Introduction

A kitchen scale is a modern tool used to measure the weight of food and ingredients in the kitchen. It benefits people who love cooking, baking, or following a healthy diet. You can measure ingredients more accurately with a kitchen scale than with cups or spoons. This helps you create perfect recipes every time and avoid wasting food.

Today’s kitchen scales are smarter and more stylish than ever. Most digital kitchen scales come with features like a tare function, which lets you subtract the weight of bowls or containers. Some models even connect to apps on your phone to track calories and nutrition, making them great for fitness and weight management.

Modern kitchen scales are compact, lightweight, and made with easy-to-clean materials like stainless steel or tempered glass. However, they usually have a digital screen that shows weight in different units, such as grams, ounces, or pounds.

Whether you’re a professional chef or a home cook, a kitchen scale is a must-have tool. It makes cooking more precise and enjoyable. With the rise of healthy eating and meal prepping, the demand for kitchen scales is growing fast. It’s a simple yet powerful gadget that brings accuracy and confidence into your kitchen.

Types of Kitchen Scale

Digital Kitchen Scale

Digital kitchen scales are the most common and modern type used in households today. They use electronic sensors to give highly accurate weight measurements and display the results on a digital screen. These scales usually offer features like tare function, unit conversion (grams, ounces, pounds), and auto-off. They are ideal for precise cooking, baking, and portion control.

Mechanical (Analog) Kitchen Scale

Mechanical kitchen scales, analog or spring scales, use a spring system to measure weight. The reading appears on a dial or rotating scale instead of a digital screen. While they don’t require batteries, they are less accurate than digital models and may lose precision over time. These are best for casual cooking when perfect accuracy is not necessary.

Smart Kitchen Scale

Smart kitchen scales connect to smartphones or tablets via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. They work with apps to track nutritional information, calories, portion sizes, and even help with meal planning. This type is perfect for fitness enthusiasts, people on specific diets, or anyone interested in health-focused cooking.

Balance Kitchen Scale

Balance scales are the oldest type of weighing tool. They use two plates, one for the item and one for weights. You add standard weights until both sides are balanced. While they are rarely used in modern kitchens, they are still seen in educational settings or as antique pieces.

Hanging Kitchen Scale

A hanging kitchen scale has a hook to hang the item and a dial above to show the weight. These are more commonly used in markets or for weighing items like meat or fish. They are not very practical for everyday kitchen tasks, but can be helpful for heavy or bulky foods.

Pocket Kitchen Scale

Pocket scales are small, portable, and battery-operated. Though limited in capacity, they are perfect for measuring small amounts of spices, herbs, coffee, or supplements. They are also used in labs or by people who need to weigh small items accurately.

Bowl Kitchen Scale

Bowl scales come with a detachable bowl on top for holding ingredients. This makes it easier to weigh liquids, powders, or multiple items simultaneously. Many digital models offer this design with a tare function, allowing you to measure each item separately in the same bowl.

Platform Kitchen Scale

Platform scales feature a flat, open surface without a bowl or container. They help weigh items of different shapes and sizes. Most digital kitchen scales fall under this category and are known for their versatility and sleek design.

Waterproof Kitchen Scale

Waterproof kitchen scales are ideal for busy kitchens where spills occur daily. These scales can handle water splashes and are easy to clean under running water. Moreover, they are made with sealed electronic parts and are perfect for home cooks and professional chefs.

Nutritional Kitchen Scale

A nutritional kitchen scale goes beyond measuring weight. It includes built-in data on food items, displaying information like calories, fats, proteins, and carbs. These are especially useful for managing diabetes, weight loss, or special diets. Some even allow you to input custom food data for tracking.

Buying Guide for Kitchen Scale

Accuracy and Precision

Accuracy is the most essential feature in a kitchen scale. Whether baking delicate pastries or portioning ingredients for a diet plan, precise measurement is key. Look for a scale measuring small increments, such as 1 gram or 0.1 ounce. This level of precision ensures your recipes turn out consistently and your portion sizes are exact. Poor accuracy can lead to disappointing results, especially in baking, where even a slight variation in flour or sugar can affect texture and taste.

Multiple Measurement Units

A versatile kitchen scale should offer different measurement units like grams (g), ounces (oz), pounds (lb), and milliliters (ml). This makes it easier to follow international recipes without manually converting measurements. Some advanced models even offer fluid ounce measurements for liquids, which is handy for soups, oils, or milk. Switching between units should be quick and easy, usually with the push of a button.

Tare Function

The tare function is a must-have. It allows you to place a bowl or container on the scale and reset the display to zero, so only the contents are measured. This is extremely helpful when adding multiple ingredients into one bowl. You don’t have to remove and weigh each item separately, saving time and reducing the number of dishes to wash.

Wight Capacity

Most kitchen scales are designed for home use and can weigh up to 5 kilograms (11 pounds). This is sufficient for most cooking and baking tasks. However, if you frequently prepare large batches or bulk recipes, you might consider a scale with a higher weight limit. Ensure the scale remains accurate even at higher capacities—some cheaper models lose accuracy as the weight increases.

Display Readability

A good digital kitchen scale should have a clear, backlit LCD. The numbers should be large enough to read easily, even in dim lighting. Some scales place the display in a recessed or awkward position where it gets covered by large bowls—look for a design where the screen remains visible at all times. A responsive, easy-to-read display improves your overall cooking experience.

Platform Design and Material

The platform is where you place your food or container, so it should be wide and stable. A larger platform accommodates bigger bowls and plates without tipping. Moreover, materials like stainless steel or tempered glass are preferred because they are durable, stain-resistant, and easy to clean. Avoid plastic surfaces if you're looking for longevity and easy maintenance.

Power Source Options

Most digital kitchen scales are battery-powered, but many newer models offer USB charging. Rechargeable scales are convenient, eco-friendly, and save you from constantly buying batteries. If you go with a battery-operated model, choose one that uses standard AAA or AA batteries, which are easy to replace. Always check the expected battery life and how frequently the scale needs recharging.

Auto-Off Function

The auto-off feature helps conserve battery life by turning off the scale after a few minutes of inactivity. This is especially useful if you forget to switch it off after use. However, in some cases, auto-off can be inconvenient, like when you're multitasking or pausing between steps. Choose a model where the auto-off timing suits your cooking pace or allows manual override.

Smart Features and App Connectivity

Smart kitchen scales are becoming more popular, especially among health-conscious users. Some models connect to smartphone apps via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and help you track calories, nutrition, and meal portions. These features are ideal for dieting, meal prepping, or managing conditions like diabetes.

Price and Warranty

Kitchen-scale prices vary widely based on features, materials, and brand. A basic model can cost as little as $10, while high-end smart scales may go over $50. Choose a product that fits your budget but also offers your desired features. Don’t forget to check the warranty and return policy—it shows product quality and manufacturer confidence. A one-year warranty is standard, but more extended coverage is a bonus.

9 Best Kitchen Scales

A kitchen scale provides precise weight measurements for accurate cooking, baking, and portion control. Key features include a digital display, tare function, unit conversion, and a sleek, compact design.

It enhances recipe consistency, minimizes ingredient waste, and supports dietary management. Moreover, ideal for home and professional kitchens, a kitchen scale ensures efficiency and precision in food preparation.

Amazon Basics Digital Scale

Clear LCD Display

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Features and Benefits

Stainless Steel Platform

The Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale features a sleek stainless steel platform that is durable and simple to clean. Its food-safe and BPA-free plastic components ensure that your food remains uncontaminated.

Clear LCD Display

Equipped with a wide, backlit LCD screen, this scale provides easy-to-read measurements in various units, including pounds, ounces, grams, fluid ounces, and milliliters. The backlight ensures visibility in low-light conditions.

High Capacity and Precision

This scale can handle up to 11 pounds, making it suitable for various kitchen tasks. Its precision extends to a minimum measurement of just 2 grams, perfect for baking and portioning ingredients.

Convenient Tare Function

The tare button allows you to subtract the weight of containers, so you only measure the ingredients themselves. This feature is handy for recipes that require precise ingredient measurements.

Battery Included

The scale includes two AAA batteries, ensuring immediate usability upon arrival. The scale features an automatic shut-off function to conserve battery life, providing several months of use on a single set of batteries.

pros

This scale offers excellent value for its price while balancing affordability with essential features, making it a cost-effective choice for home cooks.
Its straightforward design and clear display make the scale easy to use, making it accessible for novice and experienced chefs.
Measuring 8.3 x 7 x 1.3 inches, the scale is compact enough to fit on any countertop without occupying excessive space.
It can measure dry and liquid ingredients while catering to various recipes and cooking needs.
With a high rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from nearly 93,000 reviews, the scale has garnered widespread approval for its performance and reliability.

cons

Although suitable for most kitchen tasks, the 11-pound capacity might be limiting for those needing to weigh larger items or quantities.
The scale’s platform is easy to clean but should not be submerged in water. This requires extra care during cleaning to avoid damaging the scale.
While the scale covers essential functions, it lacks advanced features in higher-end models, such as connectivity or additional measurement modes.

Etekcity EK6015 Digital Scale

Backlit LCD Display

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Features and Benefits

Precision Measurement

The Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale offers precision down to 1 gram, ensuring accurate measurements for all your cooking, baking, and meal-prepping needs. This level of precision is beneficial for those following strict diets like keto, where every gram counts.

Versatile Unit Conversion

This kitchen scale supports multiple units of measurement—grams, ounces, pounds, and milliliters. Whether measuring flour for baking or portioning ingredients for meal prep, this feature provides flexibility and ease of use.

304 Stainless Steel Surface

The scale's surface is made from food-grade 304 stainless steel, making it durable and easy to clean. Moreover, this material is resistant to rust and corrosion and adds a sleek, modern look to your kitchen.

Backlit LCD Display

The clear, backlit LCD ensures that measurements are easily read, even in dimly lit kitchens. This feature eliminates the frustration of squinting at tiny numbers, smoothing the cooking process.

Compact and Lightweight Design

Measuring just 0.6 inches in thickness, the scale is compact enough to store easily in a drawer or cabinet. Its lightweight design makes it convenient for on-the-go use, whether traveling or needing to bring it to a friend's house for a cooking session.

pros

With 1-gram precision, the Etekcity scale delivers reliable and consistent measurements, which is ideal for amateur and professional chefs.
The simple interface, combined with the backlit LCD display, makes it easy for users of all ages to operate the scale.
The 304 stainless steel surface is aesthetically pleasing and built to last, ensuring longevity and continued performance.
The scale is perfect for various tasks, including baking, cooking, meal prepping, and even DIY crafts. It’s a versatile tool that adapts to your needs.
Despite its high-quality features, the Etekcity scale is priced competitively while offering great value for the money compared to similar products on the market.

cons

The scale's maximum capacity is 11 lbs (5 kg), which may not be sufficient for users needing to weigh larger items or bulk ingredients.
The scale is powered by AAA batteries, which must be replaced periodically, adding to the long-term cost.
While it excels in basic functions, the scale lacks advanced features like Bluetooth connectivity or app integration, which some users may prefer for a more tech-savvy experience.

Amiloe Digital Scale with Measure Length

Multi-Unit Measurement Options

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Features and Benefits

Impressive Capacity and Precision

The MAX 33lb Kitchen Scale boasts a remarkable 33lb (15kg) weight capacity, allowing users to measure various ingredients, from large portions of meat to delicate baking ingredients. With a precision of 0.1oz or 1g, it ensures accuracy for both heavy and light items.

Multi-Unit Measurement Options

This scale offers six units: grams, ounces, kilograms, pounds, milliliters, and volume modes for milk and water. This versatility allows easy switching between baking, cooking, and portioning units.

Built-in 8-Inch Ruler

The integrated 8-inch ruler adds another convenience layer, especially for measuring items like pizza dough or pastry sheets. No need to search for an additional measuring tool — it's all in one!

Compact and User-Friendly Design

Despite its high capacity and multi-functional features, the MAX 33lb scale remains compact (9.1 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches), saving counter space. Moreover, its user-friendly LCD and easy-to-use tare function make it a practical addition to any kitchen.

Waterproof and Durable

The waterproof tempered glass surface is spill-resistant, ensuring it remains clean and functional despite kitchen mishaps. Its stainless steel design also resists fingerprints, maintaining a sleek, modern look.

pros

The scale’s precision of 0.1oz or 1g allows for exact measurements, perfect for baking or cooking recipes requiring meticulous attention to detail.
With six units of measurement and a built-in ruler, this scale serves multiple kitchen needs, from weighing ingredients to measuring the length of food items.
Its compact size and the hidden shrink hook for hanging make it easy to store. It’s ideal for kitchens where space is limited.
The waterproof surface and anti-fingerprint stainless steel make cleaning a breeze. Simply wipe it down after use, and it’s as good as new.
The waterproof design and tempered glass combination ensure this scale is built to last, making it a reliable kitchen companion.

cons

While 33lb is plenty for most kitchen tasks, those requiring heavier-duty scales (such as commercial kitchens) might find the capacity limiting.
While the scale is user-friendly, it operates on batteries, meaning you may need to keep spares on hand to avoid downtime in the kitchen.
The 8-inch ruler might not be sufficient for measuring larger items, which could be inconvenient for some tasks.

Etekcity ESN00 Nutritional Smart Scale

Smart Nutrition App Integration

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Features and Benefits

Smart Nutrition App Integration

The Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale connects seamlessly with the free VeSync app, allowing you to track up to 19 nutrients. It provides detailed reports on your daily, weekly, and monthly nutritional intake, and integrates with Apple Health and Fitbit for a comprehensive health overview.

Extensive Food Database

Partnered with Nutritionix, this scale gives you access to a massive database of about 1 million food items. This ensures precise nutritional information and customization options for managing specific diets, such as keto or macro tracking.

High-Quality Stainless Steel

Featuring a food-grade 304 stainless steel platform, the scale is durable and easy to clean. This makes it a long-lasting and low-maintenance addition to your kitchen.

Versatile Measuring Units

The scale supports multiple units, including ounces, pounds, grams, and milliliters. It also has a tare function to zero out container weights, ensuring accurate measurements every time.

Precision Weighing

Equipped with four high-precision sensors, the scale can measure from 3 grams to 5000 grams with an accuracy of 1 gram. However, this makes it ideal for small and large quantities, perfect for cooking and portion control.

pros

Connecting to the VeSync app lets you track your nutritional intake and get detailed reports, which is ideal for anyone focused on health and fitness.
The access to around 1 million food items means you'll have accurate nutritional data for a wide variety of foods, making diet management more convenient.
The stainless steel surface is robust and straightforward, ensuring hygiene and longevity.
With dimensions of 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches, this scale is slim and easily storable, making it a space-saving option for any kitchen.
The scale’s four sensors offer accurate measurements while catering to small ingredient quantities and larger portions, which is excellent for detailed cooking and baking.

cons

The barcode scanner feature is only available in the US, so users in other regions must manually enter food information.
While the scale can be used for independent basic weighing tasks, accessing its full nutritional tracking and reporting capabilities requires the VeSync app.
The scale’s unit options might not cover every measurement preference, which could be limiting for some users who need specific units that are not included.

Mik-Nana Digital Waterproof Scale

Tare Function for Accurate Weighing

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Features and Benefits

High Precision and Capacity

The Mik-Nana Food Scale has a 10kg (22lb) capacity with an impressive 1g (0.1oz) resolution. This makes it perfect for a wide range of tasks, from weighing ingredients in the kitchen to tracking small packages for mailing. With a ±1g (0.1oz) inaccuracy, it delivers exact measurements for all your needs.

Versatile Measurement Units

This digital scale offers six different units of measurement: grams (g), kilograms (kg), ounces (oz), pounds (lb), milliliters (ml), and liters. This versatility ensures you can use it for everything from cooking and baking to measuring liquid volumes and postal packages.

Tare Function for Accurate Weighing

The Mik-Nana scale includes a Tare function, allowing you to reset the scale to zero after placing a container or bowl on it. This ensures you're only measuring the contents without the extra weight of the container, providing even more accurate results.

Compact and Portable Design

The scale features a sleek, slim design with 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.6-inch dimensions. Its lightweight and compact form makes it easy to store or carry around, ideal for any kitchen, even those with limited space.

Easy-to-Clean Stainless Steel Platform

The Mik-Nana scale is built with a durable 304 food-grade stainless-steel platform, making it incredibly easy to clean. A quick wipe down after use ensures the scale stays hygienic, even after measuring sticky substances like honey or syrup.

pros

The backlit LCD screen makes it easy to read measurements, even in low-light conditions. Its clear digits are significant enough to see at a glance, while the auto-shutoff feature after 3 minutes helps conserve battery life.
Its compact size allows it to fit comfortably into smaller kitchens or cabinets, making it an excellent option for people who need to maximize counter space.
The scale is perfect for cooking, baking, and measuring portions for meal prep, coffee beans, or even postal packages, offering great flexibility in various scenarios.
With its simple interface, including a one-button tare function and easy unit-switching, the Mik-Nana scale is incredibly user-friendly for anyone, whether an experienced chef or a beginner.
The sturdy, stainless-steel platform is resistant to wear and tear while ensuring long-term use and easy maintenance, even with frequent daily use.

cons

While the scale features an auto-off function, regular use may drain the batteries quicker than expected. It may require frequent battery replacement.
Unlike some modern scales, this model does not have Bluetooth or smart connectivity, which could be a downside for those who prefer syncing data to an app.
While the stainless-steel surface is easy to clean, the scale is not waterproof. It’s essential to avoid submerging it in water for maintenance.

Ultrean UL-KS01 Digital Scale

Tare Function

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Features and Benefits

High Precision Measurements

The Ultrean Food Scale has advanced, high-precision sensors, ensuring accurate measurements for all your cooking, baking, and meal prep needs. Whether weighing flour or measuring milk, this scale offers consistency every time.