Check out my progress on Kitchen Scale Devotee
It’s no secret that I have quite a collection of kitchen appliances, tools, and gadgets. From the truly useful items (such as a food processor) to the sometimes necessary (indoor grill) to the entirely superfluous (avocado slicer), I have them all. Among all these wares, however, there is one that I use with remarkable frequency—the kitchen scale.
So when I saw this article in the New York Times about the advantages of kitchen scales, I was delighted. Although most recipes in this country feature volume measurements, it is weight measurements that are the most accurate and useful. Don’t believe me? I challenge you to measure a cup of flour three times—I guarantee you that you will observe three different weights.
I certainly don’t use the kitchen scale for all my cooking—not only can it get tedious for each ingredient, but it’s also unnecessary. Nonetheless, that kitchen scale is a godsend when I stumble across a recipe that calls for “1.5 pounds of potatoes” or “6 ounces of shredded cheddar.”
I also find the kitchen scale valuable from a nutritional perspective. For particularly Caloric items, such as nuts and nut butter, I often throw it on the scale before serving myself. It’s all too easy for portion distortion to set in, and soon a “smidgen” of PB turns into several tablespoons.
Some may consider them tedious, unnecessary, or even obsession-inducing…but I love my kitchen scale and would recommend them to any cook or health conscious individual.
Plus, they’re handy for weighing mail too 
Have you ever used a kitchen scale? What do you think of them?
Here’s how the food part of my day went down:
Fig-fest 2011 continued this morning. I once saw a recipe for fig and walnut chocolate truffles, so I used that as an inspiration for today’s oat bran.
Lunch was a random assortment of vegetables I found in the fridge. Despite its haphazard preparation, this meal ended up being pretty delicious. Just goes to show—Goddess makes everything better.
Tonight was another weeknight dinner date with Seth, for which I prepared some Rhode Island Clam Chowder and Ellie’s Grilled Romaine Hearts.
My tweak:
-I added my own Smoky Avocado Dressing for a little flavor and heartiness.
Truthfully, I’ve been avoiding this recipe for several months now because, well, grilled salad sounded weird to me. However, after trying it, Seth and I both agreed that the texture was a nice change of pace. Wilted greens with EVOO, S + P are actually pretty tasty.
OK, I am off to prepare for foodservice lab tomorrow—we’re making pumpkin cake!
Good night.
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
How do you get your cocoa mixed in so well with your oat bran? Whenever I try, I get tons and tons of lumps!
BroccoliHut Reply:
September 14th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
I use a whisk!
Very interesting! I am from Canada, and here we do measure in the Metric system, I guess as we are brought up, we just get use to having an instinct in knowing what 25 grams of flour is or how much 250 mL of milk is. I use a scale only when I bake. I guess when you’re surrounded by measurements of weight, you sort of get use to it!
I’m glad you brought a scale…
my scale is the best! its much faster and more convenient/less dishes to measure ingredients for recipes. im also a health nut and can confidently portion out my food, like saving half a salad or bag of greens or deciding how much meat to eat.
ahhhhhhhhh, yes. you are the queen of kitchen gadgets!!! i am slightly jealous of your collection too!
those dressings look incredible… I would love to snatch one for a GC salad!
HUGS TO YOU CAROLINE!
Have you tried figs in smoothies? Because they are kinda awesome, especially with some chocolate, blueberries, and spinach.
I’m on the fence with grilled romaine. I’ve seen it on menus in restaurants, usually as a spin on the classic caesar salad, but I have yet to try it.
BroccoliHut Reply:
September 15th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Love the sound of a fig smoothie! I have a few figs remaining that are on their last legs, so I bet throwing them into a smoothie would be an excellent use for them.
I own a kitchen scale. It is mostly used for making bread and weighing packages. Some times I’ll weigh my potato if it seems like it is bigger then a medium potato should be.
Grilled romaine sounds good. Paired with the gaucamole, you have a winner.
I want a kitchen scale, particularly for baking. What brand do you have?
I love grilled romaine! I had it for the first time at a restaurant this summer and have made it a few times since on my George Foreman.
BroccoliHut Reply:
September 15th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
I use an Escali scale (the one pictured in this post). When buying a scale, I would recommend looking for a digital scale with a “tare” function.
Last night’s grilled romaine was prepared on the George Foreman:)
I never would of thought to combine cocoa and figs! Neat idea and I’ll have to try that (pancakes., maybe?).
I heart goddess dressing!
No scale over here– always want one, but not a necessity.
Funny how a amazing dressing can transform a meal into mediocre to great
i’m wondering, did you chose that particular scale for a reason? would you recommend it over the eatsmart precision pro? i’m in the market for an accurate one!
your breakfast looks amazing! great combo
BroccoliHut Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
No I didn’t have too specific of criteria when I chose the Escali scale. I just looked for a reasonably priced scale on Amazon that had the “tare” function. What is the EatSmart Precision Pro? I presume it has pre-programmed nutrition information in it?
I think they’re pretty similar to one another actually. The only difference I see is the Escali is listed as having .01 ounce/1 gram increments as opposed to .05ounce/1gram. Also, I think the Escali design is more resistant to spills and mess. So, the Escali seems like the better scale. I was just curious because the EatSmart received higher Amazon ratings than the Escali scale.
BroccoliHut Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 10:32 am
Good to know! I’ll remember that for when my current scale goes kaput!