A fully equipped kitchen is a cook’s dream and a reliable kitchen scale is absolutely unnegotiable, however a skilled cook will always have that hunch/intuition that guides him/her when applying recipes in the kitchen, he or she knows when to add a pinch of this or a dash of that. However, there are times when the precision of kitchen scales can proof vital. No matter how skillful or experienced you are as a chef, the cup of rice you measure today will surely be different from the cup of rice you will attempt to measure tomorrow. Reason being that many dry grains such as corn, rice, sugar can be compressed easily or aerated depending on the handling of the measurer, how the grains have been stored etc.
A kitchen scale isn’t just for aesthetic purposes, it is a prerequisite for any serious cook, especially for determining ratios or servings. As a matter of fact, every cookbook that teaches baking cuisines emphasizes the importance of striking a perfect balance between acids and bases in order to manipulate that wet glob of batter and transform it into a cute, fluffy glorious dessert.
Let’s check out some kinds of kitchen scales available
Balance kitchen scale:
The balance kitchen scale essentially functions by performing comparisons between select masses and the object to be weighed, so technically, a balance kitchen scale determines mass and not weight.
Mechanical kitchen scale:
This kind of kitchen scales use a little slab attached to a heavy spring to measure weight relying on the mechanics of an ideal spring which compresses proportionately to the force being applied on it. This means that there is a relationship between the total weight placed on the slab and how much it much it moved downwards. A major drawback when it comes to mechanical kitchen scales is the amount of difficulty one is faced with when measuring small quantities. Small quantities are harder to measure than large quantities.
Digital kitchen scale:
Digital kitchen scales are usually more expensive than other options as they work with a more modernized technology. Digital kitchen scales provide easy to read measurements with pinpoint precision. They work solely on the framework of an electrical component called a strain gauge. There is always are computer chip embedded in the scale that comes preloaded from the factory with a table of values, allowing it to calculate the weight of load by the change in resistance.
Vintage designed kitchen scales also still get a chunk of consideration even in modern times. Many chefs opt for vintage old school, but yet stylish kitchen scales just for aesthetic purposes. Also, the nature of food to be measured goes a long way in determining the ideal kind of kitchen scale to be used.
Measuring dry/wet food
There are special measuring spoons and measuring cups available for all kinds of food items and ingredients. Mechanical kitchen scales a better option for measuring wet food like raw meat, blended veggies, etc. provided they are not too small. On the other hand, digital kitchen scales would be perfect for measuring dry food or food ingredients. So if you are looking to measure a cup of baking flour or sugar, using a digital scale will be a perfect option. Also since its dry stuff being measured, you don’t risk breaking your electronic kitchen scaling device.