Food Scale
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arogers0541
Posts: 98 Member
So I am thinking about asking for a food scale and measuring cups to help with my process (for Christmas 
). I want to improve my logging and make sure 100% that I am getting exactly what I should be eating. Does anyone have any recommendations on what they use/like?
Thanks in advance.
). I want to improve my logging and make sure 100% that I am getting exactly what I should be eating. Does anyone have any recommendations on what they use/like?Thanks in advance.
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Replies
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Honestly I just use a cheap $15 electric scale I got from walmart and measuring spoons I got from world market (just cuz they're pretty), but I'm just looking to make sure I'm vicinity of mass/weight. I'm not sure what the accuracy is on the scale though, so if you want a really accurate scale it might be more expensive (and maybe not worth it depending on the difference, a few calories under/over doesn't bother me since my current process works). Just make sure if you're using measuring cups to either use a straight edge to get rid of excess or weigh the food and see what the difference is.0
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Ignore the measuring cups, except for one that does liquids. As long as it's a digital scale that allows you to weigh in grams and ounces and includes a tare button, it should be good.0
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I use this scale and love it. It is accurate and easy to use and clean - http://goo.gl/1kr6sB
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I put the OXO 11 pound scale on my Christmas wish list last year after reading that it was America's Test Kitchen's top pick for digital food scales. I love it!
The OXO 5 pound scale is $25 less. In addition to food, I am also weighing casserole dishes, so I am glad for the extra 6 pounds, but not everyone will need it.
http://www.cookscountry.com/equipment_reviews/695-digital-scales
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Don't forget measuring spoons - they come in handy for oils and condiments (mustard, olive oil, salad dressing, etc).
I have a Taylor brand scale that I got from Wal-mart on whim ( only place open when the urge to buy it struck). It does lbs, kg, g, oz and has a tare function. It was around $20 and it's been awesome!0 -
MorganMoreaux wrote: »Don't forget measuring spoons - they come in handy for oils and condiments (mustard, olive oil, salad dressing, etc).
I have a Taylor brand scale that I got from Wal-mart on whim ( only place open when the urge to buy it struck). It does lbs, kg, g, oz and has a tare function. It was around $20 and it's been awesome!
Unless they state ml on the serving size, those should all be weighed as well, especially the more calorie dense items (oils/dressings/mayonnaise).0 -
MorganMoreaux wrote: »Don't forget measuring spoons - they come in handy for oils and condiments (mustard, olive oil, salad dressing, etc).
I have a Taylor brand scale that I got from Wal-mart on whim ( only place open when the urge to buy it struck). It does lbs, kg, g, oz and has a tare function. It was around $20 and it's been awesome!
Unless they state ml on the serving size, those should all be weighed as well, especially the more calorie dense items (oils/dressings/mayonnaise).
I don't know. If I'm only using 1 tsp of olive oil to cook an egg or saute something in a nonstick pan, I think my margin of error using a 1 tsp (5 ml) measuring spoon is going to be less than than the roughly 10% to 13% margin of error (up to half a gram) if I try to weigh 4 or 5 g of oil (5 ml of olive oil weighs about 4.5 g) in a scale that gives a reading to the nearest gram. This is assuming both the scale and the measuring spoon are equally well calibrated.
Edited to fix grammatical error.0 -
I put the OXO 11 pound scale on my Christmas wish list last year after reading that it was America's Test Kitchen's top pick for digital food scales. I love it!
This is what I have. I started on MFP in August 2013, but I had this scale at least a couple of years before that, because I used it for baking. It still works fine, seldom needs new batteries, and is easy to clean. The ability to pull the readout panel away from the scale platform comes in handy when you use a pot or dish that is wider than the scale platform.
It does occasionally "forget" the tared amount (the weight of whatever was sitting on the scale when you reset to zero) when it turns itself off during periods of inactivity (when you're not pushing buttons or adding or removing weight), so if you rely on that, you might want to jot the number down if you expect it be a while before you come back (for example, when you've weighed the full pint of ice cream or bag of chips, and take it away to eat out of it for a while, and then come back to see how much you've consumed. Not that I do that. At least not today. Yet.)
Just as a tip: If you're weighing food that you're going to lick the spoon (for me, peanut butter, greek yogurt, jelly, ice cream), weigh the container that the food comes in before and after dishing up. If you're weighing food that you're going to leave the excess on the spoon or knife or whatever, weigh the cooking pot or serving dish/bowl/plate etc. before and after dishing up.0 -
Definitely get a food scale ($15). The cups are unnecessary.0
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »MorganMoreaux wrote: »Don't forget measuring spoons - they come in handy for oils and condiments (mustard, olive oil, salad dressing, etc).
I have a Taylor brand scale that I got from Wal-mart on whim ( only place open when the urge to buy it struck). It does lbs, kg, g, oz and has a tare function. It was around $20 and it's been awesome!
Unless they state ml on the serving size, those should all be weighed as well, especially the more calorie dense items (oils/dressings/mayonnaise).
I don't know. If I'm only using 1 tsp of olive oil to cook an egg or saute something in a nonstick pan, I think my margin of error using a 1 tsp (5 ml) measuring spoon is going to be less than than the roughly 10% to 13% margin of error (up to half a gram) if I try to weigh 4 or 5 g of oil (5 ml of olive oil weighs about 4.5 g) in a scale that gives a reading to the nearest gram. This is assuming both the scale and the measuring spoon are equally well calibrated.
Edited to fix grammatical error.
I definitely get good use out of my teaspoon set. 1/2 teaspoon of oil type measurements, or just following a recipe where you need 1/8th of a teaspoon of this spice and 1 tsp of that one. Then I use cups for measurements like milk or broth.
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Good move on the food scale!
Make sure you don't spend a huge amount on an electronic food scale. I've seen some that cost around £40! To me, this is a crazy price! Mine was £3.50 from Amazon and works a treat.0 -
I've tried a bunch and the OXO scale is far and away the best. It's also the most expensive.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »Definitely get a food scale ($15). The cups are unnecessary.
I do find the cups necessary for cooking, when doing recipes. Personally, I deviate from standard recipes and will use alternate ingredients (ie honey instead of sugar - liquid vs dry - need to know the volume of the honey, not the weight) and have to determine the amount on the fly. I then enter the recipe (once fine tuned) into MFP so I can easily log it in the future.lynn_glenmont wrote: »MorganMoreaux wrote: »Don't forget measuring spoons - they come in handy for oils and condiments (mustard, olive oil, salad dressing, etc).
I have a Taylor brand scale that I got from Wal-mart on whim ( only place open when the urge to buy it struck). It does lbs, kg, g, oz and has a tare function. It was around $20 and it's been awesome!
Unless they state ml on the serving size, those should all be weighed as well, especially the more calorie dense items (oils/dressings/mayonnaise).
I don't know. If I'm only using 1 tsp of olive oil to cook an egg or saute something in a nonstick pan, I think my margin of error using a 1 tsp (5 ml) measuring spoon is going to be less than than the roughly 10% to 13% margin of error (up to half a gram) if I try to weigh 4 or 5 g of oil (5 ml of olive oil weighs about 4.5 g) in a scale that gives a reading to the nearest gram. This is assuming both the scale and the measuring spoon are equally well calibrated.
Edited to fix grammatical error.
That really doesn't make much sense - weighing liquids? What if OP decides to use a different type of veg oil for cooking - ie grape seed. That's going to have a different density then olive oil, hence a different weight. Depending on the type and brand of olive oil, I am betting there are going to be deviations in the density of olive oil across brands and processing methods used.
With liquids, it's better to examine volume than weight. Anyway, most liquids in the states have their serving sizes based on a unit of volume (tsp, tbsp, ml, etc) , not weight.0 -
All great feedback. Sounds like almost all use a food scale, but only some use the measuring cup/spoons.0
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If you know how many calories are in a gram (and many oils list that), you can weigh the liquids, too.MorganMoreaux wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »Definitely get a food scale ($15). The cups are unnecessary.
I do find the cups necessary for cooking, when doing recipes. Personally, I deviate from standard recipes and will use alternate ingredients (ie honey instead of sugar - liquid vs dry - need to know the volume of the honey, not the weight) and have to determine the amount on the fly. I then enter the recipe (once fine tuned) into MFP so I can easily log it in the future.lynn_glenmont wrote: »MorganMoreaux wrote: »Don't forget measuring spoons - they come in handy for oils and condiments (mustard, olive oil, salad dressing, etc).
I have a Taylor brand scale that I got from Wal-mart on whim ( only place open when the urge to buy it struck). It does lbs, kg, g, oz and has a tare function. It was around $20 and it's been awesome!
Unless they state ml on the serving size, those should all be weighed as well, especially the more calorie dense items (oils/dressings/mayonnaise).
I don't know. If I'm only using 1 tsp of olive oil to cook an egg or saute something in a nonstick pan, I think my margin of error using a 1 tsp (5 ml) measuring spoon is going to be less than than the roughly 10% to 13% margin of error (up to half a gram) if I try to weigh 4 or 5 g of oil (5 ml of olive oil weighs about 4.5 g) in a scale that gives a reading to the nearest gram. This is assuming both the scale and the measuring spoon are equally well calibrated.
Edited to fix grammatical error.
That really doesn't make much sense - weighing liquids? What if OP decides to use a different type of veg oil for cooking - ie grape seed. That's going to have a different density then olive oil, hence a different weight. Depending on the type and brand of olive oil, I am betting there are going to be deviations in the density of olive oil across brands and processing methods used.
With liquids, it's better to examine volume than weight. Anyway, most liquids in the states have their serving sizes based on a unit of volume (tsp, tbsp, ml, etc) , not weight. 0 -
arogers0541 wrote: »All great feedback. Sounds like almost all use a food scale, but only some use the measuring cup/spoons.
Most cookbooks use measuring cups and spoons, so they come in very handy, if you plan to use cookbooks. Even the Brits, who often include weights, use cups and spoons (but, of course, they use different ones that we Americans, so if you buy both American and British cookbooks, you'll need at least two sets.)
Using the cups doesn't mean you cannot weigh it after measuring. You can measure out a tablespoon of sesame or nigella seeds and weigh them, too. Assuming whatever you've measured comes up to a gram, you can weight it. Often, things like spices won't weigh a gram.0 -
This is the scale I use: Eat Smart Precision Elite Digital Kitchen Scale
I used to use one of the less expensive basic digital scales and it worked FINE....I upgraded to this one because it has a wider platform to accommodate larger dishes and it has a larger display screen for my aging eyes. LOL. I use measuring cups and spoons mostly for liquids or for recipes.0 -
I've had this Taylor Scale for almost 7 years and it still is going strong. Only $13.
As far as the cup measurements, I absolutely use them when cooking and for liquids, but I also weigh the solids. For example if a recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped broccoli, I would fill up 2 cups of chopped broccoli, but weigh it to enter in the recipe builder. I weigh anything that has weights on the label.0 -
MorganMoreaux wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »Definitely get a food scale ($15). The cups are unnecessary.
I do find the cups necessary for cooking, when doing recipes. Personally, I deviate from standard recipes and will use alternate ingredients (ie honey instead of sugar - liquid vs dry - need to know the volume of the honey, not the weight) and have to determine the amount on the fly. I then enter the recipe (once fine tuned) into MFP so I can easily log it in the future.lynn_glenmont wrote: »MorganMoreaux wrote: »Don't forget measuring spoons - they come in handy for oils and condiments (mustard, olive oil, salad dressing, etc).
I have a Taylor brand scale that I got from Wal-mart on whim ( only place open when the urge to buy it struck). It does lbs, kg, g, oz and has a tare function. It was around $20 and it's been awesome!
Unless they state ml on the serving size, those should all be weighed as well, especially the more calorie dense items (oils/dressings/mayonnaise).
I don't know. If I'm only using 1 tsp of olive oil to cook an egg or saute something in a nonstick pan, I think my margin of error using a 1 tsp (5 ml) measuring spoon is going to be less than than the roughly 10% to 13% margin of error (up to half a gram) if I try to weigh 4 or 5 g of oil (5 ml of olive oil weighs about 4.5 g) in a scale that gives a reading to the nearest gram. This is assuming both the scale and the measuring spoon are equally well calibrated.
Edited to fix grammatical error.
That really doesn't make much sense - weighing liquids? What if OP decides to use a different type of veg oil for cooking - ie grape seed. That's going to have a different density then olive oil, hence a different weight. Depending on the type and brand of olive oil, I am betting there are going to be deviations in the density of olive oil across brands and processing methods used.
With liquids, it's better to examine volume than weight. Anyway, most liquids in the states have their serving sizes based on a unit of volume (tsp, tbsp, ml, etc) , not weight.
Not sure if you really meant to respond to me, since I was arguing in favor of measuring oil by volume, at least in smaller amounts. Nutrition labels on many oil bottles give information for a serving size of one tablespoon, but in parentheses they list the weight of the serving size, e.g.: serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 g)
I don't get your objection based on different densities of different oils. You should be using a database entry that corresponds to the actual oil you are using. I really don't understand your point here.
As for different types and brands of olive oil, I really don't think it's going to make a significant difference in density. And if it did make a difference, it would affect whether volume was accurately reflecting calories across different types and brands of olive oil. If there are density differences, weight is going to be more accurate than volume in determining calories consumed, not less.
And I really prefer to use the entries based on the USDA nutrient database, which give you the option of using volume or weight.
Edited to fix typo0
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