Kitchen Scale Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Kitchen Scale Is Your Secret Tool
By Patrick D Kelly
Kitchen scale is used in different parts of the world for different
reasons. I use a kitchen scale to measure all my ingredients,
to make sure I have the right amounts by weight and volume of
all the ingredients as stated on a recipe.
I have found using a kitchen scale has virtually assured me of
a successful outcome, after making a review of my options to prepare
a perfect meal, when following a recipe. Especially when it is
a new recipe.
My Secret Kitchen Tool
As long as I follow all the weights and volumes as detailed in
the recipe, in my favourite cook book, I am assured to create
a delicious meal. My friends and family think I am a master cook,
but they don’t know about my secret kitchen tool, my kitchen
scale.
Some people use a kitchen scale for reasons other than just following
a recipe.
Weigh Your Ingredients For Recipes
When you think of a kitchen scale, it may appear in your mind
as a diet device for weighing portions of food. Yes, this is legitimate,
but there’s a more practical and even romantic side to the
kitchen scale.
In America, a kitchen scale usually does mean something to limit
your intake of this or that portion. In Europe, a kitchen scale
is used to weigh ingredients for recipes. European cook books
and recipe magazines mark ingredients by weight rather than volume.
You may well wonder why.
Six Juicy Apples Make For A Better Apple Pie
Let’s say you’re making an apple pie. An American
recipe may call for “six medium green Granny apples”.
This description does not take into account the juiciness or dryness
of those apples.
A European recipe instructs you to use “1.5 kilograms of green
Granny apples”. What’s the difference? Six dry apples may produce
a dry apple pie. Six juicy apples will produce an entirely different
result.
For Consistent Results
By weighing the apples, using a kitchen scale, the element of
moisture and water weight is addressed and you’ll achieve a consistent
result by weighing. Using volume measurements produces inconsistent
results in the finished dish.
A kitchen scale is most important in baking recipes if you desire
consistent results. With changes in humidity, a volume measure
of a cup of flour weighs more or less from one day to the next.
A Range Of Kitchen Scales
Even if the kitchen scale were not a model of accuracy, it has
a certain aesthetic appeal that can’t be denied. There are fancy
stainless steel models, old-fashioned spoon styles, brass accented,
shiny digitals and modern styled plastic kitchen scales that are
quite attractive. Prices vary, but they all do the job.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on a good kitchen scale. Even
an inexpensive scale can be calibrated with a twist of your thumb,
delivering an accurate weight.
How To Test The Accuracy Of The Kitchen Scale
A candy bar is a good test, as the package is marked with the
precise weight. Calibrate the scale to zero, then weigh the candy
bar. Adjust the scale as necessary to get an accurate weight.
You’re now ready to weigh ingredients.
All you need is a cookbook that lists ingredients both by weight
and volume. Do an experiment that will convince you of the merits
of the scale.
First weigh the ingredients, such as flour. Then take your weighed
ingredients and carefully spoon the flour into a measuring cup.
Which measurement comes closest to the recipe requirements? With
that,I rest my case.
Experimenting With A New Recipe
I have always found it easier to measure all my ingredients using
the kitchen scale. This is especially useful when trying a new
recipe and you are not sure of the outcome of your efforts.
By using a kitchen scale to measure all the amounts of ingredients
used in making up the meal, I know that I have put the exact amount
of ingredients as stated in the recipe. So if the meal does not
come out looking good, I will know that it wasn’t the amount
of ingredients that I used.
There was a time when I was not using the kitchen scale to make
measurements and I was getting variations in the meals I was making.
Since I have included the use of kitchen scale, I have been able
to achieve consistent results.
Lowers Risk Of A Bad Outcome
This has taken the risk out of trying a new recipe when variations
in measurements may affect the end result. The kitchen scale has
proved to be an essential tool in my preparation of meals when
experimenting with new recipes.
I have found more often than not, success in the kitchen is assured
when using a kitchen scale.
About the Author:
Patrick D Kelly has written a number of articles on kitchen equipment, food and cooking including
Can Opener,
Kitchen Equipment,
Sabatier Knives,
Wood Bread Box,
Food Storage,
Groceries Online,
Crock Pot Soup,
Fruit Juice,
Grocery Shopping.
Keep a lookout for more articles on this website.
Did You Know This About Cookware?
No one wants to go into the kitchen to prepare a meal only to
find out that you do not have the right utensils, pots or pans.
It can be disastrous trying to prepare a meal this way.
Unless you eat out for every meal or eat prepackaged foods you
are going to need the right cookware for the job. Most sets are
now extremely affordable and are made of durable materials that
heat and cook quite well. Some can even go from stove top to oven
without being damaged.
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