Here are the best kitchen scales to buy right now and which one to choose to accurately weigh solid and liquid foods and ingredients.
The kitchen scale is indispensable for weighing all the ingredients when preparing sweet and savory recipes. In addition, it is useful for weighing and portioning fish, vegetables, and meat to put in the freezer.
The scale is an ally for those who follow a diet and weigh foods with every meal. Also, a high-precision electronic scale is excellent for weighing letters and parcels to calculate the correct shipping rate before going to the post office or calling the courier.
To choose the best kitchen scale suited to our needs, we must consider its main use.
A 33 lbs kitchen scale with a large surface is the best choice if we need it to weigh meat and vegetables. On the other hand, if we love to prepare sweets and baked goods, a 6 – 11 lbs kitchen scale with a bowl will mix flour and liquids in the right proportion.
We need a professional precision scale capable of detecting even a single gram if we want to weigh spices and aromas instead. We can also choose between analog scales with the classic dial with hands, vintage design, and colors or digital scales with a modern and functional style.
We have to say that the best kitchen scale brands have combined both to take advantage of advanced functions even with a retro-style scale.
Table of Contents
How to choose the kitchen scale: Types and Characteristics
To choose the best kitchen scale that suits our needs, let’s consider how we usually cook and how the scale could make things easier.
We think of the quantity and size of the food to be weighed, the need to measure liquids and solids, the presence or absence of advanced functions such as tare, or the selection of different measurement units.
Analog kitchen scale
Analog scales are those that have a dial with hands and work mechanically. The weight is detected thanks to a spring mechanism that makes the hands move. These scales can be more or less precise depending on the quality of the mechanical parts, and with time, they could accumulate a margin of error of several grams.
The hands are almost always adjustable and can be moved to re-calibrate the balance. In addition, the analog mechanical scales are independent and do not require batteries or any power source.
Electronic digital kitchen scale
The digital scale works thanks to sensors, which transmit the detected weight to the display. This type offers great precision and maintains it over the years. The digital scale is full of advanced functions compared to the analog scale. To work, it always needs batteries.
Scale with a plate or bowl
It is the classic kitchen scale with a weighing pan. Most analog scales of this type have a vertical structure with the dial under the plate. But there are just as many digital scales with a thin horizontal structure to place the supplied plate.
The plate or bowl is always removable; regardless of the scale’s maximum capacity, it can have a capacity of 1 liter up to 3 liters. The dish’s capacity is important to understand how much space we have to weigh food. For example, despite its low weight, we need a large dish to weigh 0.5 ounces of fresh spinach.
Another feature of the dish to consider is its height. A container with high edges will weigh water, milk, and oil more safely for recipes. It also allows us to mix all the ingredients in the same place without changing the bowl.
Panel or platform scale
It is a horizontal scale without a plate. Most of these models have a digital display integrated into the panel. This scale can directly weigh solid ingredients such as meat, fruit, and vegetables on the platform. Or we can use a container to rest on the panel after calculating the tare.
The best platform kitchen scales have sophisticated sensors arranged on the four corners. This way, they detect small quantities’ weight, even if the food is not perfectly positioned in the panel center.
For the same reason, they detect the total weight even when larger than the platform and go beyond their limits. As a result, they are the most comfortable scales for weighing parcels and letters.
Display and dials
The scale’s LCD shows the weight and other information. Depending on the model, it can be larger and equipped with a backlight for optimal reading. In more sophisticated scales, the display also indicates the battery level.
Some kitchen scales are equipped with a digital display and a dial with hands to allow a double display. This choice is also given aesthetic and design reasons that give the scale a classic style.
Commands
The balance controls are straightforward. The power key and the tare function are almost always present in all digital scales with sensitive touch keys. Other models may have keys for selecting the measurement units and detecting the ambient temperature.
Some kitchen scale models do not need commands because they start with use, so place the plate’s food to activate the display. The same will switch off after a few seconds after removing the food.
Weight range and minimum weight
The best precision balance should allow a weight range of 0.035 ounces for use in the kitchen. The grams allow us to weigh ingredients precisely, even in small doses. For example, baking powder is sold in 0.56 ounces sachets, so we can be safe if we want to use only 0.15 or 0.160 ounces.
The same goes for weighing spices and flavors such as ground cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. Such precision is always entrusted to digital scales, while between analog scales, it is more frequent to find intervals of 0.35-0.7ounces.
We must consider the minimum weight for which the balance starts working with the weight range. Generally, scales with an interval of 0.35 ounces detect a minimum weight between 0.07 and 0.17 ounces.
It means that it will not be possible to weigh a single gram as the initial weight, but once the first 0.14 or 0.17 ounces have been weighed, we will detect each additional gram.
During weighing, even with the most robust scales that carry up to 33 lbs, one must place the ingredients gently on the plate or the platform to avoid shocks and allow the sensors and mechanisms to detect the weight correctly.
Maximum capacity
The maximum capacity or maximum weight indicates the maximum weight that the scale can detect. So we can choose a scale of up to 22 lbs, 11 lbs, 6.6 lbs, and so on, based on the number of ingredients we usually use. Usually, a 6.65 – 11 lbs scale is sufficient to prepare sweet recipes, while you may need a scale between 22 and 33 lbs to weigh meat or fruit.
Overload indicator
The overload indicator warns us that we are exceeding the maximum allowable range. This feature is handy for two reasons.
The first is to get the correct weight. For example, pouring 6,800 lbs of flour into a 6.6 lbs scale will only mark 6.6 lbs because it cannot go further. Without an overload indicator, we would think we weigh exactly 6.6 lbs, but this is false.
The other reason is that the continuous overload could strain the weighing pan excessively and, over time, ruin the mechanism or sensors.
Tare function
With the tare function, we can take advantage of other containers, plates, and bowls, regardless of whether those are supplied or not by the scale. For example, we can place the empty container on the scale, reset its weight, and then insert the food with this function.
The same function is useful when weighing the ingredients one after the other without weighing them separately. For example, in preparing a cake, we can weigh 10.5 ounces of flour, use the tare function to bring the weight back to zero, and then insert 7 ounces of sugar in the same container.
The tare function can be performed manually in analog scales, returning the hands to zero after placing the plate or adding an ingredient. Thus, it is a somewhat more laborious method but equally valid.
Auto power off
This function automatically turns off the scale when not used for a certain period. Can activate auto power after 2 minutes or 10 minutes and beyond. An automatic shutdown is useful to avoid unnecessary battery drain.
Hold function
After removing the food from the scale, the hold function lets you view the weight detected for a certain period. It is present in the best digital platform scales and is very useful when weighing objects or food that exceed the scale’s surface to cover the display.
We can weigh, remove the object, and read the indicated weight. Usually, the hold function displays the weight for about 10 – 15 seconds after lifting the object.
Temperature sensor
The most sophisticated kitchen scales have a sensor to detect room temperature. The kitchen temperature is important in recipes that require great precision, such as using leavened dough for bread and brioche, eggs and oil for mayonnaise, fresh whipping cream, etc.
Sometimes we don’t realize it, but an overheated or too-cold environment can compromise delicate passages.
Kitchen timer
Another function included in some types of scales is the kitchen timer. You set the desired time interval, and an audible alarm warns us when the time has expired. Again, it is a basic function but very useful when we do not have a timer integrated into the kitchen, and we need to monitor the rising or cooking time in the oven.
Supply
Digital kitchen scales are battery-powered. For this purpose, lithium tablets or button batteries can be used, which offer a long life of up to 2 years. On the other hand, some scale models are powered by replaceable stylus or mini-batteries. The best digital scales show the battery indicator on display to understand when to replace it.
Materials
Among the most-used materials for making kitchen scales, we find stainless steel. It is used to make the scale’s body combined with other materials, but it is not uncommon to find excellent scales in which the body and the bowl are made entirely of steel.
The unbreakable glass is used to make dishes and bowls or the platform. The glass is hygienic, easy to clean, and offers interesting aesthetic qualities. Aluminum is also used to make panels or bowls, thanks to its lightness.
Cheap kitchen scales can also have plastic parts, especially the bowl or the control panel.
Maintenance of the kitchen scale
The scale materials must always be good quality because they will contact food. When in doubt, and for maximum hygiene, it is always preferable to place a sheet of kitchen paper or food film on the plate or the platform; in this way, it limits dirt and makes it easier to keep the scalp clean.
This does not apply to liquids, which will contact the bowl supplied. You must wash the plate or bowl with each use.
The best scales, especially the digital ones, have a specific resistance to humidity. Still, it is always preferable to clean them with damp cloths and dry them immediately to avoid malfunctions.
All scales are afraid of shocks and falls, which can ruin both analog scales’ mechanisms and digital ones’ sensors. The platform scales with the glass panel, although very resistant, can be damaged in such a way as to compromise their functioning.
The best kitchen scales to buy
Here we see the best kitchen scales to buy with their respective characteristics in a price range between $12 and $40.
- Digital kitchen scale with food-safe, BPA-free plastic components
- Stainless steel platform with wide LCD screen
- Weighs up to 11 pounds (2 grams minimum, up to about 5000 grams); displays results in...
- Effortless Weighing: Supports 5 units (oz/lb:oz/fl'oz/g/mL), tare function, and includes 2...
- Precise Results: Accurately weighs up to 11 lb/5 kg with 1 g increments
- Simple & Compact: The small and sleek scale is a perfect fit for most kitchens, occupying...
- 【Precise Weight】 10kg/22lb capacity, 1g/0.1oz resolution, Great for cooking, baking,...
- 【Multifunction Scale】This digital kitchen scale has 6 measurement unit: g, kg, lb, oz,...
- 【Easy Tare】Remove the weight of any container to get more precise results.
- 【Precise Weight Food Scale】Our Food Kitchen Scale equips four high-precision load...
- 【Pratical and Durable Kitchen Scale】5 commonly used measurement...
- 【Weight Control Scale -Easy Tare】 The Tare button allows you to subtract the weight of...
- Contemporary Slim Design: Made of Stainless Steel Material; It is easy to use and clean;...
- Multiple Unit Conversion Setting: You can easily switch to any unit that you need; It can...
- Low Energy Consumption with Included Battery: This unit comes with an button battery and...
- PRECISE WEIGHT： The digital food scale built-in four high-precision load sensors,...
- MULTIFUNCTION LARGE SCALE：9"x6.3" platform and Large lcd display for easy readout in g,...
- PRACTICAL DESIGN： The food scale is designed with tempered glass for strong bearing,...
- Stainless steel is smudge and fingerprint-resistant
- Zero function for taring the scale before weighing additional ingredients
- Digital screen with large, easy-to-read numbers
- A Premium Choice: Going above and beyond on all qualities you need and expect in a food...
- Built for Bulk: A kitchen scale that weighs up to twenty-two pounds will never let you...
- Diverse Functionality: Everything you could possibly need a food scale for. A single gram...
- MAX CAPACITY: Dry ingredients: 11 LB X 0.1 Oz and 5000 grams x 1 gram Liquid ingredients:...
- UNIQUE FEATURE: Rotating knob design inspired by KitchenAid countertop electric ovens....
- TARE: Weigh all ingredients into one container by using the Tare feature to zero out...
- A winner of awards from the Food Network, New York Magazine’s The Strategist, The New...
- Accurate, elegant, easy-to-use kitchen scale for all your diet and health goals - weighs...
- Unit button instantly converts between 6 units (g, lbs, lbs:oz, oz, ml, kg) and Tare...
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