What is a good type/brand of scale to buy? I want a scale to measure my ingredients and am not sure which to buy. The mechanical or electric? The ones with a bowl on top? For the ones without bowls, with just a flat surface, can you use a bowl with it without effecting the measurement?
Help!
I've posted about this before, but I love, love, love my little 'Hippo' scale. It's one thing besides my KA that I just can't function without. I've had it for about two years and it still works just great, haven't had to replace the batteries yet. Once you get used to weighing ingredients, you never go back to volume measurements!
http://www.thecozypineapple.com/soehnle-66719.html?productid=soehnle-66719&channelid=FROOG
I have a non-digital scale and even though I love it, I would recommend going digital because the good ones are far more accurate. I would also spend the extra money to get one that measures in grams as well. I have found a number of recipes with metric measurements (Canadian & British) where I have to make the conversions, which I hate doing.
Also, make sure you get a scale that you can tare. That's what you do when you put a container on and then set to 0 from there. You should be able to do that with all digitals, but some of your cheaper analogs you cannot.
A new scale is on my wish list, but it's way down there.
Thanks guys!
Kelley, that scale looks great. So when you measure stuff, do you put ingredients in a bowl? What kind of bowl? How does that work? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I get the right one!
So I was either thinking of this scale, http://www.surlatable.com/product/kitchen+%26+bar+tools/measuring+tools/scales/typhoon+diner+scale.do
Or the one that Kelley showed me, what do you guys think?
I use glass bowls if I am measuring IN (I have found putting my metal KA bowl on it interferes with the magnet or whatever is inside the scale, so I don't use metal).
Now, here is the great part -- I mostly use the scale for measuring OUT. Say I need 8 oz of sour cream? I put my 48 oz container of sour cream on it, 'Tare' it out to 0, then I scoop sour cream into my mixing bowl until the scale reads -8.0 oz. Need a cup of shortening but don't want to pay DOUBLE for pre-measured sticks? One cup of shortening weighs 7 oz. Put your can of Crisco on the scale, 'Tare', then scoop until -7.0 oz. Voila. Perfect measurements. No more goopy measuring cups and spoons. I can no longer function in the kitchen without my scale.
DIGITAL!!!!
so you can do like KellyM says...zero that puppy out.
I also do it the other way....put bowl on scale empty.
zero out...
add ingredient one to right weight --
zero out
on to ingredient #2 --- etc.
for me easier to keep ONE thing on the scale and add to it.
I suggest digital. This is what I use and love it (from Williams-Sonoma): http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku7096357/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C15%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cscale&cm%5Fsrc=SCH
I have this scale: Soehnle Futura Digital Food Scale.
and I absolutely could not function without it. It tares to zero and has an 11 pound capacity. It also switches from grams/kilograms to pounds/ounces. It is by far one of the best purchases I have ever made. The glass top comes off for easy washing, too.
Once you have a good digital scale, you will wonder how you ever lived without one!
~ Sherri
Oh man, I don't know which one to choose! 
They all look like good scales.
Well, the Sur La Table scale looks nice, but it only weighs up to 8 pounds, is not digital, and is 1-ounce or 20-gram sensitive. For a few dollars more, you can have a really nice one. Soehnle is a very respected name in scales. Both the one I posted and the one Kelly posted weigh up to 11 pounds, are both Soehnle scales, both tare, and hers is sensitive to 0.1 ounce whereas mine is sensitive to 0.05 ounce. They're excellent scales and have 5 year warranties, too.
I especially like that mine weighs up to 11 pounds, because I put my Pro6's bowl on the scale, tare it to zero, then add however many pounds of shortening & butter, tare it out, and then add up to 6 pounds of powdered sugar...and it gets darn close to that 11 pounds with the weight of the bowl.
Oh yeah, you're going to LOVE your scale. 
I weigh mail and packages for shipping, portion out ground beef for hamburger patties, and even use it to COMPLETELY EVENLY divide treats for my 3 children - they love seeing that they're all getting exactly the same amount, down to the gram. LOL
To be honest, I didn't do too much research when I decided on that model -- I got it because Alton Brown recommended it. 
LOVE that guy!
Wow, thanks for the advice! I've decided not to go with the mechanical one and get a digital, thanks to you guys! I'm so glad I can come on here and get expert advice! Thanks again, I have a much better idea on what to do, it will probably be between those 2, it's good to know that that is a well known name for scales because I had no idea. Thanks so much!
Guys, I'm more confused than ever! I do know that I want the digital scale. I want to buy the right one so I've been doing alot of research and reading reviews and I just don't know which one to buy!
Cakepro, is it a pain to switch from grams to oz on your scale? That's what it said in one of the reviews. Because I'm thinking either that one or the Hippo that Kelley has or a Salter scale, here's the link...
http://www.chefsresource.com/newexsal30ba.html or
http://www.chefsresource.com/sal3001.html or
http://www.chefsresource.com/sal10elkitsc.html
Ok, actually 3 links. 
I don't mean to be such a pain, but help! I'm so anxious to order one but I'm so confused on which one to get.
Thank you guys soooo much!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Salter scale. I use it every single day. One of the best features is it's LONNNNG memory. Say you've started measuring out sour cream, you don't have enough and you need to open a new container. Other digital scales will automatically shut off if left untouched for just a few seconds. The Salter scale stays on for a full FIVE MINUTES, giving you plenty of time to get more ingredients.
Which Salter scale do you have? Is it easy to switch between oz and grams? I know that's a big complaint for scales. I have read alot of good reviews for Salter scales.
Which Salter scale do you have? Is it easy to switch between oz and grams? I know that's a big complaint for scales. I have read alot of good reviews for Salter scales.
As miriel said, you just press a button to switch from oz to grams. I have the Aquatronic model 3007. I've had it for several years, so I'm sure the new models are EVEN BETTER!
Edited to say, I just noticed the 3007 is one of the posted links. AND -- I just remembered another really groovy feature -- it remembers the starting weight of the last empty container you used. For example, if you want to weigh out batter into four identical 8-inch cake pans, you only need to zero out on the first pan. Weigh your batter, take the pan off the scale and put the next empty pan on and it will start at zero again for you.
I just purchased a n Escali, it also goes to 11 pounds and I liked it because I could get a fun color! I know function before looks, but the cool colors are an added bonus to a quality product.
I put the link below
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E66T4Q/?tag=cakecentral-20
I love it and use it all the time, it has the tare feature and measures in pounds. ounces and grams.
Tracy
Hi guys! I thought I'd let you know what I ended up doing. I ordered this one just today http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=9675 I really hope I chose the right one. Even though the stainless steel one was a little more, I chose that one because the platform comes off for easy cleaning vs. the white or black platform.
Thank you all for your help, I REALLY appreciate it!!! I'll let you know how I like it!
Does anyone else have or had this one? Do you like it?
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%