digital scales?
So i'm looking into getting a digital scale, but i really don't know much about that kind of equipment...i looked on amazon, but there's lots, and I really don't know enough to differentiate between the different models. obviously being able to zero-out is vital, but other than that, i don't know too much...mostly what i'll be using this for is baking, so i don't need a ridiculous capacity, but obviously accuracy is important. can anyone recommend a decent scale? price is a factor; i don't want to spend much past $50 or so here.
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22 Comments:
I have a tiny Salter that weighs up to 11 lb. about $50 or so on Amazon. It's nice and square and flat, and fits right in, on edge, with the cutting boards I store next to the fridge. Does both pounds and grams.
Originally purchased for making up burgers and other proteins into proper size portions, I use it mostly for baking now. Works like a charm with the tare feature.
The latest project is making a new sourdough starter. It's just a learning trip into baker's percentages.
whoot at 11:48PM on 06/13/09
I've got the OXO one, and I like it. Interesting feature is that if you're weighing something that's big, width and lengthwise, that might overhang the readout, you can pull the display out of the scale so you aren't peering underneath it. Okay, it's not a feature I use a lot, but it's there when I need it. The display also has a backlight, so you can measure in the dark. Huh? Again, not a feature I'm going to need often, but it's there to make the display easier to read if that's ever an issue. It does metric and US, and it has a tare funtion, which I think is pretty standard these days. It also has a little display to let you know how close you are to the maximum weight, which is nice if you aren't paying attention to what the total is.
dbcurrie at 11:55PM on 06/13/09
I bought an Escali ditigal scale this past winter, which I use often for baking and portioning foods. It costs about $30.00, and so far it has meet expectations. Mine is model P115C, and I got mine through Sears. I have since seen it for slightly less from the fine folks at breadtopia.com.
dmcavanagh at 12:53AM on 06/14/09
It's called the Escali Primo, and its $24.00 at breadtopia.com.
dmcavanagh at 1:05AM on 06/14/09
I bought the one Ruhlman suggested and I am very happy with it
http://www.myweigh.com/node/2308
runs about 53.00.
Goes up to 17 pounds.
JerzeeTomato at 1:41AM on 06/14/09
Agree with Jerzee....try to get Ruhlman's if you can. I purchased a Salter recently that works fine for me. Couldn't wait for one to be shipped as I was in need right away!
arm1970 at 6:32AM on 06/14/09
I bought a Mainstays digital at Walmart for around $20. Weighs up to 10 lbs, both ounces and grams and has the tare feature. It works fine.
tapioca at 7:21AM on 06/14/09
I've got a flat little Salton digital I bought at the grocery store, weighs up to 12 lbs or whatever the equizalent is in metric, holds any of my bowls comfortably and cost me about 27$
huneybumper at 8:59AM on 06/14/09
I have a nice digital scale by Good Cook that I bought at Wal Mart for $28.00. I like it because it weighs in ounces or grams and is handy for baking.
WSLunch at 9:05AM on 06/14/09
i have a Soehnle Level, and i hate it. The company is nice enough to offer me a replacement with a different model, even, but it's going to take 6 weeks, and i'm not sure i can be without my scale for that long.
andshewas at 10:52AM on 06/14/09
I bought a Good Cook brand scale from Wally World many moons ago. It uses a nine volt battery and does quite well for the most part. It will only read out an even number of grams or 1/8 ounces. That is close enough the type of baking I have done so far.
I am, however, going to take a look at the OXO that dbcurrie mentioned. My eyes are not what they used to be and that back lit display would come in very handy for me. I also have trouble reading the scale when I weigh stuff out in the bowl for my stand mixer using the Good Cook. By the time I center the bowl up on the pressure pad, it bulges out enough to obscure the digital read out and I have to try to read the scale at a rather oblique angle, causing me more trouble with the unlit readout. Also, the Good Cook does not warn you when you are about to exceed its limits.
On the whole, however, the Good Cook has shown itself to be accurate enough and it has held up well to a lot of use.
Grumpy Old Man at 12:10PM on 06/14/09
I like the baker's percentages on the one that @jerzee mentioned, but I'd have to see how that's implememented to know if it would be worth having or not. It's got to keep the flour weight in memory, and that's the point where human error could make a mess of things. And I've only got a few books that use baker's percentages, so the majority of my weighing would not use that feature at all. But it is cool. Way cooler than the ones that claim to convert volume measurements to weights.
dbcurrie at 12:49PM on 06/14/09
I use a digital postage scale from Staples. It zeros easily, and converts to metric. It's accurate to one gram, with a 5 lb. capacity. I paid $30 or $35 for it, if I recall.
salpico at 6:53PM on 06/14/09
jerzee and arm1970 beat me to the punch, but i'd recommend ruhlman's scale as well. you can read more about it in his book, 'ratio'. i actually need to get around to finally buying it, myself.
gastronomeg at 10:31AM on 06/15/09
I bought the Ruhlman recommended scale as well. His site links to the My Weigh KD-7000, currently $34.99 on Amazon. Love it.
KB in Toledo at 11:58AM on 06/15/09
I have the OXO digital scales and love it. It weighs food up to 11 pounds, zeros out, converts to grams, etc. I recently noticed it was also the one recommended by Cook's Illustrated. It's about 50 bucks.
kalajo at 5:46PM on 06/15/09
for my money... I would go with something that weighs at least 10 lbs unless you are doing home cooking. Check out the sleek american weigh scale, it's about 50 bucks but slim and compact and complete any task. I would go with the black one...
radioface at 5:00AM on 06/16/09
Oh, dear. I guess I'm really old school since I've been sticking with an ancient triple beam scale. I received a digital scale as a gift a few years ago, but it just didn't hold up.
dhorst at 8:29AM on 06/16/09
Picked one of these.
5K/11# capacity, with bowl
less than $25
http://cgi.ebay.com/5000g-Digital-Kitchen-FOOD-BOWL-SCALE-New-5KG-Diet-10_W0QQitemZ260426074478QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSmall_Kitchen_Appliances_US?hash=item3ca29a896e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50
yosemit3 at 10:41AM on 06/16/09
I have a small, flat salter scale with the glass top. I love that it's compact and looks nice but one thing I wish it did was measure grams to the 0.1...makes dividing baking recipes much easier. Also wish I was able to have the oz in decimal instead of fractional. I hate math. Things to keep in mind.
bigfatmouth at 7:07PM on 06/16/09
I bought one of the cute little Escali ones when I needed to weigh things for a baking project and I love it! Mine is red to match most of my other kitchen tools/gadgets. I actually prefer weighing ingredients to measuring now that I have it. It's very easy to use.
VerySmallAnna at 10:18AM on 06/17/09
i have a polder (i think it is this one: http://tinyurl.com/ksjwy6) that suits me well.
important features for me:
-gram and 1/4 ounce measure (mine actually has a 1/8 ounce measure)
-not AA batteries (don't know what those disc-like ones are called, but that is a must for me-- longer life)
-wide surface that does not block view of screen/large lcd screen (mine has glass top>love it)
-flat unit so it's easy to store
-tare unit (standard on digital scales, i imagine)
-easy to clean
-auto shut-off
vvvanessa at 12:30PM on 06/18/09