November 28, 2016 - 11:59am
Advice on getting a new Baking Scale
I want to get a new baking scale. I have an Escali which is accurate but needs to be stored back in the box, somebody gave me a Salton which I can be stored upside down but is not as accurate.
Does anybody have any suggestions ?
I am a home baker.
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Why does it need to be stored in the box? Mine's sat on the counter for 7 years before I gave it away.
It is a bit bulky and changing the battery is a bit of a challenge.
what you need is repeatable result, i.e. 30 grams today will show as 30 grams tomorrow not 35 or 25. Real scale accuracy is only important if you are selling products by weight, like a drug dealer or the local deli. If your recipe is scaled up by percent or two it won't really affect your life negatively.
My 2 cents on this
Gerhard
That is so true, I have had no problem with the inaccurate measurements my Salton has given me.
I splurged and got an All Clad scale. I wanted something easy to read while a big bowl of flour sits on the platform. This thing is a beast and it is beautiful and it is accurate. It is also very thoughtfully designed, with a built-in magnetic bowl. Surprisingly, I find it is accurate even with very small measurements, such as salt, and I have confirmed the results on an accurate jewelry scale. More to your question, it has a built-in hook and it is designed to be hung vertically on the wall, out-of-the-way. Highly recommended.
Thanks I will look into it.
The KD 8000 is a little tall and not very elegant, but it's a fabulous scale and very affordable, with a really high top weight limit (8 kg).
Here's another vote for the KD 8000. Great scale, especially for the baker's percentage mode. I also have the Oxo scale, and it's good, but no baker's percent.
I like that scale too. I never use the baker's percentage feature. Considering the KD7000 (which is the same thing without that feature) is so close in price, I ended up with the 8000:
https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Scale-Bakers-KD8000-Weight/dp/B00VEKX35Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480385044&sr=1-1&keywords=kd8000
https://www.amazon.com/My-Weigh-7000-Gram-Stainless-Steel-Kitchen/dp/B000EVFC8K/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480385199&sr=1-1&keywords=kd7000
Edit: I am still looking for a decent micro scale for yeast, but haven't had any luck with the ones I have purchased.
Thanks everyone for all the prompt responses.
My first scale was a Kamerstein and I still use it to this day, but not as often. Gram resolution is 2 and I found that a problem with salt and yeast. Flour dust has worked its way into the buttons and it now takes several presses to get the scale started.
When the Kamerstein started acting up I bought a Cuisinart scale but found the digits too small to read without my glasses. Also, there is no backlighting on the display so it makes it hard to read in low light. I keep that scale in a drawer as a backup if I need it.
To deal with the 2 gram resolution I purchased a $10 digital postage scale on the web. It resolves to .1 grams which is finer than I need. Since it is delicate I only use it for salt and yeast.
About a month ago I took the plunge and bought an Ohaus Valor 1000. If you think the Escali is big the Valor 1000 is a boat anchor by comparison. I bought the Ohaus for several reasons. It resolves to 1 gram yet can measure up to 6 kilograms. The Ohaus has a BIG backlight display that is easy to read anywhere and all the buttons are covered by a membrane, so there is little likelihood of contamination.
The Valor 1000 has a big lead acid rechargeable battery and a charge last for a week of constant use. One big factor is that I can divide dough right on the scale using a bench knife without fear of damaging the scale. The weighing surface has a stainless steel overlay that protects the components below and can be removed for cleaning.
Right now I'm in love with the Ohaus but the other scales have served me well. If I had to do it all over again I'd avoid the Cuisinart but it was an impulse purchase when it looked like my primary scale was going to bite the dust.
I saw this one being used by Forkish in his videos. Works great and the platform comes off for cleaning.
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-11-lb-food-scale/120843
I ended up getting a KD 8000 with an adapter.
Happy Baking!
One thing ... make sure to disable the auto turn off. Especially with the adapter, you don't want it turning off on you. The batteries last forever anyway, so even though I don't have an adapter, I still have that disabled.
My only grumble about it is that it's quite light and the feet aren't very grippy, so occasionally, it's gone skating over the workbench.
And AA batteries is a plus too, although very occasionally they seem to move and it turns itself off - keep the battery compartment clean.
I did have to take it to bits recently - the top was wobbling and it was mis-reading - turns out the bracket connecting the platform to the strain guage had come loose - a quick tighten and it was fine.
I had to get some "legal for trade" scales too - my local (UK) trading standards people whinged, so I now have some posh scales which I don't use very often - they only go to 3Kg, but gram for gram they match the KD8000.
-Gordon
I have the OXO 11-pound scale and find it suits my needs perfectly. Of course, I measure the small amount ingredients like salt and yeast rather than weigh them. If weighing such things that weigh just a couple of grams, this scale may or may not be precise enough for your needs, I don't know.