Everything about food, from matching food and wine to recipes, techniques and trends.

Digital scale

Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker

no avatar
User

Christina Georgina

Rank

Wisconsin Wondercook

Posts

1509

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:37 pm

Digital scale

by Christina Georgina » Sun Nov 10, 2013 11:58 am

Now that I bought one, specifically to make the spice mixes in the Mourad New Moroccan cookbook and simply because I do not yet trust my ability to "wing it" and not get an Italian version of the intended :) I wonder how I lived without it for so long. Now I find myself terribly annoyed with recipes that do not specify weights. You soon find out that there is tremendous variability. I bought a cheap Sharper Image one at Bed Bath and Beyond and am very happy with it.
Mamma Mia !
no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21609

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

Re: Digital scale

by Robin Garr » Sun Nov 10, 2013 1:57 pm

Agreed. We got a cheap, no-name digital scale many years ago, and it's still working, still on the original batteries. I weigh ingredients that I would never have bothered to weigh before - pasta and rice, for particular example - and really appreciate knowing that I've got the portions right. I'm not into Adkins - they'll have to pry my pasta, rice, bread and potatoes out of my cold, dead hands - but I'm not crazy about eyeballing portions and getting twice as much as I need, either.

For baking bread I weigh the flour - much, much more accurate than measuring by volume - and even weigh the water (!) Peter Reinhart's artisan breads in particular seem to come out much better when I do.
no avatar
User

Redwinger

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

4038

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:36 pm

Location

Way Down South In Indiana, USA

Re: Digital scale

by Redwinger » Sun Nov 10, 2013 3:15 pm

In addition to what Robin mentioned, I like to use our cheapie scale to measure/weigh bags of our fresh garden produce (tomatoes, beans, eggplant) before bagging and putting in the freezer. I'm another guy who seems incapable of eyeballing portion sizes.
Smile, it gives your face something to do!
no avatar
User

Thomas

Rank

Senior Flamethrower

Posts

3768

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 4:23 pm

Re: Digital scale

by Thomas » Sun Nov 10, 2013 4:33 pm

Count me in. Digital scale--yes!

But I keep my little right and left tray-gram scale around because I love it.
Thomas P
no avatar
User

Mark Lipton

Rank

Oenochemist

Posts

4285

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:18 pm

Location

Indiana

Re: Digital scale

by Mark Lipton » Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:49 am

Bakers have long relied on digital scales because it's far more reliable to measure flour by weight rather than volume. The same holds true for rice and pasta, too.

Mark Lipton
no avatar
User

Redwinger

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

4038

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:36 pm

Location

Way Down South In Indiana, USA

Re: Digital scale

by Redwinger » Mon Nov 11, 2013 12:05 pm

The purveyors of "local herbal pharmaceuticals" also find the scales useful....or so Ive been told. :wink:
Smile, it gives your face something to do!
no avatar
User

Mark Lipton

Rank

Oenochemist

Posts

4285

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:18 pm

Location

Indiana

Re: Digital scale

by Mark Lipton » Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:21 pm

Redwinger wrote:The purveyors of "local herbal pharmaceuticals" also find the scales useful....or so Ive been told. :wink:


Since my days as an undergrad, we've had to keep close tabs on the balances -- digital, analogue, libra, whatever -- lest they evaporate in the night. At Columbia, various members of the janitorial staff were dismissed when balances went missing under their watch.

Mark Lipton
no avatar
User

Victorwine

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

2031

Joined

Thu May 18, 2006 9:51 pm

Re: Digital scale

by Victorwine » Mon Nov 11, 2013 9:06 pm

Christina wrote;
Now I find myself terribly annoyed with recipes that do not specify weights.

The following chart might be helpful
http://calorielab.com/foods/herbs-and-spices/49

Salute
no avatar
User

Jo Ann Henderson

Rank

Mealtime Maven

Posts

3920

Joined

Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:34 am

Location

Seattle, WA USA

Re: Digital scale

by Jo Ann Henderson » Mon Nov 11, 2013 10:16 pm

I find I use a scale more often when I am preparing from a recipe that has international weights. But, for American recipes, like most cookies I make, I still use the tin cup and spoons measures. And, I do love using my kitchen scale. Bought one about 8 years ago.
"...To undersalt deliberately in the name of dietary chic is to omit from the music of cookery the indispensable bass line over which all tastes and smells form their harmonies." -- Robert Farrar Capon
no avatar
User

Bill Spohn

Rank

He put the 'bar' in 'barrister'

Posts

9432

Joined

Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:31 pm

Location

Vancouver BC

Re: Digital scale

by Bill Spohn » Tue Nov 12, 2013 1:55 pm

Mark Lipton wrote:
Redwinger wrote:The purveyors of "local herbal pharmaceuticals" also find the scales useful....or so Ive been told. :wink:


Since my days as an undergrad, we've had to keep close tabs on the balances -- digital, analogue, libra, whatever -- lest they evaporate in the night. At Columbia, various members of the janitorial staff were dismissed when balances went missing under their watch.

Mark Lipton


Of course if you lose your balance you can always rectify it by listening to Koyaanisqatsi for a few hours! (sorry, 1980s reference - and you have to be into Glass!)

I just use a regular scale as I don't bake much, and I have an antique back up for heavier materials, which has the useful attribute of having steel weights suitable for compressing terrines and such.
no avatar
User

Jenise

Rank

FLDG Dishwasher

Posts

42509

Joined

Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm

Location

The Pacific Northest Westest

Re: Digital scale

by Jenise » Tue Nov 12, 2013 5:00 pm

Bill Spohn wrote:Of course if you lose your balance you can always rectify it by listening to Koyaanisqatsi for a few hours! (sorry, 1980s reference - and you have to be into Glass!)


Love Glass--and the movie.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
no avatar
User

Bill Spohn

Rank

He put the 'bar' in 'barrister'

Posts

9432

Joined

Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:31 pm

Location

Vancouver BC

Re: Digital scale

by Bill Spohn » Tue Nov 12, 2013 5:08 pm

Jenise wrote:
Bill Spohn wrote:Of course if you lose your balance you can always rectify it by listening to Koyaanisqatsi for a few hours! (sorry, 1980s reference - and you have to be into Glass!)


Love Glass--and the movie.



Yes, I've observed your love of the glass personally.... :twisted:
no avatar
User

Mark Lipton

Rank

Oenochemist

Posts

4285

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:18 pm

Location

Indiana

Re: Digital scale

by Mark Lipton » Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:06 pm

Bill Spohn wrote:
Jenise wrote:
Bill Spohn wrote:Of course if you lose your balance you can always rectify it by listening to Koyaanisqatsi for a few hours! (sorry, 1980s reference - and you have to be into Glass!)


Love Glass--and the movie.



Yes, I've observed your love of the glass personally.... :twisted:


I also really like Koyaaniqatsi, and even more the sequel Powaqqatsi. Glass's soundtrack was good, too, but Einstein OTB still represents my favorite work of his.

Mark Lipton
no avatar
User

Carl Eppig

Rank

Our Maine man

Posts

4149

Joined

Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:38 pm

Location

Middleton, NH, USA

Re: Digital scale

by Carl Eppig » Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:58 pm

We used a non-digital kitchen scale almost every day since acquiring it in 1968. It is as essential as my right arm.
no avatar
User

Mike Filigenzi

Rank

Known for his fashionable hair

Posts

8187

Joined

Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:43 pm

Location

Sacramento, CA

Re: Digital scale

by Mike Filigenzi » Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:33 pm

We have two digital scales. I use them once in a while and my wife uses them a lot for baking. Why two? Well, the first one we got only weighs in 2 g. increments and the switch to change from g. to oz. is on the bottom, so you have to turn it upside down to make the change. My wife complained about both of those aspects, so I went and bought one that weighs to 1 g. and which has the kg/oz switch on a panel on the front. You can also detach that panel if there's something big on the scale that would otherwise block the view. I like the new one much more than the old one. And for reasons I have yet to divine, my wife will only use the old one.
"People who love to eat are always the best people"

- Julia Child

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot], SemrushBot and 0 guests

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign