Kitchen scale recommendation?

[R.D. Harles]

I'm interested in buying a scale to measure
meat before and after cooking (for curiosity reasons) and to divide leftovers up for freezing.
Anybody have any advise on a good scale to purchase?
What do you have at home?
Thanks.

 

[Tony Weisse]

We've got an "American Family" brand scale that measures up to five pounds in 1/4 oz. increments. Got it when I started brewing beer and it's a proven winner. I use it for measuring leftovers for the freezer, making burgers, and lots more.

The 5-lb limit might be a problem with larger cuts of meat. There's a trade-off between weighing big stuff v. accuracy on the low end of the spectrum. If you want something that can handle that 22-lb. turkey and 5-oz. of ground chuck, you're probably looking at two different pieces of euipment.

 

[Kevin Taylor]

Hi RD!

I have an inexpensive analog scale that I use to measure my jerky stuff. You will find, you need to identify the weight range you will be looking for. Mine goes up to 6 1/2lb. That allows me to measure in small sizes....ounces and up to the 6 1/2 lbs.

This obviously will not work for large roasts....pork butts, etc. You will need a bigger size for that. The problem is, if you get the bigger size, the small measurments(ozs.) will not be accurate.

Not sure about the digital ones..too expensive for me to simply figure out the difference between pre-cooked and cooked meat.

Look for one that has an ADJUSTABLE knob so you can be somewhat accurate.

The brand name on mine is Thinner.

 

[Chris Allingham]

America's Test Kitchen did a review of digital scales. Specific models aren't mentioned, but brands and features to look for are.

Regards,
Chris

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When it comes to digital scales, size and readability are key.
When we first tested kitchen scales seven years ago, testers preferred electronic models with digital readouts. The natural question this time was, which electronic scale is best? We looked for several features: readability, large weighing platform, large capacity, metric conversion, and a tare feature, which allows you to set the scale back to zero with a container on the platform, giving you a reading of the food alone.

For its sleek and thoughtful design, good accuracy, and superior readability, the handsome but expensive Soehnle Cyber was the star of this show. Understandably, though, many cooks may be reluctant to drop $125 on a scale. In that case, both the Salter and the Cuisinart offer optimal readability and 11-pound capacities for $70 or less.

 

[Doug D]

I have the Salter 1001, and find its 11 lb. capacity and lb/kg toggle work well for the majority of my needs.