Cooking is an art form. To precisely measure ingredients, you'll need an authentic kitchen scale.
A kitchen scale will always come in handy when weighing your ingredients, whether you’re making your favorite cookie recipe, trying to make the ideal cup of espresso at home, or finally making your first sourdough starter.
While there is no substitute for expert intuition and legendary eyeballing, there are times when you need the accuracy of a scale.
The array of scales available today can make choosing one a difficult task. To find the best scale for all of your kitchen needs, we tested several models with a range of prices and maximum capacities.
Check out our carefully selected picks of the best measuring scales for your kitchen.
The main purpose of a scale is to consistently and accurately weigh ingredients, so inaccurate scales were eliminated from consideration right away. However, those that offered precise measurements in both metric and conventional units made it to the list of our top picks.
With a preference for simple designs and displays, which minimize confusion, our picks are among the fastest and most accurate scales on the market. They remain powered on for longer than most others before automatically shutting off.
Our tester appreciated the super lightweight, compact size type of scales that didn’t take up much counter space during use and are easily stored away.
To accommodate various budgets, we tested many models with prices ranging from $9 to $60 in order to find your ideal scale.
This is probably the best you’d get out there.
Our winning scale went above and beyond to further invent an improved version of the original.
This OXO Stainless Steel Scale topped every test because it is consistently accurate, has a practical design, and has advanced functions. The only scale with a pull-out display, maximum weight, and battery life indicators, as well as the longest delay before the scale shuts off automatically. The digital screen makes it simple to see in dimly lit areas or when the sun is blaring, and the stainless steel surface is long-lasting and simple to clean.
The scale is compact and lightweight, so it won't take up much room in a drawer or cabinet.
With almost instantaneous readings and a significant delay before auto shutoff, this device is precise to the gram.
The Escali scale might not have all the bells and whistles of the OXO scale, but for half the cost, it's still a great kitchen workhorse. It features a simplistic design with straightforward buttons and an easy-to-read display. We discovered it to be precise to the gram, with very instantaneous readings and a significant delay before auto-shutoff.
This scale's polycarbonate casing is available in a range of hues and designs.
With an affordable price tag, this scale positions itself as a strong competitor for permanent countertop occupancy.
It takes up a little less room than the Escali scale because it is a little smaller. It also comes with a much shorter warranty and has a much shorter auto-off period, as well as a slightly slower weight reading speed. This device is lightweight and has a compact footprint, making it convenient to carry around or store in a small kitchen drawer.
This is probably the best you’d get out there.
The scale is compact and lightweight, so it won't take up much room in a drawer or cabinet.
This scale's polycarbonate casing is available in a range of hues and designs.
Anyone wishing to improve their kitchen experience should consider the products being advertised here.
Digital vs. mechanical When buying a kitchen scale, modern digital models as well as mechanical or analog types are both available. In contrast to mechanical scales, which rely on a set of springs to measure weight, digital scales are powered by batteries or an electrical outlet and utilize internal computer technology.
Your ideal kitchen scale will depend on a variety of factors, including your budget, your needs for durability, storage convenience, and the simplicity of cleaning. The majority of home cooks and professional chefs prefer using digital kitchen scales because of their easy features, inexpensive price, and small, portable form.
An excellent backup option is a mechanical kitchen scale, especially if you require a scale that can operate without batteries or an electrical outlet.
Do I really need a kitchen scale if I’m not a baker or into fitness? There is a good reason why people who buy scales don’t regret their decision. Using a scale speeds up and simplifies cooking while improving measurement accuracy. Check out some of the reasons:
Easy cooking: You generally simply eyeball it when a recipe calls for a pound of Brussels sprouts, right? The use of a kitchen scale eliminates the need.
It’s perfect for any recipe that calls for a certain quantity of fruits and veggies because it can be nearly impossible to measure such ingredients in any other way.
The appeal of a scale goes beyond its accuracy, as avid bakers will attest. It’s the difference between needing to clean multiple large bowls after using a teaspoon, a tablespoon, four measuring cups, your liquid glass measuring vessel, and other items, as opposed to simply one large dish.
A scale can also be used to measure food for health purposes. How many of us load one, two, or three servings of protein into our “healthy” lunches by eyeballing it? If you’re watching that type of stuff, you can portion out your snacks and be a little more cognizant of your caloric consumption.
National Today takes great delight in working with reliable independent contractors that have years of experience writing on lifestyle subjects and product reviews.
We have published dozens of buying guides in many industries and are knowledgeable about the factors that customers and chefs should take into account before selecting a new purchase for their culinary endeavors.
To write this piece, we reviewed a ton of customer reviews and did a ton of research on the top kitchen scale solutions that are accessible both offline and online.
Accuracy We calibrated five-gram, ten-gram, one-hundred-gram, and five-kilogram weights and used them to test each scale’s accuracy.
To make sure that accuracy wasn’t affected by where the weight was placed on the platform, the weights were tested numerous times on both the center and each corner of the scales. The bulk of the scales consistently provided reliable results.
Fast measurements We timed how quickly the scale responded when we added or removed weights to gauge speed. Once a weight was on the platform, we timed how long each scale remained on before automatically turning it off.
Additionally, we used each scale to bake a batch of pumpkin muffins, noting any peculiar characteristics or usage specifics like whether the scale will turn off if you unintentionally press the tare/power button twice.
Size We sought scales with platforms of a reasonable size — ones big enough to comfortably accommodate a mixing bowl or bag of onions, but not so big that storing the scale would become problematic.
For us, this meant using scales with platforms that were between five and a half and 12 inches across.
Design/style Digital scales are now available in a wide range of colors and materials; some are designed to be very portable, while others need to remain stationary on your kitchen counter.
While some scales operate best with a tared-out bowl or tray on the scale platform, others function best with removable trays that you may use to weigh materials directly.
A huge LED readout with a backlight and a very small digital readout with a backlight are both available. In particular, if you are cooking with children or don’t want to put on your reading glasses, we advise the latter option for convenience.
Price Like anything else you’ll buy for your kitchen, prices can vary substantially. The cost of a new kitchen scale can range from $10 to $60, so being aware of what you want is essential.
A less expensive, more basic scale will work just fine if you’ve never owned one before and want to experiment with baking by measurements or portioning out your weekly meal prep.
Choosing a scale with a wide weight range and increased precision will unquestionably be worth the extra money if you want to measure huge batches of food for large gatherings, special occasions, or more professional culinary settings.
Measures ounces and grams – also less than 1 ounce For smaller items like extracts or baking powder, the majority of kitchen scales available on the market can read a minimum of 1 ounce or 28 grams. For larger components like a full squash or a turkey, the most common limit is 11 pounds.
Find a scale that is sensitive enough to deliver readings as low as .001 ounces or .03 grams if you need to weigh out extremely minute quantities like salt or yeast.
Capacity Most digital kitchen scales are battery-operated. We advise choosing a battery type that will be simple to find in the future, such as AA or AAA.
A scale that requires a difficult-to-find battery or one that is more challenging to install, such as flat button batteries that frequently require a screwdriver, should be avoided.
Some more recent scales on the market only require USB charging, eliminating the need to add batteries or buy more batteries in the future.
Easy to clean We covered each scale in flour to see how easily it could be cleaned, then observed how easily it could be wiped using a towel.
Your scale won’t ever come into contact with this much dirt unless you’re cooking in a dust storm, but it helped us identify which models had an excessive number of crevices where grime may collect.
Some scales featured detachable plates that you could use to wipe off any flour that managed to sneak underneath.
Sturdy – has rubber feet Choosing a steady scale was crucial as well; it shouldn’t tip over or move around the counter whenever a button is hit.
When we tried to push tare or change units, many of the lightweight scales quickly fell over and bounced around on the counter; this was especially evident in ultra-slim models.
The Escali Primo was able to utilize a lightweight design successfully without having this flaw. Little rubber feet assist in stopping the scale from sliding around on counters — a handy but somewhat uncommon feature.
This is probably the best you’d get out there.
Our winning scale went above and beyond to further invent an improved version of the original.
Usually, when a product is marketed as having extra attachments or bonuses, they are just cheap gimmicks that don't contribute much to the product's functionality. With our winning scale, every supplementary feature was created with the cook in mind.
The OXO has the best display, featuring a backlit option, high-contrast indications, a model that includes four AA batteries that are simple to install, and measurements in ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms.
The OXO weighs two pounds, which makes it one of the bulkier scales we tested. The scale's start-up time was likewise among the longest (three seconds).
The OXO scale was the easiest to clean of the bunch because of its detachable stainless steel platform. Additionally, it features an automatic turn-off option that is delayed by 30 minutes, which is useful if you're taking measurements in between other duties. Although it enters automated sleep mode after six minutes, it also has the greatest delay until auto cutoff, at 30 minutes. The scale remembers your most recent weight up to the 30-minute auto-shutoff point when it is in sleep mode. The only scale with memory was this one, which came in quite handy when we had to stop cooking. Additionally, there are now only two buttons: the toggle for unit conversion and the on/off button, which is also used to tare. Additionally, the 2021 model has more options for unit displays, including pounds and ounces, kilograms, and grams. This can be useful because recipes from different sources sometimes use different unit conventions; without the scale, the home chef might be forced to perform unit conversions on their own, which increases the possibility of error.
The scale is compact and lightweight, so it won't take up much room in a drawer or cabinet.
With almost instantaneous readings and a significant delay before auto shutoff, this device is precise to the gram.
For home cooks who desire quick, reliable results while baking or cooking, this scale is excellent.
It has just two buttons and is cheap, reliable, accurate, and dead simple to use. It can run for a long time on a pair of AA batteries and is small enough to fit in a drawer.
Despite the platform's minor elevation, weighing in larger bowls or vessels can be challenging on this scale because there are just three and a half inches between the middle of the platform and the display. The scale's buttons need to be pressed firmly because they are not particularly sensitive.
We loved the Escali Primo's straightforward, portable design. With only 11 ounces, it's easy to carry around at all times. Despite being light, it was stable because of its square base and skid-resistant rubber feet. A simple interface and display are simple to read and utilize. There are only two buttons on the scale: an on/off button and a button with a dual purpose (tare and unit change). It covers all the basics and provides precise measurements in both metric and conventional units. With a four-and-a-half-minute wait before auto cutoff, the Escali Primo had the second-longest delay. There were a few scales with comparable designs and performance at lower costs, but we were unable to get past the fact that these scales only featured one-minute waits before auto shut off.
This scale's polycarbonate casing is available in a range of hues and designs.
With an affordable price tag, this scale positions itself as a strong competitor for permanent countertop occupancy.
If you want something affordable but accurate, we believe the Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale is a fantastic option.
Our testers were astonished by the Ozeri's precision, given its affordable pricing. In all of our tests involving lab weights of 100 grams or less, it accurately measured lab weights to the gram. Additionally, switching between units of measure is simple.
This scale turns off after just two minutes of inactivity, which is not ideal if you are working on several kitchen activities at once, but it can be turned back on by pressing a single button. Since the measuring plate wasn't removable, cleaning it was also difficult.
The Ozeri Pronto kitchen scale is portable and has a compact footprint, making it ideal for storing in a small kitchen drawer or carrying around. Although it might have used a backlight, this scale consistently provided accurate readings, and the digital display was easy to read. Our experts could easily tare it, turn it off, and change measurement units. There are five of them offered by this model: ounces, milliliters, grams, pounds, and kilograms. With this scale, you can precisely tare everything from a glass dish to chocolate chips while weighing as little as 1 gram and as much as 11.24 pounds. Two install-friendly AAA batteries are also included with it.
With its accurate readings, mobility, and easy-to-see display, this scale will aid you in your quest.
We recommend the My Weigh KD8000 for people who frequently bake bread or want to prepare a large number of meals at once.
During our tests, this scale provided us with some of the most accurate readings, and it responded quickly when we added or removed compounds. The angled display was considerably easier to read, so we appreciated it.
Compared to the other scales we tried, this one took longer to switch on. Additionally, it turned off after two minutes, which could be problematic if you're trying to measure many ingredients.
We've put the My Weigh KD8000 through extensive testing, and we love it. The scale's adjustable lighting and auto-off features are in addition to its ability to run on a DC 5 V, 300 mA AC adaptor. Its capacity to measure in baker's percentages, which makes it simpler to modify a recipe or scale the quantity up or down, may be appreciated by experienced bakers. This scale includes some more sophisticated features, a backlit display, a detachable base, and the choice to disable the auto-off functionality for a little extra money. The huge, lit screen on this particular model was by far the easiest to read.
How to keep it clean Wet, dirty goods shouldn’t be weighed directly on the scale; instead, put down some parchment or plastic wrap for easy cleanup.
When the scale is removed, use a hot towel to remove any leftover grease or food from the buttons and the platform. Never clean a scale by placing it directly under running water.
Cord care/electric safety The number-one rule of precaution will be to avoid contact with water (this includes any accompanying wires/cords) except the dish pan. Before cleaning, make sure to always turn off the balance display.
Do not let any substance penetrate the interior parts of the balance; instead, wipe the dirt away from the opening in the center. The balance should be reassembled, turned on, and tested to ensure proper operation.
Where and how to store when not in use When the scale is off, avoid storing it or allowing it to sit without any objects on it, because this can do serious harm as well.
Even while some scales can be recalibrated, they are frequently not completely accurate, so don’t rely on them. It’s probably time to change the batteries if you suspect your scale is providing you with inaccurate readings.
For the most accurate readings, keep your scale on a flat, firm surface at all times.
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