Did you know a “cup” of flour might weigh anywhere from four to six ounces? That could mean the difference between a perfectly moist banana bread and a dry, floury brick. A kitchen scale is almost always the best way to go for consistent and accurate results. Professional cooks almost universally rely on the accurate weight measurement of kitchen scales, but home cooks are hotly divided. You may not need to ditch your measuring cups entirely, but you should probably add a kitchen scale.
Kitchen scales are handy for countless cooking projects, whether you're weighing out exactly the right amount of salt for home-fermented sauerkraut, flour and yeast for baking bread, or coffee grounds for the perfect espresso. Countertop scales come in various shapes and sizes to accommodate your food prep needs, featuring pull-out designs, and the all-important tare function that lets you weigh ingredients in whatever container you like. To find the best kitchen scales, we used sugar, salt, and flour to test precision, accuracy, and ease of use.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall Kitchen Scale:
Best Value Kitchen Scale:
Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen Scale at Amazon$24
Best Splurge Kitchen Scale:
Best Lightweight Kitchen Scale:
Best Kitchen Scale with Dual Platform:
Best Overall Kitchen Scale
Escali Primo Digital Food Scale
Pros
This scale has accurate measurement and a lightweight but durable design that’s easy to clean.
Cons
The measurement plate is smaller than other scales on our list.
The Escali Primo impressed us with its design, performance, and overall value. We found it lightweight and easy to use, but the construction still felt durable, able to take on full bowls of flour or sugar. During testing, we had no trouble reading the measurements on the screen — the display numbers were neither too big nor too small — and it measures down to two decimal points for extremely accurate measurements. When it came time to clean, the sleek all-plastic design was simple to wipe down: Flour slid right off.
We want to note that this scale’s size could be an issue for some. The plate is smaller than typical and you might have to balance a large bowl or long item to get a measurement. If you make big batches or unusually sized foods often, a bigger scale could be a better choice. But with that said, the small size does make the Escali Primo easy to store.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1.5 inches | Maximum Capacity: 11 pounds
Best Value Kitchen Scale
Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen Scale
Pros
We were impressed with the precision, accuracy, and overall design of this inexpensive scale.
Cons
It's made of rather flimsy plastic.
In testing, we found the Ozeri Pronto to be a great bang for your buck. Despite its price, it ticked almost every box we were looking for. It was the most accurate and precise scale in our salt test, registering just a single gram as we filled the bowl and giving an exactly correct final measurement, twice.
We also appreciate the design; the display is large and easy to read, and the thin silhouette makes it easy to store. The materials are reflective of the price, however. The lightweight plastic can make this scale feel cheap and potentially less durable than other options. It’s a solid scale at a stellar price point.
Dimensions: 8.25 x 6 x 1.75 inches | Maximum Capacity: 11.24 pounds
Best Splurge Kitchen Scale
OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale
Pros
The pull-out display makes this a very user-friendly scale.
Cons
Cleaning is more difficult than with other models.
Beyond the regular features you’d come to expect from a scale, this model has a splurge-worthy slide-out display. You can pull it away from the scale plate to make room for large items without losing sight of the reading. It’s more helpful than you’d think, enabling easier and more precise measurement. We found it easy to operate, too: The buttons are very legible, and the high-contracts display is easy to read.
The trade-off is that the slide-out display creates crevices where food — especially flour — can get stuck. It’s a bit of a pain to wipe out, and you can’t spray it off or run it under water to clean. However, it didn’t deter us too much given its extremely precise performance, especially during the salt test.
Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.13 x 1.25 inches | Maximum Capacity: 11 pounds
Best Lightweight Kitchen Scale
Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale
Pros
This scale is super-light and easy to store, and it performed well in our accuracy and precision tests.
Cons
It can’t get wet, which makes it tough to clean ingredients that get stuck in the grooves around the buttons and screen.
The streamlined design and thin profile make this scale easy to store, but don’t be fooled: We found it extremely sturdy, even when we poured a 4-pound bag of sugar. The non-slip pads on the underside keep this scale in place so it doesn't slide around despite its lightweight construction.
We also loved that the scale's entire surface is a functional weighing plate, giving it more area than other, larger scales. It was highly accurate in our tests, and we loved that it measured to two decimal places for precision. However, the Etekcity scale was challenging to clean since flour got stuck in its many crevices. The manufacturer warns against using any water at all, so it’s a pain to brush out all the bits.
Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches | Maximum Capacity: 11 pounds
Best Kitchen Scale with Dual Platform
Ooni Dual Platform Digital Scale
Pros
A second, high-sensitivity platform for weighing small amounts makes this simple scale more versatile.
Cons
It's bulky and cumbersome to store.
A dual-platform scale is perfect for standard tasks as well as measuring small amounts, like the few grams of yeast, salt, or other seasonings for pizza dough: Ooni does, after all, make our top-tested pizza oven. When weighing out tiny bits of ingredients, measuring spoons just can’t measure up. During testing, we found the smaller of the two scales ultra-precise. It was able to weigh out just 0.2 grams, an unmatched level of sensitivity.
Ultimately, what we loved most about this scale is its user-friendliness — the control panel is easy to use and intuitive without reading the directions. While we like the convenience of two weighing surfaces, they do make the scale bulky and potentially difficult to store. It’s best for someone with extra room in their cabinets.
Dimensions: 12.2 x 7.09 x 1.18 inches | Maximum Capacity: 22 pounds (main platform), 0.4 pounds (small platform)
Our Favorite Kitchen Scale
The Escali Primo Precision Kitchen Food Scale earned our top rating as our favorite kitchen scale for its lightweight but durable design and consistent results. But if you want to save, try the Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen Scale, which offers similar performance at half the price.
How We Tested Kitchen Scales
We chose a total of 14 kitchen scales to compare head-to-head. We made general notes on design, storage, and ease of use while setting them up, then performed specific real-world tests.
- Sugar test: We tared the kitchen scales with a large bowl in place, and then poured in a 4-pound bag of sugar to test their accuracy against a specific known weight.
- Salt test: To test the kitchen scales’ consistency and ability to recognize minimal changes in weight, we weighed out 40 grams of salt, then removed the salt and added it back in a pinch at a time until the smallest possible weight registered on the scale. We then measured the full 40 grams a second time to see if the scales delivered identical results.
- Flour test:To evaluate cleaning, we poured a cup of flour over each kitchen scale, and then cleaned it following the manufacturer’s directions. We noted whether flour got stuck in crevices and buttons, and how delicately we had to treat the machines during cleaning.
After completing our performance tests, we revealed the kitchen scales’ prices to consider value. At the time of testing, the kitchen scales ranged in price from $14 to $100, with an average of $41. We honestly found that price and performance aren’t too closely related: Many inexpensive kitchen scales did just as well in our tests as the pricier ones.
Factors to Consider
Accuracy
The most important factor about any scale is accuracy. If it doesn’t read out the correct weight, it’s useless. As a simple test of accuracy, you can measure some plain water: One cup weighs exactly 8 ounces. If you find you’re getting inaccurate measurements, try replacing the batteries, as low power can lead to inconsistencies. It’s also important not to exceed your scale’s total weight limit; this can damage internal components and throw off the calibration permanently.
Precision
Accuracy and precision aren’t the same thing: An accurate kitchen scale gives the correct weight, while a precise one measures weight down to a small fraction of an ounce or gram. Scales generally read out weight to one or two decimal points; most casual cooks will be fine measuring to within a tenth of an ounce, but some small or very finicky recipes — like spherifications and other molecular gastronomy–style dishes — can benefit from precision measurements down to the hundredth.
Ease of Use
Most modern kitchen scales have a digital display, but bigger numbers and the presence of a backlight can make one model much easier to read than another, especially if you have problems with vision. A tare button and the ability to switch between imperial and metric measurements are also common features that aid in the weighing process. Another helpful battery-saving feature is a motion-sensitive screen that turns off when not in use but turns back on automatically.
Care and Cleaning
While a clean and sanitized kitchen scale is a great tool, it’s tough to maintain. Most digital scales can’t be submerged in water (or even get wet ) and must be carefully wiped down or brushed off to remove spills. Some models have removable parts that can go in the sink, but you should never run water over the part of the scale with batteries.
For the easiest cleaning, take a tip from the pros and put a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on the base. Not only will this help keep the surface clean, but it also helps you transfer ingredients from the kitchen scale to the bowl or pan without spilling. When storing a kitchen scale in a cabinet, it’s a good idea to turn it sideways. You don’t want to stack items above the weighing plate, as this can lead to inaccurate readings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should you use a kitchen scale?
A kitchen scale is the only way to ensure precise measurement of ingredients. Even if you use the same measuring cup each time, solid ingredients can fluctuate in volume based on the humidity in the air and how tightly you pack them into the cup. Measuring by weight with a scale ensures that you’re getting the same amount every time. This level of precision is especially important in baking, where small differences in the weight of flour, sugar, salt, yeast, or butter can make a big difference. A scale is necessary for recipes like sourdough bread, pie crust, or croissants.
What units of measure does a kitchen scale have?
Most kitchen scales can display weight in grams or ounces, and others have additional options like pounds, kilograms, milliliters, and fluid ounces. It’s easiest to simply set the units to whatever your recipe uses rather than worry about doing the math for a conversion. Keep in mind that milliliters and fluid ounces are units meant to measure liquids; you should only use them with water or ingredients that are mostly water.
How do you calibrate a kitchen scale?
If your scale has a calibration option, you can and should use it fairly frequently to ensure accurate readings. "I'll weigh my ingredients on each of my scales (I have multiple) to see if one is off. If I only had one scale I would use something that I knew the exact weight of like a pound of butter," says Erin Kanagy-Loux, a pastry arts instructor at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Always measure for calibration on a flat, level surface, and check the owner’s manual for instructions on how to put your scale in calibration mode to adjust things.
What do you use a kitchen scale for?
You can use a kitchen scale for any project that needs precise measurements or proportions, from baking to pickling. Scales come in handy when you don’t want to wash a bunch of measuring cups and spoons; simply measure each item right in the bowl, pressing tare in between. You're also not limited to food. "I use my scale for everything from recipes to measuring out liquid plant fertilizer and natural clothing dye," says Kanagy-Loux.
Other Kitchen Scales We Tested
Strong Contenders
Escali Digital Food Scale ($60 at Amazon)
This scale didn’t make the cut because it can be difficult to store: Nothing can be placed on top of it at all. We were also less than impressed with its performance in our sensitivity test, especially given its high price.
KitchenAid Glass 11-lb. Digital Top Kitchen Scale ($27 at Amazon)
While we found the dial easy to turn and the screeneasy to read if you are looking directly down onto the scale, the dial makes it hard to read if you are looking at it from any other angle.
KitchenAid Dual Platform Scale ($34 at Amazon)
After our tests, we realized that the design of this scale made it challenging to clean with flour getting stuck under the buttons, which could ruin the scale over time.
Zwilling Enfinigy Wireless Charging Kitchen Scale ($100 at Zwilling)
For the high price tag, we just weren’t impressed with the lack of precision from this scale.
What Didn't Make the List
In addition to our top picks and strong contenders, we tested five other scales that didn’t measure up, including other OXO, Etekcity, andZwilling models, and two scales from Taylor. These five scales failed in design and function. We had issues with the readability of the screens and with the measurement surfaces, major design flaws that we just couldn’t look past. Additionally, the most important feature of a scale is accurate measurement, and three of these fell short in our precision and accuracy tests. With other scales excelling in these metrics, we couldn’t justify recommending these models.
Our Expertise
- Alissa Fitzgerald is a chef, recipe developer, and food writer with over 15 years of experience in the food industry. A graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, she’s worked as a chef in San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Croatia. She’s written and developed recipes for Real Simple, VinePair, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, The Kitchn, and more.
- Nick DeSimone, a food writer and former restaurant cook with nearly a decade of professional cooking experience, updated this piece. During their time in the industry, Nick has used many food scales in restaurant environments where quality, consistency, and durability are put to the test. For this piece, Nick used quantitative data insights from Food & Wine’s team of testers.