Kitchen scales have been around for a long time now and as a matter of fact, from qualified chefs to housewives, all of us need these weighing scales to weigh the food before and during cooking. Since food includes a lot of different categories, weight can go well from Kg to Lbs to Oz and thus the best food scale is one that allows multiple measurement units.

Top 10 Best Food Scales

However:

Multiple measurement units is not the only criterion to gauge and vet a food weighing scale; there are many other relevant and highly considerable criteria. For example, the weighing capacity of a digital kitchen scale also matters a lot.

A good scale is considered one that is at least 2 Kg+ and the best ones are those that have the weighing capacity of 5 Kg+. Then there come technicalities like how many weighing units are available in a certain scale and what are the dimensions of it.

Considering some of the most important criteria, we made a table to see as to how the top ten best food scales perform and as per that table here are the results.

List of Top 10 Best Food Scales

Let us have a look at the best digital food scales of 2020, we considered for this review.

1. Ozeri ZK 14-S Pronto Digital Food Scale

Alright:

So this the best digital kitchen scale that we could find over Amazon. This is editor’s choice and you are going to learn as to why this is the best food scale for its value.

As it has been stated above, this scale has 5 measuring units which is a big deal since most of the good scales have only 4 measuring units. The units are grams, lbs, lbs:oz, oz and ml. This means that you can convert a lot shifting from one to another weighing measurement unit.

This weighing scale also uses two AAA batteries and the system turns off automatically within 2 minutes (although some customers complain that this is actually faster); yet it could be better to have a USB charging system to avoid any hassles.

However, where this weighing scale beats other scales six ways to Sunday is in terms of weighing capacity. It also measures food weight as much as 179.84 ounces, which is second highest when compared to the weighing capacities of all of the cooking scales that we included in this review.

Apart from the weight measurements and weighing capacity, there are a lot of other good reasons to prefer this weighing scale to others. For example, this scale is a very smart and sleek scale that not only you can easily move from one place to another, but that will not take much space on your kitchen counter.

The graduation unit (see the definition of Graduation above) on this scale is 0.05 Oz. This means that it offers a more precise and narrowed down measurement than other scales that have graduation units of 0.1 or more. 0.05 Oz graduation means that you cannot measure anything less than this and just to add a little perspective here, let me tell you that 0.05 is roughly the minimum weight of any item that you will find in a super store unless we are talking about papers or paper products.

This means that this kitchen and food scale can literally measure the weight of anything that you might need in your daily kitchen life. What’s more? The instant unit converter on this scale can immediately convert one measurement unit into another. So if you see the weight in Lbs and you want to see it in ounces, simply push unit button and convert one unit into another.

highest score. Moreover, Ozeri Pronto scale just recently increased the size of weighing platform and the customers can enjoy a bigger weighing trey which definitely makes their job easier. On our point system, Ozeri’s kitchen scale scored 9.25, which is the

PROS Weighing capacity more than all but one scale in our review

Weighing capacity more than all but one scale in our review 5 measuring units

5 measuring units Precision tare button that counts weight of content and excludes the weight of container CONS Inactivity turn off time is too short

Inactivity turn off time is too short Tare button is inconsistent

2. Greater Goods Nourish Food Scale with Nutritional Facts Display

Let us fist talk about the good things offered by this one of its kind food weighing scale. The biggest plus point of this scale is its design. It is the most smart, sleek and lightest scale among the scales that we acquired and reviewed for this review.

It weighs at only 1.28 ounces, but this is not all about it. It seems that innovation is the key mobilizer behind the people who made this scale. For example, have a look at its smart nutritional facts system.

They have turned this scale into a computer and the details of all types of food ingredients have been stored in it. You can get nutritional data for up to 2,000 food ingredients so as to keep up with your calorie check and it is the perfect weight machine for those who want to shed some pounds off their bodies. So, it’s kind of best food scale with nutritional calculator.

A very smooth and wide surface works as a good weighing area and the hygienic touch sensitive buttons make it possible for you to keep track of weights as well as nutritional values or convert one type of units into another type of units.

This nutrient scale also comes with 4 measuring units and a graduation of 0.1 ounce. The total weighing capacity of this calorie scale is 176 ounces. The best thing about this nutrition scale is its ability to count the calories for up to 2000 food ingredients and if you think that something is missed, you have the space to save as much as 99 custom entries.

There is this tare/zero function to reset the display and weigh more food in a bowl. The smart tare function will show you the weight excluding the weight of the bowl or any other container. The surface of the weighing trey is a non-slip and scratch-proof tempered glass top.

However, all merits aside, there are certain demerits that this review should mention. First of all is its complicated design. People have a hard time to try codes and find the nutritional value of the food that they want to eat.

A customer was not able to find value for a simple item such as butter, because the way how they have categorized the food items, is complicated. Also, because of so many functions available, the vertical digital display is hardly visible; the digits are too small to easily read.

If you are into a big and backlit display food scale, this is not the scale for you. And yes, it also comes with an AAA battery power system. Instead of 2 or 4, it takes 3 of them and definitely you will not be able to use it if in the midst of cooking you find out that the batteries have expired. This scale scored 9 on our points table.

PROS Highly usable scale with wide weighing platform

Highly usable scale with wide weighing platform Great and unique design that tells you the nutritional values of items

Great and unique design that tells you the nutritional values of items The lightest scale in our review CONS Difficult to read display

Difficult to read display Very complicated pro-programmed codes for foods, which waste a lot of time

3. Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale

Etekcity’s digital kitchen scale has been a sensation over Amazon and over 7000 reviews show how popular this lightweight and smart weighing scale is. The best thing about Etekcity is its overall design.

The scale is rectangular with curves on long ends and there is a beautiful digital meter to show the weighing units. This scale offers 4 measurement units which are ounces, milligrams, pounds and grams.

This means that this scale does not show weight in Kg, which, even though, is not a big deal, but someone who needs to weigh things in Kg will have to use a unit converter app or something like that.

A very good option that Etekcity weighing scale offers is the Tare function. Those who use digital weighing scales know how it becomes headache to reset the meter to zero. The Tare function allows you to reset the digital meter in a simple touch.

The light weight and sleek design of this food scale makes it easy for you to move it from one place to another place, and it does not take much space on your counter. However, the best thing about this food weight scale is its intelligent design; the digital meter shuts off automatically after two minutes of inactivity.

This saves the AAA batteries that you have to use with this scale. However, the use of AAA batteries seems to be a downside of this scale. A USB charging option could have been a smart choice because they never run short of power and you can always use them without any fear.

Another plus point of Etekcity is it’s lightweight. This food weight scale weighs only 7.2 ounces and it still does the job. With graduation units of 0.01 ounce and total weighing capacity of 5 Kg, this weighing scale is ready to meet any and all daily food weighing challenges,

The application of this kitchen scale is both: household and commercial. It comes with 1-year warranty from Etekcity. Although the scale does not show weight in Kg, it still covers 4 major unites e.g. oz, ml, gram, and lb. These units are actually more than needed in case where you do not use scale at commercial level, because in that case from time to time you have to use a scale that shows Kilograms as well.

Coming back to the unique style and design of this digital kitchen scale, we couldn’t help but appreciate the brushed stainless steel body that seems to be an adherent to ‘leave no finger prints’ principles. The anti-fingerprint make of this scale makes it easy for one to clean the scale. Overall, this is a good scale if we compromised on the AAA batteries deal and how display turns off too quickly. As per our point system, Etekcity scale scored 7.5 which is above average.

PROS Wide and flat weighing trey

Wide and flat weighing trey Digital meter

Digital meter Sleek and stylish brushed steel body CONS Not chargeable – comes with AAA batteries

Not chargeable – comes with AAA batteries Display shuts off too quickly

4. My Weigh KD8000 Scale

At last, we have a scale that allows us to use AC adapter and not the bothersome AAA batteries. This is a big relief because unless you live in a third-world country where electricity shortage is a matter of routine, you will not have to worry about its charging.

Yet, this is not the only plus point of this scale. It has actually many of them. For example, it touches the demographic of customers who are into cooking and baking not just for fun, but it is their profession. The percentage system on MyWeigh scale helps them a lot with sustaining a uniform taste in their products.

Yet, the best thing about this scale, and at what it beats all other scales, is its weighing capacity. It has the biggest weighing capacity of 282.1917 ounces. Because it is made of sturdy and durable stainless steel, not only it is more immune to damage, it is also easy to clean. One of its unique features is the ability to set the automatic shutoff time.

Still, everything is not kosher about this scale. First of all, it lets you charge it with an AC adapter, but it does not come with one. How awkward is that? Then there is this general complaint about this scale that you can notice in the reviews. Many customers reported how scale stopped working after a few months. Since we did not use it for a few months, we cannot attest this flaw. This scale scored 7.25 on our points table, which makes it better than above average scales.

PROS AC adaptor instead of AAA batteries

AC adaptor instead of AAA batteries Percentage weighing system: good for baking

Percentage weighing system: good for baking Highest weighing capacity – 282.1917 ounces

Highest weighing capacity – 282.1917 ounces Fully customizable auto shutoff time

Fully customizable auto shutoff time Sturdy and durable stainless steel weighing platform CONS AC adaptor has to be bought separately

AC adaptor has to be bought separately Scale might stop working after a few months

5. Etekcity Digital Food Scale with removable Bowl

This Etekcity food scale is not any different than the other one when it comes to the basic essentials. It allows a maximum measurement of 176 ounces just like others and the graduation unit is also 0.1 ounce just like most of the other scales in this review.

However, where it gets better than the other Etekcity scale that I reviewed above, is at usability. A removable bowl makes it very usable because not only you can remove the bowl when not needed, you can also weigh more items in one go.

And this is where it gets tricky. A weighing bowl should not be so easy to break. But this one, as per the customer reviews and as per our observation, is made of substandard plastic and it tends to break.

Talking of the demerits, here is another one. I first read it in a customer’s review and then I checked it myself, and the food scale is not very consistent in showing the exact weight. As per my personal experience, out of 10 times, at least two or more times it shows wrong weight for the same item.

I cross checked the weight with other scales, and it only confirmed my doubts about this scale. Because of these couple of issues this scale only scores 6.5 on our point system, which makes it hardly an above average scale.

PROS Removable bowl makes it easy to weigh larger quantity of food

Removable bowl makes it easy to weigh larger quantity of food Quick conversion among 4 different measuring units

Quick conversion among 4 different measuring units Easy tare and auto-zero option CONS Sometimes the weight is not accurate

Sometimes the weight is not accurate Cheap plastic bowl that tends to break under pressure

6. AccuWeight digital kitchen scale

This scale definitely charms you with its dazzling black finish and stain resistant glass platform. With 4 high precision G-force load sensors, it can weigh anything up to 176 ounces. However, the best part about this kitchen scale is the confidence that the manufacturers put in their product.

When you buy this product, you get a full year warranty, but if you register your purchase you get 3 years extended warranty. This means that, irrespective of a few negative reviews, this item is a high quality item and even if something turns out to have a glitch, company will fix it or replace your item with a new one.

A big problem with a lot of other food scales is their small display LEDs or small display units, and even if there were those few that had big display, occasionally they were without any back-light. This one, however, comes with a back-lit display that has adequately big digits and the ambient maroon back-light.

Another amazing feature is the auto-indication of low-battery and overloaded items. The Zero button offers the zero/tare function and you can wipe the display clean whenever you want to add a new item or bigger quantity of the same item.

All of this comes with 2 AAA batteries, which means that two lowly AAA batteries are enough for this scale to perform all its functions. Since the weighing platform is stain resistant, it is free of fingerprint problem and you can clean it easily.

Yet, it is not the best food scale. It has its own flaws and the biggest of the reported flaws, that we crossed checked at our lab, is the inconsistent measuring. This is not happening with all customers, but a few of them have this problem. The scale will show different weight for the same item weighed again and again.

Also, when you try to weigh powdered items, even if their weight is more than 5 grams, this scale might not show the weight at all. As it has been said, it is not a perfect scale and for the price it offers good value. It scores 6 on our point system.

PROS Awesome design that will compliment your kitchen counter

Awesome design that will compliment your kitchen counter Highly usable with a flat and wide weighing trey and a total weighing capacity of 176 ounces

Highly usable with a flat and wide weighing trey and a total weighing capacity of 176 ounces 1 year + extended 3 years warranty

1 year + extended 3 years warranty Low battery and overload indications CONS Inconsistent measuring of weights

Inconsistent measuring of weights Does not weigh powdered items in small quantity

7. 1byone kitchen food digital scale

This scale earned a lot of respect from the customers on Amazon for its price to value ratio. Being one of the cheapest scales, it still offers a maximum weighing capacity of 176 ounces while the graduation at 0.04 ounces. Just like most of the good scales in our list, this one also comes with 4 measurement units.

One can easily shift from one to another measurement unit and very convenient tare + auto zero button makes it easy for you to wipe the slate clean and measure new items.

The ultra-low power offers you better battery life and you will not have to install new batteries every now and then. However, the problem is again the AAA batteries; this device takes 2 AAA batteries and as it has been stated above, an AAA battery is not dependable.

Speaking of dependability, one must talk of the demerits of this product. The biggest problem with this product is the inconsistency in the measurements. By merely placing the food item in one or another corner of the scale’s weighing platform, measurements are changed. A customer presented the evidence with photos and explained how using a bowl also failed to resolve the issue.

In a cross check we verified that the complaint was legit. Another issue is with the chrome painted plastic material used in making the scale as well as the weighing platform. It feels like a cheap plastic item and heavy weight can possibly damage the weighing trey. On our table this scale scored 5.5 and thus hardly saved itself from being considered a below average scale.

PROS Highly usable scale because of its wide and flat weighing platform and 176 ounces weighing capacity

Highly usable scale because of its wide and flat weighing platform and 176 ounces weighing capacity Easy to convert from one to another unit

Easy to convert from one to another unit Ultra-low power consumption CONS Weight of objects often depends on where you place the object on weighing trey

Weight of objects often depends on where you place the object on weighing trey Cheap chrome painted plastic weighing trey

8. OXO Good Grips Pull-Out Display Food Scale

OXO Good Grips stainless steel food weighing scale is a very capable scale that comes with many goodies. OXO food scale can weight food up to 176 ounces and the graduation unit is 0.05 oz only. This means that you get to weight even the lightest quantity of food and you never make a mistake with your perfect recipe.

The best thing about OXO kitchen scale is its smart design. It comes with a big digital display and 4 buttons to make it easy for you to add weight, convert units and such other functions. The Zero Function button allows you to tare the scale and wipe it clean before you add more weight.

Large digital numbers on the display are a blessing because so many digital displays have an unfriendly size of the digits, let alone the analog displays. This scale has large digits with an option of backlight so as to make sure that you read the digits with ease and accuracy.

There is another thing to appreciate about the large and well-lighted display of this food scale. The scale is elevated on a 45 degrees angle to make it easy for you to read the display. Most of the displays are either on top of the scale or at an angle where utensils’ or counter’s shadow would make the display less visible.

It comes with a cord-free design like rest of the famous kitchen scales, but 4 AAA batteries make it even more vulnerable than those with 2 of them. It is more costly than the scales with 2 batters. The problem that I have with cordless kitchen scales is their dependability.

In the event of a misplaced battery or expired battery, you are unable to use the scale unless you go and buy one. This means that you will have to leave your baking or cooking in the midst of it and go get some batteries.

Apart from this minimal issue, there are some more important issues reported by the customers who used this scale. The display takes a lot of time before it reflects the newly added grams (weight of food) and the scale is not very good with small quantities. When a food with very little weight is put on the trey, the display often fails to show the exact measurement. OXO digital kitchen scale scored 5.5 as per our points system and it is hardly an average kitchen scale.

PROS Zero Function Tare option

Zero Function Tare option Highly usable because of flat and wide weighing scale and capacity up to 176 ounces

Highly usable because of flat and wide weighing scale and capacity up to 176 ounces 0.05 Graduation Units CONS Display delays to show newly added weight

Display delays to show newly added weight Problematic with small quantities

9. Taylor Best Analog Kitchen Scale

Alright, a pure stainless steel kitchen scale with an analog meter: just for a change. While it is the heaviest kitchen scale on my list, it is so for a good reason. Neither the bowl nor the scale is going to break underneath a petty weight of 176 lbs. Plus the analog meter makes things less complicated!

Yes it is analog meter and most of the new-school display meter lovers won’t prefer it to a digital one, yet it is big and the measurements are always clearly visible.

The built-in adjustment knob allows you to calibrate the food scale. This is definitely not an alternative of the tare option that you get with digital scales, but it works just as fine and almost as quick as that one.

Another advantage of a bowl scale is that you can remove the bowl for cleaning or other purposes, and you can use some other bowl as well. Yet, if someone asked me the biggest merit of this scale, I would say without fear that it is stainless steel. That is, as long as you use it with ordinary care, it will function normally and it is not going anywhere.

However, everything is not as rosy as it might sound. This scale have some serious issues due to which it scores less on our points system. First of all, the graduation starts at 1 ounce while most of the scales in this list have 0.1 oz graduation.

Secondly, this scale is the heaviest one on this list with a whopping 68.4 ounces weight. Then comes the knob issue; you cannot calibrate the scale but without winding the knob which is an old school method. Talking of old-school one must mention that it has an analog meter and not a digital one (hence the knob).

However, these are not the only issues. The biggest plus point of this scale is its stainless steel body; yet there are customers who complain and we have noticed this too, that the quality of stainless steel is very flimsy. Especially the base of this scale is not only flimsy, but also out of alignment, so the scale would keep knocking the counter back and forth. This scale scored 4.75, which makes Taylor food scale a below-average one.

PROS Made of sturdy, durable and easy to clean stainless steel

Made of sturdy, durable and easy to clean stainless steel Highly usable because of bowl that weighs more items easily and the capacity of weighing 176 ounces food

Highly usable because of bowl that weighs more items easily and the capacity of weighing 176 ounces food Big analog dial for easy visibility of the measuring CONS With 64.8 ounces weight, the heaviest scale on this list

With 64.8 ounces weight, the heaviest scale on this list Flimsy and out of alignment base

Flimsy and out of alignment base Old-school analog meter

10. Weighmax Kitchen Scale with Glass Bowl

Well, Weighmax kitchen scale is Amazon’s choice (not the only scale to be so) and over 1600+ reviews attest the quality of this weighing scale. However, when we vetted this food scale as per our strict criteria, we found that this scale is a pretty mediocre scale even for its price.

Let us first talk about the pros of this food scale. The best thing about this food scale is the removable bowl that is used as the weighing platform. The bowl makes it easy for you to stack items one on another and get the exact measurements. Also food items like grains and similar other items can be easily weighed in a bowl as compared to a trey.

The graduation unit of this scale is 0.1 ounce, which is although not like Ozeri and Xoxo’s 0.05 ounce, but still something that all good food scales offer. The mode key on the scale is another great option; it lets you change the measurement unit and weigh the food items in any of the three available measuring units.

Talking of the negative side of this weighing scale, one has to say that there are a lot that has been missed. First of all, offering only 3 measuring units while average scales offer 4 and best of them offer 5 units, is a big disadvantage.

Then come to the weighing capacity. Almost all average kitchen scales out there offer 176 ounces weighing limit. This scale allows the maximum weight limit of 70.54 ounces which is extremely insufficient.

Yet:

These two disadvantages are the most important ones, otherwise you may find more of them. For example, it makes it complicated for a new user (of this weighing scale) to use the tare feature. The on/off key is what used as a tare function key and this only makes things difficult.

Then we have the usual 2 AAA batteries issue. At least in this respect this weighing scale competed well with others. This scale could use a USB charger, but 2 AAA batters keep it lit and as it has been explained above, in case any of them expires, you will be unable to measure food items unless you get a new battery. This scale scores 4.5 which is below average.

PROS Highly usable kitchen scale with removable bowl

Highly usable kitchen scale with removable bowl Back-lit LCD display with standard size display digits

Back-lit LCD display with standard size display digits Smart design that lets you tare the weight and brings display back to zero CONS Only 3 measuring units

Only 3 measuring units Very limited weight capacity – only 70.54 ounces

Very limited weight capacity – only 70.54 ounces The weighing dish is not dishwasher safe

Our Verdict

At it is evident, the Ozeri food scale is the winner of this review of the top ten kitchen scales. It scored 9.25 points mainly because of high usability score, high design score and comparatively high weighing capacity.

Runner up is Greater Goods Nourish scale with 9 points. It earned these points with ridiculously light weight, innovative ideas behind it and extreme usability and design.

And not for nothing, Etekcity (without removable bowl) is the third best scale as per our review. It scored 7.25 because of really convenient design and high weighing capacity.

Have a look at these three scales again and choose one that you deem fit based on your budget, requirements and product reviews.

Food Scale Review Criteria

Although there can be a lot of gauges to vet a kitchen scale and see if it is up to the consumer expectations or not, there are at least 6 criteria which are more important than other standards. Here is a list of these criteria, a reasoning of how this criteria is judged and how the number game works.

Based on all these criteria, the final rating of a professional kitchen scale is devised, and that overall rating is based on a strict point system which I am going to explain in this part of the review.

Usability

Well, usability is the most important criteria of this comparison and contrast review. A food weight scale can be considered usable in a care where it has a bigger weighing capacity and it makes it easy for the user to weigh any food item on it, which cannot be accomplished unless the weighing area is large and stable enough. Usability secures 2 points out of total 10 points of our review criteria.

Design

Design of a food weighing scale matters a lot because there are those who come with fixed weighing trey, then there come those that have removable bowls and then there is a big line of distinction between those who have digital meter and those who have analog meter. The shape of the food weight scale, type and size of display meter and dimensions of a scale constitute its design. Design also covers 2 points out of total 10 points.

Measurement Units

Well, now we are being drifted from broad review criteria to more technical and narrow criteria. The measurement units on a weighing scales are in Kg, Lbs, Ounces or other units. Most of the weighing scales have 4 units. This criterion also secures 2 points.

Graduation

Well, this is more technical detail and it is very important in a case where you weigh something very lightweight. The graduation marks mean that you cannot make accurate measurement of something less than that mark. So if graduation mark is in gram, you cannot make a measurement in milligrams. This criterion secures 1 point in our point system.

Maximum Weight

Alright, so let us assume that you have an ideal electronic scale with finest graduation marks, maximum measurement units and an awesome design and capacity, would you call it an ideal one if it cannot measure anything beyond 2 Kg? Especially when you have to weigh items heavier than that? The answer is no! The amount of weight that a kitchen scale can measure makes it a good or bad deal. This is why this criterion secures 2 points in our criteria.

Weight of the Scale

Although this is not very relevant because you probably have to hold a kitchen scale once in your life and that too when you bring it from door to kitchen counter, still it still makes a difference because everyone loves small and lightweight products. Considering that this might be the least important criterion, we allocated 1 point to this criterion.

Kitchen Scales Buyer’s Guide

I know …

I’ve lined up the best kitchen scales that you can find on Amazon or on the internet for that matter, but some of you might want to make a checklist, vet each and every food scale out there and buy only the best one.

In case you want to know what to look for when buying food scales, this buyer’s guide will help you. Just read these points, make a list and pick the scale that checked all of the boxes.

1. Minimum Weighing Capacity

Let us admit …

A food scale is not your everyday digital scale. You cannot just get weight measurements in KGs and pounds when you have to measure food ingredients in ounces. This is why minimum weight capacity is very important – or how would you figure out the exact quantity of one-ounce ground black pepper?

Trust me – your domestic digital scales (ones that you use to measure your weight) is not going to help. A mechanical/analog scale is also not going to help.

You need to buy a food scale with minimum possible graduation unit. The minimum the graduation unit of a scale the better it is for your purpose – especially if you’re a chef or pastry chef and your business relies on accurate measurements.

Take Ozeri ZK 14-S for example – this scale has the graduation unit set at 0.005 oz; considering that most of the scales offer a graduation unit (minimum weighing capacity) of 0.1 oz or more, this is the best scale for those bent on precise and minimum possible weighing.

2. Backlit Display

I know that this might not be a big deal for some people – but there are those that posted negative reviews on Amazon only because their scales either didn’t have a backlit display or the light was not good enough.

There are restaurants and cafes with dim lights where they go by the scheme even in the kitchen and it is almost impossible for the chef to read the measurements if the kitchen scale does not have a backlit display or the light is very dim at best.

Then there are people who use such scales at home and they also want a well-lit display because as it has been observed in surveys and researches due to maintenance issues and fashion-related influences, a sizeable number of domestic kitchens are not well-lit.

So to be on safe side always pick a digital scale with well-lit digital display. AccuWeight’s scale is a good example of digital scale with digital display that is backlit and that has big and easy to read digits.

3. Balanced Measuring

In case you’ve checked a lot of digital food scales on Amazon (and read the customer reviews that people should before buying any product), you must’ve noticed that many digital scales have a common issue: the weight measurements change based on where on the scale you place the item (e.g. corn flour) for measurement.

If it is in the center of the scale, the digital display would show a different measurement and if you move it to one of the 4 corners, the measurement will be changed even though you do not make any change to the quantity of the item.

This issue is a big one – so much so that scales like AccuWeight and Etekcity have been reported to have this issue.

A solution to this problem is ditch digital scales and go for analog scales – they do not offer very precise measurements (0.01oz), but their measurements are consistent so you can rely on them (for your business especially where it is very important to maintain a consistent taste).

However, analog scales are old-school scales and they are not very useful in a modern cooking scenario where you have to measure items in the minimum possible quantity. Think of a pastry chef having to measure 1 oz vanilla extract – can he do this with an analog scale?

So, you need digital scales – better get those that have good reputation for measurement consistency.

From the list of scales that I picked for this list, you can pick Etekcity digital scale – it is praised for consistent measurement readings. Another good scale is Greater Goods Nourish – while display is hard to read, the measurements are correct most of the times.

4. Size of the Weighing Plate

Another common complaint that I came across while examining digital and analog scales on Amazon, reading the reviews and keenly observing the technical details of those scales, is about the size of the weighing plate.

Many of these companies now offer the weighing scale with a detachable (in some cases non-detachable) bowl. While a bowl gives enough space to measure the weight of most of the items that you may use at home or restaurant, it is actually not ideal for many things.

A few customers complained that the bowl gives different weight measurements because of how you place items in it – also it does not have the kind of spread that you have with a wide plate.

Speaking of weighing plates, it is important to mention that size of a weighing plate matters a lot. Not only a big-sized plate is good for items that a bowl cannot contain, but a big-sized plate can also house a container so you can easily measure the items and mix them – something pastry chefs need a lot.

5. Power Options

Most of the weighing scales that I’ve reviewed in this post and that I’ve examined personally come with double or triple A batteries power option.

Then there are those that come with power adapters.

It is hard to say as to which one of these two is the best option to go for – both of them have their own perks.

Take double A batteries for example – they are better than triple A ones because you spend less money to keep your digital food scale up and running.

Batteries as a whole are a good option because you enjoy mobility – you can pick your food scale and move to any place inside your home/restaurant’s kitchen. It feels good because you are not longer tied to a power socket.

On the other hand, a power adapter is good for those who want to play safe. If your food scale runs on a power adapter, you would not have to worry about stocking extra batteries. Also, it is a general observation that the food scales with power adapters have a better backlit display than those that come with AA or AAA batteries.

However, there is a problem with both of the options – you can always forget storing extra batteries and imagine if your batteries run out while you are in the midst of cooking and when you need to get some measurements.

Also, it is a number game – I always end up switching new batteries with old ones. How would you know if one of your AA/AAA batteries is about to run out and while the remaining one or two are still fine?

But don’t you think that power adapters do not have their own issues. To start with, these items are made all over the world and sent all over the world. How’d you feel about an American-made weighing scale whose power plug is not made for European sockets? You want to use it immediately – right out of the box – but you can’t.

Also, give a kiss good bye to mobility? While AA/AAA batteries let you move the weighing scale freely, with a weighing scale that runs on a power adapter you can only wish this freedom.

6. Measuring Liquids

I believe that a chef’s job is identical to that of a witch’s – they need a lot of dry and liquid items to make the potion that their customers would love.

In case you are a chef who needs to measure liquids a lot or you have to do this at home a lot, you should go with analog scale.

Why?

Because those scales are mechanical and a liquid outpour or leak cannot cause any damage to them.

However:

If you want to work with only and only a digital scale – make sure to check the technical details and see that the scale is waterproof.

Take Ozeri’s ZK21-B for example – I haven’t added this scale to my list of top performing scales, but in case you want a waterproof scale, this one deserves some serious consideration.

7. Solid Material

Last, but not the least, make sure that the scale that you buy is made of solid material e.g. industrial grade plastic or aluminum etc.

This is a very important point lest you underestimate the importance of material. I know that when people look for digital scales, they look for precise and minimum possible weight measurement, but in practice you often have to weigh items in KGs and pounds.

This is where it gets tricky, because as I’ve seen in case of many unhappy customers, they end up breaking the cheap plastic bowl or plate that comes with their scale.

If nothing else happens, they at least hate how squeaky their scales are and how cheap they feel. So, make sure that your scale is not made of cheap and second/third-grade plastic.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

⚖️ Where to buy a food scale? One can buy a food scale or kitchen scale from different kind of places like, a store near your house, a house of kitchen items, and they are also available at the Amazon. Amazon has many varieties of food scales available by different companies. Food scale walmart collection is also a considerable option for those who are looking for alternatives to amazon food scale. Some of them are digital and the other ones are digital. There are many reputed companies that make some good quality food scales, i.e. Eekcity weight scale, Ozeri ZK 14-SO, Food Scale Target, Weight Watchers Food Scale and Good Nourish scales etc. Best of them, based on reviews, is the Ozeri.

⚖️ How to use a food scale? First of all, you need a food scale of a good company. There are two types of kitchen scales: Digital Kitchen Food Scale

Analog scale In case of digital food scale, turn it on. Place the material that is to be measured on the food scale. The measurements will appear in Kg or lb. You can convert the readings according to you need. If you have analogue food scale, place the item or material in the scale and then the pin on the scale will fluctuate to the reading. Note that reading. The reading will be in Kg or lb but you can change the unit, according to the need, if using some other unit of measurements.

⚖️ How to read a food scale? Whenever you put the item to be measured on the scale, In case of digital scale, a reading will appear on the screen. It will be in Kilograms (Kg) or in the Pounds (lb). Several food measuring scales have the ability to do the units conversion i.e. milligrams to kilograms or kilograms to milligrams. If you are using an analogue scale, the pin will directly point to the reading and you have to note that. In the case, you should carefully read the reading to avoid any misunderstanding.

⚖️ How to use a food scale for weight loss? Using a food scale, while you are on dieting, helps you in having a check on the amount of food. When you are going to take some food and you think its 400 ounces. But upon measuring on diet scale, that food can be of 800 ounces. This thing really helps in keeping an eye on the measurements of food. Experts says that people who take right amount of food for their meals have a good progress towards weight loss as compared to the people who eats an estimated amount of food.

⚖️ How to weigh food without a scale? Weighing food without a scale is the art of preciseness and experience. There are certain ways to measure food without scale: Comparing the things: You have to compare the objects with the food to make it obvious that it has the right amount. Here are some comparisons that can help you in having an estimate of you food.

If you are having 3-ounce steak, note that it is about the size of a deck of cards.

If you want some cheesy meal, the 1-1/2 ounces of cheese will be the size like 3 dice.

A bread slice is usually the size of a cassette tape.

1/2 cup of pasta, rice or fruit should be equal to the half size of the baseball.

A serving of meat like chicken or fish is roughly the size of your palm.

If you want to have one cup of fruits or vegetables, it would be some size of your closed fist. Measure food portions using hands:

In this way, you can use hands to estimate the right amount of food. Here are some examples to give you an idea. If you want to have one-quarter cup or a single serving of nuts, that is usually equal to one ounce or 1/4 to 1/3 cup = One handful

A single serving of dry pasta is roughly 1/2 cup, it would be equal to= a heaping handful

A single serving of cooked pasta is usually one cup = Two hand full

A single serving of butter or oil is often one teaspoon = One teaspoon or one finger scoop.

A single serving of peanut butter = 2 tablespoons or two 2-finger scoops.

⚖️ What does tare mean on a kitchen scale? Tare is a feature on the weight scale that allows you to have a net value excluded of the weight of bowl which you are using to measure food. If you set the tare to the bowl placed on the food scale it means food scale will show zero net reading. But when you put some food in the bowl, it will show only the reading of food, not of the bowl. This helps in having the exact measurement of food without any inconvenience of manual editing. The zero, without tare, means there is nothing placed on the food scale therefore it is zero, but zero with tare means we are excluding the weight of thing placed on the food scale.

⚖️ What is a food/Kitchen scale? Food scale is a measuring device which is used in the kitchen to measure the amount of food or materials used in making food. It really helps in having an exact amount of the food for a recipe or a diet plan. Because in cooking, even an extra pinch of salt can ruin the dish. So, it is a very essential part of kitchen.

⚖️ Which one is the best digital kitchen scale? There are many companies that make very good quality food scales. They differ in their quality, portability or capacity of measurement. But, based on experts' and amazon reviews,

Ozeri Pronto is the best kitchen scale.

After that, comes the Greater Good Nourish scale.

The third one is Etekcity, without removable bowl.