Before you read: When you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I'd be happy to use in my own kitchen.

Which one should you buy?

Any reliable scale with a tare button and grams will transform your baking. Spend more if you use big bowls; spend less if you don't.

A digital kitchen scale is the secret to baking that works every time. A cup of flour can vary by an ounce or more depending on how you scoop it: dip and pack, and you get far more than if you spoon it in lightly. That's the difference between a tender cake and a dry one. A scale gives you the same amount every time, and that's how professional bakers work.

It saves washing up, too. Put the bowl on the scale, press tare to zero it, add the flour, tare again, add the sugar. One bowl, no cups.

Why weighing beats cups

A cup measures space, not stuff. Flour is light and fluffy, and how much fits into that space depends on how it was poured, how long it sat in the bag, and how hard you pressed. Brown sugar, cocoa and grated cheese have the same problem.

A gram is always a gram. Weigh your flour and you've removed the biggest single source of baking failure from your kitchen. It also makes it easy to halve or double a recipe without fiddling with thirds of a cup.

The magic button is tare. It sets the display back to zero with whatever is already on the scale. So you weigh only what you add, one ingredient after another, in the same bowl.

OXO 11 lb scale at a glance

To be straight with you: like most kitchen scales, it can be a gram or two out now and then, which makes no difference to a cake or a loaf. It's not designed for weighing espresso beans to a tenth of a gram. And the cable that connects the pull-out display makes that one corner a bit fiddly to wipe.

What to look for in a digital kitchen scale

• A tare button. To zero out the bowl. Essential.

• Grams and ounces. So you can follow any recipe. Grams are finer and easier to work with.

• A capacity of at least 11 pounds. For big batches of dough and heavy bowls.

• A display you can read with a big bowl on top. Overhanging bowls hide fixed screens.

• A flat platform that wipes clean. Flour gets everywhere.

• Responsive buttons. So you're not jabbing tare three times.

The OXO's pull-out display is the reason I pick it. If you mostly use smaller bowls, the Escali does the same job for far less.

Who it suits, and who should skip it

Good for you if

• You bake bread, cakes or big batches

• You use large mixing bowls that would cover a normal display

• You follow recipes from Britain, Europe or professional bakers, which are written by weight

Skip it if

• You want to keep the cost down: the Escali Primo does the core job

• You weigh coffee or spices to a tenth of a gram: you need a precision scale

How to get the best from it

One-bowl baking

Bowl on, tare, flour in. Tare, sugar in. Tare, butter in. Fewer dishes and no guessing.

Sticky things

Honey, golden syrup and peanut butter can be spooned straight into the bowl on the scale. No cup to scrape.

Liquids by weight

Water and milk can be weighed too. For water, 1 millilitre weighs 1 gram, so 250 ml is 250 g.

Check it now and then

Weigh something you know, like an unopened 1 lb pack of butter. If it's well out, change the batteries first.

Looking after it

• Wipe, don't soak. Lift the platform off and wash that; wipe the base with a damp cloth. Never put the base in water.

• Keep it flat. Use it on a hard, level surface. A tea towel underneath will throw it out.

• Mind the heat. Keep it away from the stove and the oven door.

• Change the batteries when readings start to wander.

Questions people ask

Why should I weigh flour instead of using cups?

Because how much flour fits in a cup depends on how you fill it. Weighing gives you the same amount every time, so your bakes come out the same every time.

What does the tare button do?

It sets the scale to zero with the bowl on it, so you weigh only what you add.

Grams or ounces?

Grams. They're more precise and most modern baking recipes use them.

How accurate are kitchen scales?

A good one is usually within a gram or two. That's plenty for cooking and baking.

Can I weigh liquids?

Yes. Water and milk are close to 1 gram per millilitre, so weighing them is quick and accurate.

Bake with it

Anything from my Dessert recipes.

Updated October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you buy.