Selecting Kitchen Scales
A good set of kitchen scales is a great boon to home chefs, especially those who bake a lot. But with the culinary market growing by leaps and bounds, the shear number of scales and options they offer can be overwhelming. This article will help you with shopping for the best scale for your household.
Step one is looking at how much you plan to weigh. Unless you’re making large amounts of food, you’re probably not going to need a scale that goes much above 5 pounds. However, the increments the scale measures matters too. You want accurate ounces, and in some cases it’s nice to have metric conversions. For most home cooking, measurements less than an ounce aren’t necessary.
Particulary for portion control and dieting a good set of scales is important in the kitchen
Step two is determining the type of display you’d prefer. Most modern scales offer digital displays, but these also require a battery or power outlet (i.e. they won’t do you any good in a power outage). Recently some manufacturers have also offered computerized talking scales to help people with poor eyesight.
Step three: the size of the base. You want a scale that can hold a mixing bowl (most people don’t put dry goods directly on the scale’s surface). Mind you, it needs to fit comfortably on your kitchen counter too – so keep in mind your space constraints. Additionally, its nice if the base is heat safe. This way you can take liquids from the stove to the scale and not worry about a melt down.
Fourth option – space age scales. For individuals with unique health issues or dietary requirements, some more advance scales will actually calculate the nutritional value of what you’re weighing – calories, fat, etc. These aren’t cheap, but certainly helpful if you have a highly regulated diet.
Lastly don’t forget to compare prices and warrantees. Take a look at consumer reviews on the products that appeal to you. A reasonable quality scale will run you about 30-60 pounds in today’s market.
Shopping for Toaster OvensShopping for a toaster oven has become nearly as complex as a regular stove in that many toaster ovens offer as many, if not more, features than your average kitchen...
DVD PlayersShopping for your first DVD player, or even looking for a replacement one, may leave you surprised at what the market has to offer. The best thing about a DVD...
Cordless TelephonesThe beauty of cordless telephones is that you can wander the house (and sometimes even the yard) during a conversation and not get tangled in telephone lines. So how do...