Preparation
If you’re a baker, a kitchen scale is just as important—dare we say more important—to have on hand as measuring cups and spoons. An accurate scale is a more precise way to measure ingredients, and if you’re using a recipe where quantities are listed by weight, a kitchen scale is essential. “Using a scale is much more consistent from one person to the next and from even the same person from day to day,” Kierin Baldwin, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education says. “A gram is always a gram, but a cup can be an entirely different amount of flour if it is scooped from a bag versus sifted into the cup, so weights always give more consistent results.” For small quantities like a teaspoon of salt, which might not measure accurately on a scale, or liquids, which measure consistently by volume, she uses measuring spoons and cups, respectively.
As for ideal qualities of a kitchen scale, The Tavern’s executive pastry chef Stephen Collucci pays close attention to weight capacity, size, ease of cleaning, and readability. “Some scales come with removable displays which make it easy to read when using large bowls that may cover it otherwise,” he says. “If they light up, that’s also a plus!” For weight capacity, Baldwin notes that a scale that can measure quantities up to 11 pounds in one gram increments is the most versatile and should cover most of the things you’ll be measuring when cooking and baking at home.
Best Versatile: Escali Primo Lightweight ScaleBest Compact: Martha Stewart Collection Glass Food ScaleBest Dual Platform: KitchenAid Dual Platform Digital Kitchen and Food ScaleBest Vintage Style: Typhoon Farmhouse Kitchen ScaleBest For Large Quantities: Zwilling Enfinigy Digital Kitchen Scale
