If You Don’t Have a Kitchen Scale, You’re REALLY Missing Out

While using good old-fashioned measuring cups work in most kitchen scenarios, measuring by weight with a kitchen scale can be a major game-changer in a few ways. Here’s why you definitely can’t weight to get a scale into the kitchen.

Get more accurate results

We all know that baking is a science, and science requires precise measurements. Most of the time, we rely on good old-fashioned measuring cups to do the job, but measuring by volume alone can produce varying results—a cup of flour (which should weight 4.25 ounces) can vary by an ounce or more depending on how you measure in those classic cups. (This is the right way to measure flour.) And if you take that inaccurate measure and add it to a tricky recipe like chocolate souffle, you’re more likely to get inaccurate (and, in this case, collapsed) results.

Instead of relying on measuring cups, it’s best to measure with a scale. That will give you the most precise measure ensuring the best bake possible.

Also important to better baking: reading the recipe the right way.

Manage portions

If you’re trying to be more mindful about your eating, a scale is a great way to stay on track. With a kitchen scale, you can easily measure portion sizes so you can accurately determine how many calories and how much of other nutrients you’re getting.

Convert measurements the easy way

Worried about converting properly if you’re using a recipe from outside the U.S.? Don’t fret! Most scales will convert measurements from ounces to grams and so forth for you. Or, print out this handy conversion chart and stick it on your fridge.

Make cleanup a breeze

Think about how many measuring cups and bowls you’re using in a lengthy recipe. It’s probably a lot, right? Especially if you’re washing by hand! Using a kitchen scale eliminates the need for multiple measuring cups and spoons, meaning you spend less time cleaning up, and more time enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Are you sold yet? We bet the sound of better baking and cleanup sounds pretty nice. Once you get your digital kitchen scale, it’s simple to use. Just place your bowl on the scale, zero it out (so you’re measuring the weight of the contents and not the bowl) and add your ingredients!

Editor’s Tip: Zero out the scale each time to avoid all the math.

If you’re looking to buy, our Test Kitchen recommends this OXO kitchen scale.