The Essentials in the Kitchen: The Kitchen Scale

A kitchen scale is an essential tool in the kitchen that helps you measure ingredients accurately, ensuring perfect results in your culinary creations. The importance of a scale becomes particularly evident when baking cakes and desserts, where even a slight miscalculation in measurements can affect rising during baking or the creaminess of the mix. Therefore, a kitchen scale is a must-have, but it should be chosen based on your habits, aesthetic preferences, and available space.

How to Choose the Ideal Kitchen Scale

When it comes to deciding which kitchen scale to buy, there are several important factors to consider. First of all, you should evaluate the scale's capacity. If you plan to use it mainly for weighing small amounts of ingredients, a scale with a capacity of 1-2 kilograms will be sufficient. However, if you need to weigh larger quantities of food, for instance, when preparing dishes for a party or event, you should opt for a scale with a higher capacity.

Another important aspect to consider is the accuracy of the scale. If you need to weigh small amounts of food with high precision, you will need a scale that measures to the gram. Some scales also offer the option to switch between different units of measurement, such as grams, ounces, and pounds, which is useful if you're following recipes from other countries where measurements are expressed differently, and you want to avoid any errors in dosing.

Don’t overlook the design of the scale, especially if you plan to place it on your kitchen countertop for easy access. There are retro-style metal scales as well as modern digital scales with a clean and minimalist design that can perfectly serve as decorative items, depending on your taste and decor style.

Finally, it’s important to consider the functionalities of the scale. Some scales come with an easy-to-read digital display and intuitive buttons for simple and quick use. Others may have additional features, such as the tare function, which allows you to subtract the weight of the container used to weigh ingredients.

Choosing the right scale will depend on your personal needs and the types of preparations you most frequently make in the kitchen. Below, you’ll find the main types of kitchen scales, each represented by one of the flagship models from the Girmi range. Discover which one is right for you.

The mechanical kitchen scale

The mechanical kitchen scale is characterized by its simplicity of use. To operate it, you don't need batteries or to plug it into an electrical outlet; just place the ingredients on the platform and read the weight directly on the dial. For this reason, the mechanical scale is more reliable than a digital one, as there is no risk of it running out of battery or breaking. Among its advantages is also the price, which is generally lower compared to electronic models.

While they are usually a bit less precise than digital scales, mechanical kitchen scales are very durable because they are made from robust materials like stainless steel and are designed to last over time without losing accuracy in measurement. Additionally, some models can weigh large quantities of food, a feature that is often not found in the most common electronic scales.

Usually, one of the disadvantages of mechanical scales compared to digital ones is the greater difficulty in reading the measurements, but this is certainly not the case with the Girmi PS90 mechanical scale, a little gem in stainless steel with a retro style. The large dial with 20g/5kg increments immediately catches the eye. With its practical removable stainless steel bowl, which can be swapped out for other containers during use thanks to the zero tare function, this mechanical scale is ideal if you weigh ingredients daily and want a classic appliance that looks great on display in your kitchen.

The electronic food scale

The electronic food scale has become increasingly popular in recent years because it allows for extremely precise measurements of ingredients, making it easier to follow recipes accurately. Generally, these scales offer greater precision than mechanical ones, measuring even very small weight increments of 1g or sometimes even less.

Another advantage of electronic food scales is their easy readability, thanks to a digital display that clearly shows the weight. For example, the Girmi PS85 electronic kitchen scale features a large illuminated display measuring 48 x 23 mm.

Equipped with dual weight measurement in grams and ounces, a tare function, and an auto-off feature to preserve battery life, this scale also offers additional useful functions, such as a temperature sensor and a timer to assist you while preparing your dishes.

The hanging scale

A highly useful variant of the digital scale is the hanging scale, perfect if you're looking for a practical way to weigh ingredients while preparing your favorite dishes. Just hang it on the wall or the nearest hook, and it will always be at your fingertips for your daily preparations, like weighing pasta.

These devices are generally very lightweight and compact, making them ideal for kitchens of any size. The Girmi PS02 scale, for example, measures only 15 millimeters in thickness and weighs 240 grams, yet it has all the main features of a classic electronic scale, including error and low battery indicators, a tare function, and auto shut-off, along with the added convenience of a hook for hanging to save space.

The Scale with a Large Bowl

The latest variant of electronic scale we present to you is the Girmi PS04, equipped with a large bowl. 

Featuring all the essential functions of a modern digital kitchen scale, it also offers the practicality of its spacious 1.8-liter bowl, which is incredibly useful for larger preparations. 

This scale is not only practical but also aesthetically pleasing. Thanks to its modern design, it can be conveniently left out on the kitchen counter, always ready for use. 

If you want an organized and professional kitchen to execute your recipes perfectly and you particularly value design, this is the scale for you.