How to choose a kitchen scale? Compare and find the best.
Choosing a set of kitchen scales might seem like an easy thing to do: pop into a store, pick up the first one you see, and walk out. At most, you might imagine picking one that suits the style of your kitchen and paying a little more to have a scale that suits your tastes. For more seasoned cooks and baking enthusiasts however, there are a lot more things to think about when considering which set of scales to buy, both aesthetically and technically. Nowadays, digital scales are as common as traditional ones using the age old weights system. The following guide will first take you through how to choose a digital scale, which is the easiest and most sensible choice for most kitchen users. It will then discuss the more traditional types of kitchen scales that use weights, before moving to a discussion of how to use kitchen scales and how and where you should consider buying your scales from.
Choosing a digital kitchen scale
Digital kitchen scales are not an expensive purchase. You can pick up a kitchen scale for as little as four or five pounds. These cheaper models are usually plastic and may not be as appealing to the eye as other more expensive options made of metal or enamel. Moving upwards of £10 you can buy more well-known and reputable brands such as Salter, who provide precise metal scales with are both more reliable and more accurate, as well as generally looking nicer than cheaper plastic models. At the top end you can get some really state of the art kitchen scales endorsed by famous chefs. The Heston Blumenthal Precision Orb Kitchen Scale, as its name suggests, is one of these more fancy options which will not only offer you an excellent and precise weighing system but will also look at home in a smart designer or modern fitted kitchen.
Bowl or Flat Scale
Think about whether you want your digital kitchen scale to have its own measuring bowl. Many of the cheaper options do not, though this is not necessarily a disadvantage. This means that you will use your own bowls on the scale. The scale will set to a zero reading with your bowl on top of the scale, meaning that you can measure your ingredients in the bowl that you will use to mix them in. Doing it like this, measuring one ingredient on-top of the next, does reduce the accuracy of the reading slightly, but it saves on washing up and preparation time. The most expensive scales such as the Heston Blumenthal model have their own bowl, which is more accurate and ensures you have precisely the correct amounts of each ingredient.
In case a digital scale is not for you, or you feel a traditional weights scale may be more at home in your kitchen, this guide will now advise how you might choose a scale using weights, before moving on to how to use and where to buy your product.
