
How we test kitchen scales
As a chocolatier for seven years, I’m a big advocate of measuring recipes by weight. Even if you just need basic conversions like doubling or halving a recipe amount, a kitchen scale can help. Don’t want to rack your brain figuring out how to halve 3 ⅓ cups of flour by volume? Just measure the amount on the scale and divide by two.
I tried out a few digital scales while baking my family’s classic banana bread recipe (converted to grams). For example, when measuring flour, I measured the same amount on multiple scales to see if each was accurate to the gram. I also measured ingredients in a variety of bowls and ramekins to test their convenience and durability. For each one, I noted its special features and what situations it was best suited for.
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please consider subscribing to WIRED.
