Food Scale?

Shanel0916

What is the best most accurate food scale? Also how do you properly weigh food and should you way everything, even things that you normally measure with a measuring cup?

thanks for responses.

Shanel0916

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haroon_awan

If you have measuring cups, then there isn't any need to weigh it as a lot of the foods in the database are measured by cups. But if the database doesn't have the cup measurement, then yes, weigh it.

Anything by Salter is a good scale, quite frankly just get a decent one that will last a few years. They're pretty cheap. There is no such thing as the most accurate.

Tina0488

Any food scale will work. I use a cheap one from walmart. And only things that are measured in weight need the scale. Something's will be measured by a cup

pholbert

I got one at walmart by Biggest Loser. It shows oz or grams. I like it cause I can use a plate on it and weigh multiple items. You just zero it out for the next item.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I have a cheap digital scale, and it's accurate within 2 grams. That's close enough for most purposes. It's by "starfrit". I've been using it for a year now, and I love it.

I don't think the brand matters that much... but digital is a lot easier to use with accuracy than a manual one.

I weigh everything I can that isn't a liquid. It's more accurate.

benflando

I suggest buying one at your local organic store

majope

I like my Sharper Image digital scale. Got it at Tuesday Morning for $15. It's great for random-weight things like meat.

I have found that when I weigh things that I used to measure in cups, it's very close. As long as you aren't fudging cup size by heaping things or packing them down, you should be okay with measuring cups for those items.

joanneg572

I LOVE my STARFRIT digital scale!!!

cassandraallegre

If you have measuring cups, then there isn't any need to weigh it as a lot of the foods in the database are measured by cups.

Weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring cups, simply for obvious volume reasons... weight is weight no matter what, but if you have bigger strawberries (for example) there will be more extra space that isn't filled in the measuring cup.

neonemesis

got the starfrit too it was 14.99 i weight most everything. some things might come up higher that the serving size in grams especially my bran cereal near the end of the box because the flakes are all busted up and more fits into the cup.

taiyola

If you have measuring cups, then there isn't any need to weigh it as a lot of the foods in the database are measured by cups.

Weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring cups, simply for obvious volume reasons... weight is weight no matter what, but if you have bigger strawberries (for example) there will be more extra space that isn't filled in the measuring cup.

This. I got one from Argos for like £15. It turns out that what I thought was 100g chips is actually about 250g!

haroon_awan

If you have measuring cups, then there isn't any need to weigh it as a lot of the foods in the database are measured by cups.

Weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring cups, simply for obvious volume reasons... weight is weight no matter what, but if you have bigger strawberries (for example) there will be more extra space that isn't filled in the measuring cup.

Very true actually.

My thinking has been a little "can't be bothered" recently as I am trying to put on weight so 20g here or there isn't my main concern.

But for those who are serious about fat loss, yes, weighing is more accurate and effective than most cup measurements.

CarmenSandiegoInVA

You should always weigh your food even if you do have measuring cups because you can pack more in the measuring cup than an actual portion. Weigh preferably in grams not in ounces it's the most accurate.

Theresafinallygetsitright

If you have measuring cups, then there isn't any need to weigh it as a lot of the foods in the database are measured by cups.

Weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring cups, simply for obvious volume reasons... weight is weight no matter what, but if you have bigger strawberries (for example) there will be more extra space that isn't filled in the measuring cup.

AGREED ^^. As a side note to that, you can reduce your need to wash (saving water, etc) by using the scale to measure salad dressing on a salad, for example, by taring or zeroing the scale with food on it and monitoring additional weight contributed by food you are wishing to measure.
I have used a food scale for over a year and continue to use it for things I am not sure of but will go based on my experience if I have a pretty good idea already . Mine is a salter.

DavidC1857

I weight just about everything except liquids and powders (like flour, for example).

I got one of these recently.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVHHJC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I like it for a number of reasons. For one, the display points forward, so if you are using a really large plate or bowl, you can still read it. It weights in pounds/oz, oz to .05 accuracy, or grams. And you can change by just pushing a button, so you can put something in a bowl in oz, then switch it to grams and add so much of something else, etc. You can set it so that it does NOT turn itself off after a minute. I hated it when I'd be in the middle of making something and my scale would shut off. It runs on batteries so you have to remember to turn it off, but you can use any universal power adapter on it.

It's not the cheapest and I doubt it's the best but it so far I've been very satisfied.

2012ALM

I just use a cheap one from Wal-Mart and it serves me well. I do suggest though that you make sure the display you are reading tilts down towards you. I had gotten this specialty scale that calculates calories, fat, etc. for everything by typing codes in before you weigh it for when I manually used a food diary to write it all down, which is a nice feature, but the display is flush and flat with the scale and hard to read.

ron2e

There was a post the other day where someone posted a link to a youtube video showing the differences between measuring in cups, etc, and weighing, and after a long search I found it in my history, it's this one -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

A lesson for everyone who weighs in cups.

Arkani7

I weigh EVERYTHING.
This is why I bought a digital scale. It is much more accurate and helpful. Especially for foods that you use in small amounts, for example flax seeds, ground hazelnuts, etc.

I'm also convinced that weighing and measuring even the little things gives you a better sense for quantities. Before I started measuring the milk in my coffee, I always estimated that I pour around 30 ml in my coffee... Well, I found out that the amount I used to add was around 120ml. Such things add up over the week.

Mexicanbigfoot

I got a really nice digital food scale at Kohl's that weights ounces or grams and it has the function to zero out or "tare" the weight of a container before you weigh the food. So far, it's been great and really accurate. It will weight up to 5 pounds or 2.3 kg I believe. It was around $20 full price. The display is large and easy to read. Good luck!