There are quite a few gadgets and small kitchen appliances out there which you can get by without and are deemed a luxury. Kitchen scales are not one of those items.
If you’re going to be taken seriously as a cook or baker, you’re going to need a set which is reliable, can be set up with ease and cope with whatever you throw at them. The maximum weighing measurement, method and storage possibilities are some big things to consider, and you may also be bothered about colour, style and price.
There are loads of options out there thankfully, but we have weighed up all the competition and picked the ten best highlights.
The Best Kitchen Scales – Our Top Picks
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Best Digital Kitchen Scale
If you are a home cook who uses a lot of vegetables in your cooking, you probably love to get everything absolutely precise. And you have probably found that chopping them all up on the dedicated board then transferring them to a bowl and scales then washing out the bowl and moving onto the next ingredient is a little bothersome. Salter has come up with a solution. This is a 2 in 1 product on which you can chop the ingredients directly, and it will weigh them there and then. The slim and compact design lets you store it just as you would your chopping board, whether it is slotted behind the toaster or in the cupboard next to the plates and pans. The surface is large, so if you do want to measure a bowl of flour, then you can do so just as easily, no matter how big the bowl is. An add and weigh function will allow you to add additional ingredients to the bowl too. If you have liquids to add, such as milk in your banana bread, then the aquatronic function can deal with ml or fl. Oz so you can put the jugs away. You can also pick imperial or metric measurements, so if you have found a new American recipe but can’t be bothered converting everything, no worries. It will hold up to 15kg of weight at any time, which is incredibly generous, so if you occasionally have domestic parcels to send from sales on eBay, then you can get costs estimated before you trail to the post office. Salter Max Chopping Board Digital Kitchen Scale User Manual A fabulous all-rounder, and we have no idea why nobody has thought of it before. Perfect for the precise cooks out there We have to admit that digital scales are our favourite option because they’re easier to use, read and often store too. These Salter scales are some of the best available and tick all of the boxes in terms of price, style and size. They allow you to use any size of bowl, so whether you are just measuring a small amount of sugar then flour or are going to be piling everything into the one bowl, they are flexible up to 5kg. The ‘Add and Weigh’ special tare function allows you to zero the measurements and carry on adding which will cut down on the washing up and mess, and an Aquatronic function will convert your solid gram measurements to liquid millilitres so you can add milk or stock without searching for your measuring jug. Items can also be weighed directly on the scales, such as fruit or vegetables, and the stainless steel surface is easy to keep clean, so you don’t have to worry about hygiene. It powers off at around 3 minutes, which is generous compared to some which turn off after a few seconds when you’re in the middle of a recipe. A slight touch resets this time again, and they start up smoothly until fully turned off. Battery powered, it comes with a CR2032 battery to get you started and which should last for quite a long time. They’re also available in black, green, silver and white to suit your decor. If you need any more persuasion, they have been used by the contestants on Great British Bake Off – no wonder they are some of the best-selling scales on the market. If they measure well enough for Paul Hollywood’s taste buds, then they are a winner with us. Salter Digital Kitchen Weighing Scales User Guide Low price yet super high performance makes these Salter weighing scales a surefire winner no matter how picky you are Joseph Joseph is one of the leading manufacturers of innovative, handy kitchen and home appliances and these scales are no different. While folding scales are widely available now, these lead the way and changed the market. The big selling point is that they fold down for extra convenient storage, so you don’t even have to make room beside all of your plates, pans and bowls to squeeze them in as they’ll fit in your cutlery drawer. Yet, when they are open, the three arms are incredibly stable and provide accuracy and a generously sized base. When they are folded down, the screen and controls are protected by the other two arms, so you don’t have to worry about them becoming damaged. The display is small but understandable due to the size of the scales, but an add and weigh function allows you to keep everything simple and stick to one bowl recipes. They measure in grams, lbs, oz, fl oz and millilitres so are pretty flexible no matter your ingredient or the recipe you are following – no need for conversion tables and guesswork. It takes a CR2032 battery. Bear in mind that because of the style, placing larger bowls or pans on the top can be a bit of a balancing act, and they can sometimes obscure the screen slightly, but the fact they are so brilliant to store away far outweighs this little usability niggle, and it is something you will easily adapt to. There are cheaper digital options out there, so you do pay a premium for the design, but they seem to offer more accuracy than a lot of the other foldable styles on the market. Space and storage can be a big negative factor with weighing scales, but Joseph Joseph have solved all of those problems yet kept the accuracy and performance people want Heston Blumenthal has joined forces with Salter to design these kitchen scales, which are the perfect accessory for anyone who always has recipes which involve a lot of components and accuracy. There’s a large platform for big measurements, which gives the user a high capacity of 10kg and precise measurements to 1g. The smaller ultimate precision platform features a 200g capacity to measure ingredients to 0.1g precision. This is great for anyone who maybe wants to create or follow healthier recipes, where additions such as salt and sugar are necessary for flavour but you want to try and limit the amounts. It also features the add and weigh function and aquatronic ability to measure liquids. Metric and imperial measurements save you having to assess conversion charts and grab the calculator, depending on the recipe you’re using. The stainless steel platforms are easy to wipe clean, which improves hygiene. We liked that the screen is separate to the platforms so are easy to read no matter the size of your bowl or jug. It uses 3 AAA batteries too, which are arguably more readily available than the usual CR2032 versions most scales use. Accuracy is high, so it is definitely for those of you out there who are meticulous and scientific with your cooking as opposed to using the old home cooking guesswork method. However, we found that the display could be a bit slow to respond to some finer ingredients, such as salt, so you have to go slow with it. On a few occasions, it suddenly jumped up to the current weight, resulting in there being too much added. Again, slow and scientific is the approach needed. Heston Blumenthal Dual Platform Precision Scale by Salter User Manual There are a couple of minor issues, but overall this is an innovative and simple to navigate set of scales which is great for any kitchen user Easy to see the measurement screen above the bowl, it is clear and simple to measure both solids and liquids at a glance with these scales from Typhoon. The metallic bowl is a good size for the addition of several ingredients, and the scales can be reset in between them all, so measurements are accurate. We also liked the shape of the bowl, which is not the traditional round style but rather curved and elongated to make it easy to pour from. A touch control pad controls the modes and power, and everything is displayed on the LCD display which is generous in size. The scale base is lightweight so great for popping away after use and moving around the kitchen if necessary. The shape isn’t the easiest to store, and the base doesn’t offer much flexibility in terms of the bowls or jugs you use because it isn’t the traditional rounded shape. For these reasons, we don’t know if the price is overly justifiable because there are more adaptable options out there for half the price, but it is good if visibility tends to be an issue. It takes one AAA battery for power, which is not supplied so prepare in advance if you purchase. Handy if usability and readability are two concerns with weighing scales, and the accuracy seems to be high which is the most vital factor Small living space? Low on storage? Need some scales but have nowhere to keep them? These fold out scales give you the perfect answer without losing any efficiency. They offer imperial and metric measurements and accuracy to 1g graduations. The LCD display is backlit, which gives it a slight edge over many of the other fold-out styles on the market and is easy to see. An add and weigh function is handy for those bigger recipes, and because the scales have four arms, the majority of bowls, pans and jugs will sit comfortably without balancing perilously and leading to spillages or inaccurate readings. Because there are four arms, it is one of the largest fold out scale models when folded down to store, but because it remains long and thin, this doesn’t cause too much of an issue. Just beware of the fact that, unlike the Joseph Joseph, the screen is still on show so you can’t risk piling items on top of it. A CR2032 battery is included for power so that you can get going straight away. It feels strong and reliable, and for the price, we’d say it is well worth a shot. A much cheaper version of the Joseph Joseph fold away scales, but just as accurate which is all that matters really Our top jug pick, this Morphy Richards model, is a great multi-use item which can see you through the entire baking process. If you’re someone who wants a set of scales more for the guidance rather than scientific precision, then they’re perfectly suitable. It is simple to switch between the modes and units with the press of a button, and the bowl can be removed and replaced with a click lock to make it both easy and secure. Great for those short on space too, it can be used as a jug or mixing bowl separately to the scales, so there isn’t the need for all of the separate items. The big downside is that the display requires a bit of bending over to view as it is low down on the handle. It is a flaw which is common with all jug weighing scales so not a fault of this particular model but something worth considering. We will add that the display is quite dark, though, which is a model-specific design flaw. The bowl can also be quite stiff to remove, although we love that the ability to remove it makes it easy to wash. Overall, it has its flaws, but is one of the best overall jug weights out there, especially when bearing in mind that the bowl is great to work with. It can be hard to switch between solid and liquid measurements with one set of weights as some are much more suitable than others. These won't let you down, no matter whether it is milk or flour you're working with. If you’ve recently delved into the smart home world, then some kitchen scales which get as close to being smart as possible will probably appeal to your techie nature. These particular ones are Bluetooth enabled, so can connect to your iOS device. They not only display the measurements on your phone or tablet, but also talk you through the steps in the visual Drop Recipe app. Drop tell you when exactly to add every ingredient, preheat your oven, beat, fold, chop and even which substitutes you can use if you’re low on a certain ingredient. It will automatically scale down recipes too. Great if you want to make a serving for two people rather than six. The app works with alongside food blogs such as Food52 and Good Housekeeping. There is also user recipes. Once you’ve cooked your grand triple-chocolate cake, you can share the images straight to your social media accounts. Now for the performance of the scales. Because they’re digital, they seem to be pretty accurate. The non-slip base makes it ideal for a variety of bowls and is easy to wipe clean. As there is no screen, it makes it a good space-saver when you don’t have room for mechanical scales. They’re not the most convenient if you just want to weigh something quickly, and the fact they rely so heavily on your phone/tablet could become annoying when your fingers are covered in butter and flour. Your screen probably switches off after 30 seconds or so, and getting it back could be messy. But the ease they bring (and fact that they have cocktail recipes) will likely appeal to most of you out there. A great idea which needs a bit more work to make it perfect, but we love the idea, and it is great for seasoned cooks and learners alike.Salter Max Chopping Board Digital Kitchen Scale
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Salter Digital Kitchen Weighing Scales
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Joseph Joseph Tri Scale
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Heston Blumenthal Dual Platform Precision Scale
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Typhoon Vision Digital Kitchen Scales
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Good Housekeeping Fold Out Digital Scales
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Morphy Richards 3-in-1 Digital Kitchen Jug Scales
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Drop D600A Non-Slip Connected Kitchen Scale/Cocktail Maker
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Best Mechanical Kitchen Scale
Some people prefer mechanical kitchen weighing scales to digital options, as they are a bit more ‘classic’ and don’t require batteries. They’re also arguably more reliable, as all digital appliances can occasionally have their blips and moments. The scale comes as a black plastic base and a dishwasher-safe white bowl. The bowl is generously-sized, so if you’re making a cake, there is a good chance you can comfortably fit everything in without having to do it in small batches. Plus, it locks in place to prevent any spillages. Whereas a lot of measuring areas are often styled like a clock face, the area with this scale is stretched around the base, so it is simple to read as you add the ingredients, without having to pause and bend down to look. Every single gram up to 4kg is marked, which takes out the guesswork – so many we have seen over the years seem to increase in completely illogical and complicated steps, so it makes a nice change. Calibrating and resetting to zero is done with a twist of the upper section of the base. This can be done in the middle of a recipe so you can add further ingredients, and although it takes a bit of getting used to so you don’t knock it and put it out of tune, the measurements all seem relatively accurate to a few grams. After all, some people swear that a bit of inaccuracy actually improves the end result! The bowl can be inverted for storage, which reduces some bulkiness and the difficult shape. It can also be used as a separate mixing bowl without the scales. Overall, it is easy to read, looks a bit different and comes with a 15-year guarantee – what is not to love. We love the way Salter have revolutionised the 'reading the scales' part of the measuring process, and it is one of the easiest to store Sometimes, you can’t beat the old-fashioned way. These mechanical scales from Terraillon have an ever-popular vintage/retro look to them, which will suit kitchens up and down the country. Both metric and imperial measurements can be taken in the 1-litre capacity bowl, which will save you having to Google conversion charts. Mechanical scales are never as accurate and precise as digital options, but they require no batteries and are a lot less temperamental so are the preferred method for many traditional home bakers. The clock face measurement is clear to view as you’re adding the ingredients as it tilts upright, and increases in 20g graduations which should give you a pretty good guide for most recipes and foodstuffs. The measuring tray is dishwasher safe, and the body of the scales is simple to wipe clean. We love the traditional cream colour, which we find to be a nice change to the usual white or bold colours which are common these days. We’d have liked the dish to be slightly deeper as the shallow shape doesn’t help when transferring a pile of flour to the mixing bowl, but it is a picky niggle. The dial to zero the measurement is situated under the dish which can be a bit of a fiddle to access, but it is something which can easily be adapted to. There are cheaper mechanical scales available, but the build, style and accuracy of this one are so high that it makes it well worth the ever so slight price hike. Quirky, vintage and strong, if mechanical scales are your prime choice then these are a very strong contender for the ones which should be sitting on your kitchen worktopsSalter Aqua Weigh Mechanical Scale
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Terraillon Traditional Scale
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Kitchen Scale Buying Guide
Types Of Kitchen Scale
Digital
The electronic option. Digital scales offer the most precision and accuracy and are often a bit more compact and space-saving. This makes them the most popular option out there, but they require batteries which some people may see as a bit of a pain to keep on top of.
Mechanical
The traditional option. It uses a spring to measure the weight and move the needle, so requires a lot of preciseness on your behalf. They often come in two parts, with the scales and bowl part separate. Arguably offer more long-term reliability than digital scales as they won’t fail from low battery, and can last for years as there are no electronics.
Jug
The practical option. They often measure both solid weights and liquid measurements, and it can be easier to transfer these to your mixing bowl. Accuracy is not usually as good as flat digital scales, and the screen may be difficult to view as most are on the handle.
Balance
The back to basics option. They look like a seesaw and are rare these days, but if you have a country kitchen and love the good old vintage look when baking your homemade bread and cakes, then it could fit right in. They aren’t overly precise, and smaller amounts are hard to get right, but they’re good for batch cooking and will look great on display. You’ll have to buy weights separately.
Maximum Weight
Most scales will hold a maximum capacity of 4 or 5 kg at any one time, which is usually plenty for the majority of recipes.
Power
Digital scales use batteries. The most common type is CR2032, which is a small flat battery that helps to keep the scales slimline and compact. Others use AAA batteries.
FAQ’s
Which Type Of Scale Is Best For Me?
Some bakers who use recipes which are actually better without being completely meticulously measured out and accurate, such as those which have been passed down in the family for years, may prefer mechanical scales. They offer a bit more ‘freedom’, and some people swear by getting measurements close rather than perfect.
If you do want precision though, digital may be best as they give exact data, although they can occasionally encounter performance issues. Digital options are usually much more compact and easy to store though if you’re low on space.
Which Functions Should I Look Out For?
This all depends on your particular needs, but there are some kitchen weighing scale functions which could be indispensable:
Tare
This is the fancy name for the ability to reset the weight to zero in between adding ingredients. Perfect if you’ll be adding multiple to a single bowl one after another, or if you don’t want to include the weight of the bowl in your end measurements. Available at the press of a button on most digital scales, or by turning a dial on mechanical versions.
Auto-Off
Digital scales can turn off after a little while of non-use, so battery energy is saved. If present, you want to make sure it is long enough so you can get the job done without any switch-offs.
Storage
Some scales are big and bulky to store, so if you’re low on space this could be an issue. Check the measurements, whether it will fold down and whether all components can be stored separately.