The Best Kitchen Scale

A kitchen scale is a must-have for cooking and baking, and should be an essential tool alongside all basic utensils needed in a kitchen. I can surely vouch for that myself. I actually like being in the kitchen and creating things from the scratch, and a kitchen scale enables me to customize each dish to my own personal liking.

Over the years I’ve tested multiple methods of measuring the ingredients, and for dry ones there’s just nothing better than a kitchen scale. Digital kitchen scales are usually very accurate, and support multiple units so you can use recipes from all over the world.

Luckily I’m quite a geek when it comes to food and finding different methods of doing things properly, so for this buying guide I’ve gathered 7 of the best kitchen scales, and reviewed them methodically one by one. They are all different from each other, so make sure you read through the entire article before choosing.

Affordable Kitchen Scale for Everyday Cooking

The good: I love how simple and cheap this kitchen scale is, and those are the reasons why this is the favorite pick. It works quite well in most private kitchens, and despite the very reasonable price tag, it does a great job at weighing any type of food. It even comes with a tare/zero function, so you can measure your ingredients from zero in your container of choice.

Whether you’re weighing out ingredients to mix a cookie dough in your stand mixer or a pesto in your countertop blender, this is absolutely one of the best choices on the market right now.

All you need to know: The Greater Foods kitchen scale is suitable for home use, and has a slim design that doesn’t take up too much space in your kitchen. It is easily stored in a drawer or cabinet, and can either be stored in a vertical or horizontal position. Just like a book.

The kitchen scale is available in a white color, black color, or brushed steel look. It has a 1 gram resolution, which makes it accurate enough for most purposes.

In order to use this scale, you’ll need a couple of CR2032 batteries. It has two of those included in the package, and they will probably last for a long time, because the scale isn’t backlit and automatically turns off when it isn’t in use.

Specifications:

• Power source: 2 x CR2032 batteries (included)
• Capacity: 11 lb / 5 kg
• Tare/zero function: Yes
• Supported units: Grams, pounds, ounces, fluid ounces, milliliters
• Resolution: 1 gram / 0.1 ounce

Efficient Food Scale with Higher Capacity (22 Pounds)

The good: This kitchen scale has a higher capacity, and consistently receives great reviews from buyers as well. It works quite well for those who often cook larger batches, because of how well it weighs your food. This is also a great choice if you have extra heavy stoneware, which you want to use as your container for weighing the desired ingredients.

I also like the backlit display, and its ability to weigh the ingredients in lots of different units. All in all, this is definitely a must-try for those in need of a higher capacity than normal.

All you need to know: The Nicewell food scale has a capacity of up to 22 pounds, which is double the amount of regular kitchen scales. Despite this higher capacity, the design is slim and durable enough to withstand frequent use in a busy kitchen.

The scale has a stainless steel surface with a glass plate underneath, and a base made of ABS plastic.

It weighs your ingredients in grams, kilos, pounds, ounces, fluid ounces, and milliliters.

Specifications:

• Power source: 2 x AAA batteries (included)
• Capacity: 22 pounds
• Tare/zero function: Yes
• Supported units: Kilos, grams, pounds:ounces, fluid ounces, milliliters
• Resolution: 1 gram / 0.1 ounce

Kitchen Scale with Built-In Nutrition Facts

The good: Now here’s a great choice for those seeking a far more advanced kitchen scale. With its built-in nutritional facts of up to 2000 foods, it will indeed become your best friend during a diet. And the best part: It doesn’t only show data for foods pre-programmed into the scale, it also shows data for custom foods you manually add to its memory!

Besides this unique feature, it also functions as a regular kitchen scale. A great buy for those on a diet.

All you need to know: This kitchen scale is especially suitable for those on a diet, because it serves you nutritional data for up to 2.000 foods. It has a button that makes you switch between grams or ounces, with a resolution of just 1 gram or 0.1 ounce.

The scale has a slim design, and is formed as a chopping board. It can be stored either in a vertical position, or in a horizontal position. The top is made from tempered glass, which is durable enough to withstand most things in a regular household.

The max capacity is 5 kilos or 11 pounds.

Specifications:

• Power source: 4 x AAA batteries (included)
• Capacity: 11 pounds
• Tare/zero function: Yes
• Supported units: Grams, ounces
• Resolution: 1 gram / 0.1 ounce

Kitchen Scale with Percentage Weighing for Baking

The good: This is one old school looking kitchen scale, but definitely one of the more advanced models as well. It has a special percentage function, which makes you able to weigh your ingredients in correct proportions to your main ingredient, which in a baker’s case is flour. That way you can easily make a bigger or smaller portion, without calculating the exact amount of ingredients any time. It doesn’t get easier than this.

For any baking aficionados out there, this is definitely a MUST-have, and one of the best kitchen scales as well.

All you need to know: This kitchen scale allows you to weigh your ingredients in percentages, in order to get the right proportions to the main ingredient. For bakers that would usually be flour, so the percentage function is suitable for those who usually scale a recipe up or down frequently.

The scale has an industrial finish with a durable stainless steel platform, which is detachable and easy to clean after each use.

The capacity is 8000 grams, and the display is backlit to make it easier to read. It weighs in grams, pounds, ounces, and kilos. Besides being powered by batteries, you can also purchase an AC adapter and plug it into a power outlet.

Specifications:

• Power source: 3 x AA batteries (included)
• Capacity: 8,0000 grams
• Tare/zero function: Yes
• Supported units: Grams, pounds, ounces, kilos
• Resolution: 1 gram / 0.05 ounce

Precision Scale with Bowl Included

The good: This kitchen scale is one of the best models for accurate weighing of up to 3,000 grams at a time. It has a resolution of just 0.1 grams, where normal scales usually has a resolution of 1 gram. This makes it perfect for those moments where you need to weigh out your ingredients accurately, because here you’ll be able to see exactly when you reach the desired amount you need.

If you’re a coffee lover like me, you’ll appreciate the accuracy of this scale whenever you weigh out grounds to put in your coffee grinder.

It also comes with a lid and a bowl, so you can easily protect the scale when it’s not being used.

All you need to know: This kitchen scale is more accurate than other scales, because it has a resolution of no more than 0.1 grams. It has a capacity of 3,000 grams, and other small models are available in this collection as well.

The scale has a navyblue exterior design with a backlit display, where the large digits make it easy to read out the result.

It works for both grams and ounces, but also troy ounces and pennyweight.

Specifications:

• Power source: 2 x AAA batteries (included)
• Capacity: 3,000 pounds
• Tare/zero function: Yes
• Supported units: Grams, ounces, troy ounces, pennyweight
• Resolution: 0.1 gram

Pocket-Sized Digital Precision Scale

The good: This pocket-sized scale is the best choice for those in need of a compact travel companion. The scale weighs up to 100 grams, and has an accuracy of no more than 0.01 grams. This makes it a suitable choice for those seeking absolute precision, and it is therefore a perfect choice for those interested in weighing gold, silver, coins, jewelry, and other small things.

All you need to know: This pocket scale serves many different purposes, because of its very fine resolution of just 0.01 grams. It has a max capacity of 100 grams though, so it is most suitable for those measing small amounts of fine ingredients (or items such as gold, jewelry, gems, etc.)

The kitchen scale comes with a foldable lid, and a metal surface works as the platform of the scale itself. It has a backlit LCD display, and supports grams, ounces, troy ounces, and pennyweights.

Under the lid you’ll find all relevant instructions for regular usage and calibration, whici is important if you want a completely accurate measurement. It also has an automatic power off-function, which turns the scale off automatically after 60 seconds of not being used.

Specifications:

• Power source: 2 x AAA batteries (included)
• Capacity: 100 grams
• Tare/zero function: Yes
• Supported units: grams, ounces, troy ounces, pennyweight
• Resolution: 0.01 grams

Beautiful Mechanical Scale in Polished Stainless Steel

The good: This is definitely a beautiful kitchen scale, but it’s probably not the most accurate. Analog scales are cool though, and highly useful when you just need to weigh rough numbers for larger batches of food or other things. It is actually quite popular among its buyers, and therefore I won’t hesistate recommending this kitchen scale for those who want a stylish and functional scale.

It does the job with an accuracy of 50 grams / 1 ounce, and there’s even a detachable bowl included.

All you need to know: The Taylor analog kitchen scale is an old-fashioned reliable model. It doesn’t require any batteries to function, and most people buy these scales to decorate their kitchens while being able to measure out the ingredients needed while cooking.

There’s a large analog display on the front, and the stainless steel bowl is easily cleaned with some warm soap water.

The resolution is 50 grams or 1 ounce, which isn’t impressive. However, it is still quite useful for larger quantities which usually just need a rough estimate in order to be weighed out properly.

Specifications:

• Power source: None
• Capacity: 11 pounds / 5 kilos
• Tare/zero function: Yes
• Supported units: Grams, ounces
• Resolution: 50 grams / 1 ounce

5 Things You Need to Consider Before Choosing a Kitchen Scale

So you’ve found a beautiful kitchen scale that suits your kitchen? Great! But how does it work, and will it even work for your needs?

Below are some of the most important things to consider before choosing a kitchen scale for your needs:

1. Choose a kitchen scale that fits the countertop space

Kitchen scales can be roughly parted into these types:

1. Bakers math kitchen scales
2. Regular digital kitchen scales
3. Precision digital kitchen scales
4. Mechanical kitchen scales

So, what type of kitchen scale is best?

The bakers math kitchen scale is a great choice for those who love to bake. It is designed to be as efficient as possible, so you can measure out your basic ingredients in a breeze.

Regular digital kitchen scales usually have a resolution of .1 ounce / 1 gram, and work great for measuring normal to large amounts of ingredients (usually up to 10-11 pounds).

Precision digital kitchen scales are, as the name suggests, more precise and works really well for measuring out small amounts at a time. One purpose of use could be measurement of spices, but they also work well for any small amounts of ingredients needed for baking/cooking.

Mechanical kitchen scales are beautiful and decorative, but not as precise as any digital kitchen scales. They work for most basic purposes though, such as measuring ingredients for bread, pancakes, waffles, etc.

2. Use a proper bowl for measurements

Most kitchen scales don’t come with a bowl, but they do come with a tare/zero feature, so you can use any bowl you want.

There are a few requirements to the bowl though, if you want to make sure the measurements are as precise as possible for the kitchen scale you have:

1. Make sure the bowl has a completely flat bottom.
2. Make sure the bowl is completely stable.
3. Make sure the bottom of the bowl fits on top of the kitchen scale.
4. Choose a lightweight bowl of steel, plastic or melamine.

If you don’t follow the tips above, you may end up with inaccurate measurements.

3. Make sure it’s on a levelled and stable surface

The kitchen countertop is an ideal surface for your kitchen scale, because it’s usually 100% levelled and stable.

You shouldn’t put your kitchen on surfaces that are made of fabric, such as a table cloth, and you have to make sure it isn’t placed on top of any dirt or crumbs. Even the smallest crumb may cause the kitchen scale to be inaccurate, and before you start measuring anything, you should test if the scale is 100% stable by pressing on top of it and checking if it tilts even the slightest.

4. Choose precision over aesthetics

While digital kitchen scales aren’t usually the prettiest to look at, they are precise and quick at measuring your ingredients.

That is why digital kitchen scales in general are recommended over mechanical scales, because the digits give you a very exact measurement if used correctly.

5. Understand your needs

Depending on your needs, there are some general recommendations you should follow when picking the right kitchen scale to keep you covered.

There are kitchen scales available for the following needs:

• Those on a diet who need exact data on their foods.
• Bakers who base their measurements on percentage.
• Those on a budget who need an affordable kitchen scale.
• Those who need to make precise measurements at resolutions lower than 1 gram / 0.05 ounce.
• Those who want an aesthetically pleasing kitchen scale.

You can’t have it all at once though, so you need to prioritize and figure out what’s most important to you.