We Tested 7 Brands to Find the Best Kitchen Scale
Updated: May 03, 2024
Believe it or not, weighing ingredients can be a game-changer for your baking and cooking. Make sure you've got the best kitchen scale so you can level up your recipes.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
When it comes to baking supplies, there are several essentials you can’t be without: mixers, bowls, spatulas, cake pans and a kitchen scale.
That’s right: A kitchen scale! It’s an invaluable item in your baking and cooking collection. But before you rush out to buy one, know that not every kitchen scale is a winner. For your home, you want the best kitchen scale for your specific needs.
That’s where the Taste of Home Test Kitchen comes in. Our team of kitchen pros set out on a mission to find the best kitchen scale for beginners, bakers, mess-makers and more.
How We Found the Best Kitchen Scale
The name of the game in this test is accuracy. Above all else, our Test Kitchen wanted to find accurate scales that were easy to use at home. To do this, we gathered the most popular scales on the market and put them head-to-head, weighing ingredients and checking out all the features so we could find out which deserve to be called Test Kitchen-Preferred.
Each kitchen scale was judged according to these qualities:
- Accuracy: This is the most important metric in testing scales. Our Test Kitchen used laboratory-grade weights to see if this functionality was spot on.
- Features:Â Our Test Kitchen made note of any extra features the scales had, including maximum weight, ability to measure liquids, ease of cleanup and more.
- Price:Â Kitchen scales (and all kitchen gadgets) need to be worth the expense.
Our Test Kitchen-Preferred Kitchen Scales
In the end, the scales tipped in favor of a few standout brands. Here are the best kitchen scale options for your needs.
Best Kitchen Scale for Baking: Escali Nutro Digital Kitchen Scale
To ensure your baking recipes turn out exactly as they should, it really is best to weigh the ingredients—both dry and liquid ingredients—for maximum accuracy. Our Test Kitchen’s favorite pick for baking is the Escali Nutro Digital Kitchen Scale.
This scale was a favorite because it could accurately and quickly weigh dry ingredients in grams and ounces and, with the touch of a button, switch to measuring liquid ingredients. That’s exactly what you want when adding buttermilk to your batch of biscuits or water into your pie crust.
The Escali kitchen scale also got high marks for its easy-to-read display, intuitive controls and ability to weight a good amount of ingredients—up to 15 pounds.
- Capacity:Â 15 pounds
- Price:Â $40
Best Kitchen Scale for Easy Cleaning: Salter High Precision Digital Kitchen Scale
Kitchen scales see a lot of action. One day you’re measuring flour for loaves of bread, the next you’re weighing apples for pie or cuts of meat for grilling. With all those ingredients coming and going, it’s essential to have a kitchen scale that’s easy to clean. Enter the Salter Digital Kitchen Scale.
This Salter scale is outfitted with a large removable top so you can clean up any messes your ingredients may have left behind. While this feature isn’t unique to Salter, our Test Kitchen found that it was easier to remove, clean and replace this stainless steel cover compared to other brands.
Of course, this scale was also accurate. It could detect as little as 2 grams by itself—a feat! You can also weigh liquids on this scale, in liquid ounces or milliliters.
- Capacity:Â 11 pounds
- Price:Â $42
Best Affordable Kitchen Scale: OXO Good Grips 5-lb. Food Scale with Pull-Out Display
If you’re new to using a kitchen scale at home, we get that you might not want to shell out the big bucks. But you can still get a quality kitchen scale at an affordable price. The OXO Good Grips Food Scale is just right for beginner bakers and cooks.
This scale is on the smaller side with a max weight of 5 pounds, but our Test Kitchen found that it was absolutely accurate and easy to use. The controls were intuitive and the LCD screen was easy to read.
The nonslip feet kept the scale in place as our testers worked in the kitchen, which is great when you’ve got lots of dishes on the counter—you don’t want a gadget like this slipping onto the floor by mistake.
- Capacity:Â 5 pounds
- Price:Â $31
Best Splurge Kitchen Scale: Zwilling Digital Food Scale
For a next-level kitchen scale, you might have to spend just a bit more. But when you see the Zwilling Digital Food Scale, you’ll know the extra $10 was worth it.
The first thing our testing squad noticed about this glass kitchen scale: It’s sleek! It has no buttons! Instead, it has a touch screen that lights up once you switch it on. Not only does this look slick, it makes the scale easy to wipe down once you’re done using it—no worrying about bits getting stuck in button crevices.
The Zwilling scale was also very responsive. It detected even minuscule changes in weight accurately and almost instantly.
Another terrific feature: Instead of using batteries, this kitchen scale uses a USB cord. Just recharge it periodically and you’re good to go. No more rummaging through the junk drawer to find spare batteries to power it up.
- Capacity:Â 22 pounds
- Price:Â $50
Why You Need a Kitchen Scale
Yep, we know you have a drawer full of measuring cups, but there are lots of good reasons to use a kitchen scale at home.
- Accuracy:Â Measuring ingredients by weight is more accurate than using measuring cups. While this isn’t crucial when measuring cracker crumbs to top your mac and cheese, you will notice a difference when it comes to baking ingredients. Getting those measures right is important for the success of your recipe.
- Easy cleanup:Â No one likes to wash more dishes than they have to. When you use a scale, the only dish you have to dirty is the bowl you’re adding ingredients to. No more washing up every single measuring cup and spoon to make a recipe!
- Converting measurements: Stumble across a recipe that calls for 300 grams of flour? No need to break out the calculator. Just use the metric setting on your scale.
