# 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:** 4
**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, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/61 "2026-06-06T23:33:48Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > ETA: What I don’t own are measuring cups. I confess that this possibility had not even occurred to me. How do you scoop pancake batter into the frying pan? ---
**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, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/62 "2026-06-06T23:57:41Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > How do you scoop pancake batter into the frying pan? I mix the batter in a bowl and I scoop it with a ladle. What else? I’m not sure I understand. ---
**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, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/63 "2026-06-06T23:59:24Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I’m not sure I understand. It would never occur to me to use a ladle for that. I just grab a measuring cup of the right approximate size. ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/64 "2026-06-07T00:00:42Z")
A ladle is the right approximate size. If not, scoop more. ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/65 "2026-06-07T00:00:48Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I mix the batter in a bowl and I scoop it with a ladle. What else? I’m not sure I understand. That’s also exactly what I do. One ladle full makes for a perfect pancake. I thought everybody does this. ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/66 "2026-06-07T00:01:17Z")
Americans are strange, are they not? ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/67 "2026-06-07T00:02:08Z")
Yes, sometimes they are strange people. The Doors already knew that. ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/68 "2026-06-07T00:02:16Z")
🤔 😜 😉 ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/69 "2026-06-07T00:18:29Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > ETA: What I don’t own are measuring cups. Hah! Those I have six of 😉. Three plastic (1 cup, 1/2, 1/3), three Pyrex glass (one 1 cup, two 2 cup). Different priorities, different methods… ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/70 "2026-06-07T01:15:14Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > . As long as the error bars on the measurement are less than ruins the dish it’s plenty close enough But it’s not an accuracy thing it’s a fundamental nature of reality, carrots are not liquid, and do not conveniently change their shape to fit into a cup! How are you meant to calculate their volume? Measure their length and circumference and integrate!?! 😉 ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/71 "2026-06-07T01:34:02Z")
If the carrot hunks are anywhere near a typical = reasonable size and the pile is anywhere near filling the measuring cup (over or under) you’re done. All else is useless overthinking. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/72 "2026-06-07T02:30:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If the carrot hunks are anywhere near a typical = reasonable size and the pile is anywhere near filling the measuring cup Once they are cut they are! But at that point it’s too late to know how many carrots I’ll need for the recipe, as I’ve already cut them up! As opposed to a weight where I can just stop adding them to the scale, or take one off, when it gets over the weight I need. The purpose of a the “ingredients” part of a recipe is to tell me how many/many of each ingredient I need, **before** I start. If I need to complete the preparation of the item before I know if I have enough that’s pointless. Measuring by volume is fine for things that can be measured by volume (milk, flour, etc) for things that can’t it’s totally pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/73 "2026-06-07T07:42:38Z")
European with a kitchen scale here. Also own 5 measuring cups. I used to have a mechanical kitchen scale I inherited from my grandmother. A beautiful (in my eyes) contraption with a rectangular tray and a small weight fixed on a slide to measure 0-500g going left to right and a bigger one underneath that could be moved in 500g increments. There was also a third weight at the right end to tare it. I think it was this model: https://embed.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/1gf2d7c/stube_kitchen_scales_i_saved_when_my_grandmothers/?embed=true&ref_source=embed&ref=share It had a lot of sentimental value, but was big and heavy and cumbersome, so eventual I got me a small electronic scale when they became super cheap, and foisted the old one off to a local charity shop. I use the electronic scale all the time both when cooking and often when baking since it’s so easy to use. Sure I could eyeball the 150g of frozen spinach I put in one of my usual quick dinner-for-one-recipes, but it takes max 2 second to grab it from the shelf, so why not. When baking I must admit I use volume measures for the two baked-goods-recipes I do most. I bake coarse grain buns in a big batch, and mix the dough in a big bowl that would cover the display on the scale. Final step is “add flour until dough feels right when agitating with a wooden spoon”. I make crispy bread from a recipe with 1 deciliter each of various grains and flours. Converting to grams makes for some hard to remember numbers, and it works fine anyway so why bother. ---
**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 7, 2026, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/74 "2026-06-07T08:56:19Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > But it’s not an accuracy thing it’s a fundamental nature of reality, carrots are not liquid, and do not conveniently change their shape to fit into a cup! How are you meant to calculate their volume? Measure their length and circumference and integrate!?! 😉 > [@LSLGuy](#): > > If the carrot hunks are anywhere near a typical = reasonable size and the pile is anywhere near filling the measuring cup (over or under) you’re done. > > All else is useless overthinking. Or, as wise ~~men~~ persons of either gender have often said, cooking is an art, not a science! The slight variations due to inexact measurements are part of the charm and authenticity. And might even be an improvement, to be incorporated into future recipes! ---
**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 7, 2026, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/75 "2026-06-07T09:12:48Z")
I do actually use a measuring cup for pancakes, as I measure the liquid with it. And then I can just pour it straight in, no need to grab a ladle like if I used a bowl. Granted, I am cooking for one, and make like a cup’s worth of batter. But that’s a decent number of pancakes—or one full size waffle. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/76 "2026-06-07T09:30:26Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > and a measuring cup like this: Any German home is incomplete without a Messbecher! I think we have two, one exactly like yours, and one conical metal one. We also have two scales, a simple one I use for coffee, and a slightly more complex one my wife uses for cooking or baking. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/77 "2026-06-07T11:43:32Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Or, as wise ~~men~~ persons of either gender have often said, cooking is an art, not a science! The slight variations due to inexact measurements are part of the charm and authenticity Then just put “a couple of carrots” in the ingredients, don’t put “a cup of diced carrots” ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/78 "2026-06-07T12:10:39Z")
Yes. I want my carrots, onions, potatoes, and eggs to be listed in the recipe by the piece. Two medium onions, 3 large eggs. If i happen to have very small onions or i bought jumbo eggs on sale, I’ll adjust. But please don’t make me translate carrots into cups. That makes no sense at all. ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/79 "2026-06-07T12:15:00Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > > > I mix the batter in a bowl and I scoop it with a ladle. What else? I’m not sure I understand. > > That’s also exactly what I do. One ladle full makes for a perfect pancake. I thought everybody does this. So you have a measuring ladle. Where do you think “measuring cups” came from. Some woman was telling her child, “and i fill the blue cup with milk and add it to the dough…” There are lots of cooking operations where a volume measurement is handy. (My recipes all have annotations to the side of whatever i got, because I’ve rewritten all my favorites to use a mix of weight and volume, depending on which i find more convenient. And i have to say, the biggest time savings is from the cake recipe that said, “sift the flour 3 times, then measure…” Now i weigh the correct amount of flour and sift it once. And yes, i sifted it three times and weighed what i measured to do the translation.) ---
**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 7, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651/80 "2026-06-07T12:26:22Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > So you have a measuring ladle. Where do you think “measuring cups” came from. I have two ladles, and while they are not exactly standardized measuring ladles, they happen to roughly have the same volume, which in combination with the pan I usually use is the right amount for a pancake. It’s not exact science, and it also depends on the size of the pan how thick the pancakes get. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-kitchen-scale/1030651.md?page=5)