# Do you have a kitchen scale? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 5, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651 "2026-06-05T20:47:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/41 "2026-06-06T18:08:39Z")
Never had a kitchen scale. Don’t know what I would use it for since I rarely cook. 😂 ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/42 "2026-06-06T18:10:13Z")
I sell a lot of toys on Ebay so the scale is used outside the kitchen 99% of the time, but it is a kitchen scale. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/43 "2026-06-06T18:17:21Z")
I don’t even use my human scale LOL. I go by how my pants fit. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/44 "2026-06-06T18:23:48Z")
Technically I have dual citizenship but the whole “measuring things in cups that are not cup shaped” does indeed irritate me no end. Like WTF is a half cup of carrots!!? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/45 "2026-06-06T18:30:19Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > the whole “measuring things in cups that are not cup shaped” does indeed irritate me no end. Like WTF is a half cup of carrots!!? Yeah, that also always irritates me in American recipes. It makes a lot of difference if the carrots (or any other vegetables) are measured by volume as a whole or finely sliced or minced. Given in weight, this doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/46 "2026-06-06T18:50:02Z")
Eh. As long as the error bars on the measurement are less than ruins the dish it’s plenty close enough. As noted by others above, even measuring by weight has significant error bars if the material can absorb or give off moisture. Every quantity in every recipe is already rounded by a goodly chunk of its nominal amount. Certainly baking is more sensitive to precision than is e.g. stew-making. But the sorts of recipes that specify volumes of irregularly sized lumpy stuff are already pretty error tolerant. Double the carrots, halve the carrots, or leave them out. It’ll be mostly OK and for sure some percentage of cooks and eaters will prefer it whichever way it’s done. I agree the imprecision feels intellectually unsatisfying to the scientific mind. The artists however revel in it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/47 "2026-06-06T19:53:24Z")
Wtf? Every recipe I’ve ever had that calls for carrots says something like “3 medium carrots”. I’m not going to chop ¾ of a carrot in any event, I’m going to round up. Unless maybe, possibly, it was carrot cake (in which case I’d prefer weight.) But for anything else, how much can it possibly matter? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/48 "2026-06-06T20:01:53Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Eh. As long as the error bars on the measurement are less than ruins the dish it’s plenty close enough. As noted by others above, even measuring by weight has significant error bars if the material can absorb or give off moisture. In principle, we agree, I’m also not a cook who follows recipes to the letter and gram, there’s always a bit leeway. But I just find European recipes more logical and intuitive, maybe just like most Americans find their non-decimal units more intuitive (because we both learned it that way). ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/49 "2026-06-06T20:01:54Z")
I use it primarily for baking. Most times when I’m cooking, I’m not using a recipe, and not measuring anything. I certainly wouldn’t use one and a half potato if that what two cups diced came out to. Two potatoes are going in. Occasionally I will measure out chicken broth if I’m worried about saltiness of the dish. Otherwise I’ll glug it in. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/50 "2026-06-06T20:31:48Z")
No, I don’t bake. I roast, I stew, I fry, I broil, I sauté, I steam, I boil. But I don’t bake. So I’ve never really had need of one. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/51 "2026-06-06T20:51:40Z")
Ah, i usually defrost as much broth as I’m going to use. That’s volume, but hey, it’s basically water, so volume and weight are closely tied Still, i just froze a batch of chicken broth today. And i basically split what i had into 3 qts and 2 cups. And it was very much not precise, i didn’t have quite enough for the two cups, so i ladled out a little from one of the quarts. It’ll be close enough. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/52 "2026-06-06T21:22:15Z")
American, and I use a scale. There was a cheap one and I decided to experiment with it, and I liked it. I then later got one for free that was higher precision and had a backlight, and started using it when the included batteries in the first one gave out. It has completely replaced solid measuring cups for me. I look on the package and do the math to convert any volumes to mass. I like not needing to clean anything. I used to measure everything for calorie and macronutrient counts. I do less of that now, but I still prefer using it for measuring out things like rice, potato flakes, and such, where ratios matter. I cannot eyeball comparing solids and liquids. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/53 "2026-06-06T21:41:37Z")
I have a kitchen scale and I use it all the time. I even use it when I measure coffee in the morning. Because you know how sometimes you accidentally make the perfect cup of coffee with exactly the perfect ratio of beans to water? And then you can never do it again because you don’t know exactly what the ratio was? Well I have that ratio written down and I measure my coffee exactly. But I really got in the habit of using it when I was watching The Great British baking show because they measure ingredients by putting an empty bowl on the scale then zeroing it out and adding each ingredient separately. It’s incredibly smart. And so much better than using measuring cups. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/54 "2026-06-06T22:01:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think the poll results show a bias of, “people with kitchen scales are more likely to open this thread”. Excellent point. I do find it interesting that the only “no” answers so far are from Americans. ---
**Author:** ![ThisOneGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@ThisOneGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisOneGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/55 "2026-06-06T22:06:55Z")
Have a scale that goes down to 0.1g. Use it mostly for baking, but also have used it in the shop for measuring epoxy. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/56 "2026-06-06T22:11:10Z")
I voted “Canadian and don’t own a kitchen scale”. I don’t do nearly as much cooking from scratch as I used to, but even when I did, and to the extent that I still do, I can’t think of any circumstance where, for me, a kitchen scale would be useful. But I don’t do baking from scratch, if that matters. When ingredients need to be measured, a measuring cup will usually suffice. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/57 "2026-06-06T22:33:00Z")
Usually I have baby carrots but not full sized carrots. So I kinda like how many cups of say, sliced carrots rather than whole numbers of carrots. And then my kitchen assistant argued with me that it’s too many carrots, . . . I have a scale, and use it . . . Irregularly. If it dies, I’ll buy a more sensitive one, but this one does well enough. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/58 "2026-06-06T22:48:00Z")
I cook from scratch a-lot-a-lot. Most things, I don’t need a scale or even a measuring cup. I know well enough how I want a dish to come out. Even some baked goods, like pie dough or certain straightforward bread recipes, I prepare them by just volume measurements and by feel. But if it’s tricky – say, ciabatta or sourdough bread or a cake – that scale is important to me! My results improved a lot when I started weighing ingredients for those items. My favorite scale is currently not in use. It’s an antique egg scale that determines if an egg is small, medium, large or extra large, based on the egg’s weight. I used it frequently when I raised chickens and wanted to make cakes with the fresh eggs. Woe to the cook who uses small eggs when the recipe calls for large ones! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/59 "2026-06-06T23:09:04Z")
I replied “I am European and I own a kitchen scale”, but in fact I own three. One is mechanical and two require batteries. How can you live without one? ETA: What I don’t own are measuring cups. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/60 "2026-06-06T23:32:20Z")
I’m an American in Europe and got a kitchen scale as most recipes when things like flour and sugar are called for are (correctly) in grams, not cups or teaspoons. Also makes for a good scale for postal mail. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651.md?page=4)