While digital scales are lightweight and easier to tuck away in a drawer after use, their analog counterparts add a great finishing touch to a vintage style kitchen. If you love retro-looking appliances, the best stand mixers (opens in new tab) are worth checking out too. Luckily, the best food scales won’t set you back much, despite how vital a tool they are for baking and cooking. In fact, you can get great kitchen scales for under $50, and real bargains for less than $20. With high-end food scales, you can make use of features such as a built-in baker’s percentage calculator, which give exact readings in five different measurement modes, or a handy pullout display for easy viewing between various different bags of flours. In our guide to the best food scales, you’ll find models capable of calculating the nutritional content of your food too (think calories and fat), if you’re a stickler for counting macros. So whether you’re looking for something with a sleek digital display or with a more traditional design, these are the best kitchen scales in terms of accuracy, durability and performance. For other ‘making and baking’ appliances, also take a look at our guides to the best pasta makers (opens in new tab) and the best bread makers (opens in new tab).
1. OXO Good Grips Food Scale: Best food scales overall
The OXO Good Grips Food Scale performed well in our tests, earning a perfect score for accuracy. This food scale was also very consistent - it displays the same weight no matter where you place food on the weighing platform. The standout feature is its pullout display. If you’re measuring in a large bowl and it’s obstructing your view, you can pull the display out on its cord to see. The display has large numbers that are easy to read. The scale also has a large, roughly 64-square-inch weighing platform, so it fits just about any ingredient. One of this kitchen scale’s drawbacks is it displays weight in fractions rather than decimals. Also, its maximum weight is only 11 pounds – that’s enough for most recipes, but some competing units can weigh items up to 18 lbs.
Read our OXO Good Grips Food Scale 1130800 review (opens in new tab)
2. EatSmart Precision Pro: Best food scales for value
The EatSmart Precision Pro food scale earned a perfect score in our accuracy tests, and it can display weight in several units of measurement. This scale also displayed the correct weight no matter where we placed food on its platform. Its large, backlit display is easy to read, at least at first. During testing, the display gradually faded, and putting in fresh batteries didn’t fix the problem. Since the scale is small, there are limits to what you can weigh – it only goes up to 11 lbs. At less than 20 square inches, its total weighing area is also small compared to most. More substantial food scales have platforms of more than 65 square inches.
3. American Weigh Blade BL-KG-BLK: Best food scales for travel use
The American Weigh Blade BL-1KG-BLK food scale is a handy little device, so small that you can tuck it into a purse or the pocket of a backpack. It measures roughly 9x9x1 inches in size, so it’s easily portable. If you need to closely monitor food portions for health reasons, this mini scale is an excellent choice. The weighing platform is small, measuring only 2.7 x 2.7 inches, and the device can measure up to just 2.2 lbs. However, for most consumers concerned about individual servings, that is plenty. This food scale has a backlit pop-out display that shows the weight. You get a plastic lid that can be flipped over to serve as a tray. The scale comes with a carrying case and runs on two AAA batteries.
4. GreaterGoods Nourish Food Scale: Best food scale for tracking nutrition
The GreaterGoods food scale accurately weighs out food but also provides detailed nutritional information for each type of food you place on them. Ideal if you need to track your food, this scale has a catalog of 2,000 foods it can provide nutritional data for. You can also input up to 99 additional food items yourself. Some user reviews do state that data for 2,000 foods isn’t enough and some of the food types that do exist, are very limited. Users have suggested this food scale would be better if you could scan foods to calculate the nutritional value. This food scale comes with a two-year warranty and is also easy to wipe down and keep clean.
5. My Weight KD-8000 Kitchen Scale: Best food scale for bakers
The My Weigh KD-8000 Kitchen Scale is sturdy and well designed but is one of the most expensive in our round up. Its standout feature is that it can calculate a baker’s percentage. This scale also provides accurate readings for up to 8,000 grams in five different measurement modes. The weighing tray easily comes off to allow you to clean this kitchen scale thoroughly. Another handy feature is that this scale can be plugged into a power socket so that you don’t have to rely on batteries to power it. This power charger does need to be bought separately, though. User reviews for these kitchen scales are overwhelmingly positive, with many giving the scales five-star ratings. Overall, features such as the adjustable LCD display, the auto-off setting which can be programmed, and multiple modes make this scale a great choice.
