Before becoming a physician, I was a lab rat researcher, and one of the tasks I performed on a daily basis was weighing out small amounts of powders to create various reagents. To do this, I used several different scales. Most were electronic, but one was a balance beam system so sensitive that the scale was enclosed in its own plexiglass chamber, as the random movement of air could impact its accuracy. These lab-grade scales cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, so how is it possible to buy a kitchen scale with a one-gram sensitivity for around ten bucks?

Should a cook or baker even bother to use a scale? My grandmother was a fantastic cook, and I don’t think she even owned a measuring cup. Fanny Farmer introduced the concept of correct measuring of ingredients at the turn of the last century, but before then, chefs created great dishes.

The bottom line is that you don’t need to bother with any type of measuring device if you possess one thing: tons of experience. If you have been cooking the same recipes all of your life, you know how much basil to add or how much sugar to spoon in. My mom never used a cookbook for our daily meals, and her dishes were fabulous. However, she did use a recipe with measurements when she made less frequent foods, such as holiday kolacky. She knew her limitations. I follow my mother’s advice: if I’m not wholly certain, I hit the books and follow a plan.

If you have read some of my recent posts, you know that I’m once again enamored with baking bread in a bread maker, and I’m trying to perfect my craft. For a novice like myself, each step presents a challenge as I attempt to achieve consistent results.

In the US, we still use the very archaic imperial system of pounds and ounces. The rest of the world has long moved to the significantly superior metric system. A US recipe will say, “Add 1 cup of flour,” where a European cookbook will note, “Add 120 grams of flour.” Measurement by weight is not only more accurate, but it is also easier. Recently, I was following a recipe that required 1/4 cup of honey. I hate measuring honey as it is a pain to use due to its thick viscosity. However, instead of dirtying a measuring cup, I put my dish on a kitchen scale, tared the scale to zero, and squeezed the honey bottle until the screen read 85 grams. That was easy!

However, my measurements are only as good as my scale. Could I trust it? The main scale I have used for nearly 20 years is a 2.3 kg (5-pound) scale from Oxo, which I purchased from the now-defunct Kmart. However, I have a couple of other scales around the house that I either received for free or purchased on Amazon Prime Days. You may be asking why I have more than one scale. In the past, I would come up with a logical reason, but as a retired guy, I have the privilege of not having to justify my purchases. I have them, because I have them. Let’s leave it at that.

Is your kitchen scale accurate enough for baking? I suggest that everyone follow my example. Simply use your calibrated weight sets to verify the accuracy of your kitchen scales and adjust accordingly. What, you don’t have a set of calibrated weights? You think it is a bit odd that I do? Well, you are probably right. Let’s utilize my oddness to your benefit and verify the accuracy of the Oxo scale. I did this test with my other scale, and they all showed various inaccuracies (each a bit different). However, their errors were similar enough for me to offer the same bottom-line advice. When do inaccuracies matter? Let’s look at some photos to find out.

Here I’m using a one-gram weight, and my scale reads it as zero.

However, the scale is able to read 2 grams accurately.

How about adding that 1 gram back? Will the scale be able to read it? Nope!

Here I’m weighing 100 grams, and the scale is spot on.

Now, I add 1 gram and the scale gets it right. However, sometimes it was able to read the additional 1 gram, and at other times it couldn’t.

This illustrates the above. On this attempt, starting with 50 grams, the scale could not recognize the additional 1-gram weight.

Here, it was accurate when I added two more grams for a total of 53 grams.

Let’s move on to a 500-gram standard weight. The scale is only showing 498 grams. That is an error, but it is only a 0.4% error. That’s not very significant for our baking purposes.

Here, the measurement should be 901 grams, but the scale says 898 grams. That is a 0.3% error. Not a big deal.

Additionally, the kitchen scales I have tested all exhibit a slight lag when measuring. If I’m adding something and reaching my desired weight, I have to sprinkle and pause as it takes a fraction of a second for the scale to catch up.

The Bottom Line

The kitchen scales that I tested were accurate enough when weighing larger quantities. An error of less than 1% is insignificant when cooking or baking.

However, they all seemed to struggle with very small weights. Out of the three scales I tested, only one could register the 1-gram weight, but all three were accurate when using a 2-gram weight. However, when I added an additional gram to the 2-grams, it was a bit hit or miss. Additionally, the slight lag in registering made it very easy to overshoot a small amount, even when the scale was weighing accurately.

Some of the most critical measurements in bread making are for ingredients like salt and yeast, which are measured in the smallest amounts. So, what do I recommend?

When measuring anything over 10 grams, your kitchen scale will likely do an adequate job. If possible, measure your flour, water, butter, and sweeteners by weight. You will have better results and less cleanup. When it comes to items that are often under 10 grams, like yeast, I recommend using an accurate measuring spoon. All bread makers come with a measuring spoon that is ideal for this purpose.

Happy baking!

Mike