A kitchen is not complete without a quality set of cooking scales, but deciding what is best for you and your needs can often be quite overwhelming due to the volume of scales on the market. Below is an overview of weighing equipment on the market for home and domestic use, whether you are a frequent cook, occasional cake baker or just cook or only cook during the festive season, here are some points you can you want to take it on board before you make your purchase.
Digital vs mechanical
Depending on your requirements, the average set of baking scales can give very consistent and accurate readings on both mechanical and digital options. If you typically use your balances for baking and general food weighing both options are great and it often comes down to deciding which style best suits your room. A set of classic-looking mechanical scales may look great on a chunky traditional worktop, while a set of digital balances may be better suited to a modern home. If you are a fan of using lighter cooking ingredients such as herbs and spices, a digital set is able to show more accurate results with items less than 1g, otherwise when you are dealing with quantities where accuracy to the nearest 0.1g is essential a typical set of ‘cooking scales may not be good for you.
Compact designs and accessories
There are scales on the market that can be stored away relatively easily due to an often slim design, which is often a benefit for smaller kitchens. This gives you the option of placing the item you are weighing directly on the surface or placing the ingredients in the vessel of your choice.
Some other options available include items with containers such as measuring jugs, mixing bowls ideal to minimize the mess and save any unnecessary washing. Some contemporary models of scales have washable silicone covers that inject some color into the kitchen with many dark and bright shades available. There are many great scales on the market that can provide a wide range of good solutions for most of your baking needs.
Count calories
A set of relatively modern scales to approach the domestic market, nutritional scales are a great choice for those who are health conscious. Able to measure and display the nutritional value and content of food based on pre-programmed data, including calorie, salt, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber and cholesterol content.
Although not a traditional set of scales, it is often a must-have for a more health-conscious family in a generation where obesity is a growing concern. Scales like these can help provide peace of mind and help quantify intake.
When it comes to deciding on a practical set of scales for your kitchen there are many solutions found online, a versatile set of cooking scales is something that is likely to last many years of frequent use.
Cost and brand
Choosing the correct brand is also essential, Seca, Salter Brecknell and Ohaus are some of the biggest brands in the industry, ensuring accuracy with all products, often with a 10-15 year warranty . Online balance providers Oneweigh have a number of products from the biggest brands in the industry.
Mechanical kitchen scales are priced a fraction less than digital scales, but are typically around the same price. For a small basic set of scales from Salter, prices can be as little as £3-6 or less than $10, and can be picked up from most supermarkets, the more aesthetic designs can bring the price between £7-14 or upwards of $10, dependent on accessories and graphics.
A typical set of digital scales can be priced from around £10 or $15 dollars, with the slightly more accurate sets up to around £20-30, again this depends on the style of scale and some of the additional features such as accessories.
Josh Chamberlain is a copywriter for Oneweigh UK online supplier of weighing equipment, hobbyist gadgets and how they can help us in our daily tasks.
