Yamaha Home Theater
The Rihanna kitchen scale from ADE Germany includes an iPod dock and integrated speaker.
(Credit: ADE Germany)Do you love listening to music as much as you love to precisely measure cooking ingredients? Of course you don't. But that's not going to stop ADE Germany from slapping an iPod dock onto a kitchen scale early next year, with an expected asking price of $103.
The scale, which is curiously dubbed "Rihanna," includes an LCD that measures 1.7 inches by less than an inch and an integrated iPod speaker that plays beneath the glass measuring area.
The scale itself handles loads of up to 11 pounds, graduated in .04-ounce steps. It cannot, however, distinguish between kush or schwagg.
(Via Gizmag)
Calorie counter.
(Credit: Cooking.com)Scales are handy little things to have around the kitchen. One can weigh ingredients for baking and always be assured of the exact amount. Flour is notorious for volumetric trickery, so for baking, weight-based measurements are the way to go. The same can be said about a whole host of other ingredients, but when it comes to the actual scale, there is no reason they can't do a little more.
The Cesto by Escali is a scale that brings more to the table. In fact it brings more to wherever you would like it to go. Dubbed a "Portable Nutritional Tracker," the thin device measures 8.75 inches by 6.25-inches across. While the portability of anything larger than a phone may be debatable, the scale does have functions for measuring a variety of nutritional information including: calories, sodium, protein, fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol or fiber.
Knowing how much something weighs and what's in it is a pretty good way to keep track of multiple aspects of a diet. With an easy-to-use interface and an uncluttered design, the usefulness of this scale is apparent. Add a modern styling and the scale becomes even more attractive--no matter where you decide to use it.
Kitchen scale or shelf?
(Credit: Cookware.com)Having a scale in your kitchen gadget repertoire is useful to the point of being essential; just ask any baker. Flour can be one of the most inconsistent ingredients to work with, due to its volume-changing tendencies. A cup of hard-packed flour contains much more actual flour than a cup of sifted flour. So, we use scales to accurately measure our ingredients. With such utility comes options, with designs ranging from the ornate to the sparse. Some even focus on where you store the scale.
The Terraillon Wall Mount Kitchen Scale, as the name suggests, is a kitchen scale for your wall. Measuring 1.5 inches tall, with a width of 10.8 inches and a depth of 8.7 inches, the scale is a convenient way for the home cook to keep a useful gadget always at the ready. Flipping up and out of the way when not in use, the scale also incorporates a clock and timer function. The scale has a load capacity of five pounds, which is perfect for most home uses.
Even if you tend to overlook the scale in your own kitchen, having one on hand is useful. With contemporary design and classic styling, the glass and silver-colored scale will look great in any kitchen--even if you only end up using it as a shelf for houseplants.
Get a measuring cup and scale in one.
(Credit: Chef's Catalog)Bakers tend to favor precision when they measure ingredients, citing that baking is simply chemistry in action. (Baking soda volcano, anyone?) As such, it is often recommended by the pros to weigh dry ingredients; when you consider the volume differences between packed flour versus sifted flour it is easy to see that having a scale is important to achieve consistent results.
The Taylor Digital Measuring Cup Scale is a convenient measuring cup that doubles as a scale. The measuring cup has a volumetric capacity of four cups and is able to weigh up to 6.6-pounds. The volume markings along the side are clearly readable, while an integrated LCD shows the scale results. Complete with an auto-zero reset function; you are able to weigh ingredients as they are added to the cup. Just like your current measuring cup, volume measurements are given in cups, fluid ounces, and milliliters; however, this one adds pounds and grams into the mix.
The cup is also capable of converting common ingredients to volumetric measurements. It is preprogrammed with the capability to convert not only flour, but also water, milk, oil and sugar. One cup of flour can weigh surprisingly different amounts depending on how densely packed it is. With a measuring cup that also acts as a scale, you will be able to get the same consistent results as the pros do when baking.
Making it easy to mix and measure.
(Credit: Williams-Sonoma)I used to have an old mechanical kitchen scale. Rickety and imprecise, it served more as decoration than as an actual scale. While it served no needed purpose in my kitchen, it sure looked cool. It had small images of meats and vegetables printed or painted on its surface. Though it didn't do much actual measuring, it did make for a nice cookbook stand. While this Maya Kitchen Scale may not have little pictures of common food items on it, it makes up for its lack of kitsch by being actually useful in the modern kitchen.
I tend to gravitate toward anything in the kitchen that can reduce the number of dishes I will later have to wash. The measuring bowl on this scale also doubles as a mixing bowl. The 3-quart plastic bowl is able to measure wet or dry ingredients, and the outside has volume measurement markings making it easy to add ingredients as needed. An additional 1.5-quart bowl is included for usage when wet ingredients are not called for. When not minimizing the amount of dirty dishes in your kitchen, the bowls nest together for easy storage.
A modern scale requires more than convenience for the consumer. With a digital readout that displays measurements in increments as small as an eighth of an ounce, this scale is ready to find a place in your contemporary kitchen. Even if you don't need precise measurements for your every day baking needs, the 11-pound-capacity scale is sure to help streamline time spent in the kitchen--something that any modern cook is sure to enjoy.
As we make our way into spring, we're forced to acknowledge whether or not we've stuck to our New Year's resolutions. The weather is nicer, and with bathing suit season inching closer, we're trading in the fattening comfort foods of winter for healthier options.
One of the key factors in effective diets is portion control, something that becomes more and more difficult to do in a world of gigantic portion sizes and cheap value meals. By arming ourselves with the tools necessary to avoid overfilling our plates, we are setting ourselves up for successfully shedding that layer of insulation that seems to show up somewhere between October and January.
Aside from using standard measuring cups, a great tool for controlling portions is a scale like this Oxo model. Designed to measure weight, it can be used to divide foods into ounce- and gram-based portions when volumetric equivalents aren't available.
The smartest feature is the pullout reader, so that measurements can be taken even when a large bowl or dish is placed on the scale. The need for this kind of feature arises due to the scale's large weight capacity of up to 11 pounds.
An added benefit of using weight measurements is their accuracy: most volumetric serving sizes are added on packages as a reference, since true portion sizes are measured by their weights. It's this higher accuracy of weight measurements that causes many old-world cookbooks to list ingredients in ounces or grams instead of cups.
The Oxo scale is available on Amazon for $49.99.
Kitchen scale and probe thermometer in one.
(Credit: Bed Bath & Beyond)It's always nice to find an appliance that merges one necessity with the other. It saves time, effort, and money when you can use one thing to do multiple tasks. Learning how to cook can be a daunting challenge, but with the proper tools and accessories, anyone can cook. Having the capability to properly weigh foods and monitor temperatures goes a long way in the kitchen. As cooks experiment with kitchen tools, eventually they find some items that are indispensable. Many would be lost without the aid of a kitchen scale and a thermometer.
The Breville ikon Kitchen Scale combines these two items into one sleek design. The scale has a 7.5-inch hygienic stainless-steel weighing platform and displays results on an LCD screen accurate to 0.1 ounce or 1 gram. The included probe thermometer is used for measuring temperature ranges from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 302 degrees. When the probe is not plugged into the unit, ambient temperature is displayed. Other features include a timer, automatic shut-off, and programmable alarm.
The scale has a maximum capacity of 11 pounds (or 5 kilograms) and measures 9.5 inches by 7.5 inches, with a height of just over an inch. Available for $49.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond, the combination device is an easy and friendly way to dive deeper into the kitchen.
Using standard measuring spoons can result in too much or too little ingredients (like too much yeast or too little baking soda), completely changing the consistency of the finished product. This precision spoon scale by Admetior alleviates this problem by having a digital weight measurement built right into the handle.
Measuring up to 2.9 ounces, the spoon takes care of most of the smaller ingredients in baking recipes, and if used multiple times, can measure larger quantities too. It has two clear interchangeable spoon bowls with printed measurements, It also saves space, fitting into your utensil crock or drawer instead of requiring a space on the shelf.
The Admetior Precision Spoon Scale is available on Amazon for $19.99.
If you think that I've been blogging heavily on Porsche Design-inspired kitchen gadgets lately, then you'd be right. I can't get enough of the cool designs and brushed aluminum look of their line of housewares. But I've saved the best for last in the trifecta of Porsche Design kitchen gadgets with this wall-mounted kitchen scale.
If you've read enough of my other posts (it's all right if you haven't, we can still be friends), then you'll know that I live in a space-challenged apartment in Brooklyn. OK, by Brooklyn standards, it's fairly spacious, but by the standards of, say, anywhere else but New York, it's a space that's tough to negotiate as a budding chef. Since I prefer my counter space to be clear of clutter while I'm working, most of my kitchen gizmos and gadgets end up piled on top of each other in one cabinet, and I have to rely on my good memory to find them when I need them. As a measure of security against guests trying to do annoying things, like help me cook, this setup is great. But, I'm not a jerk, and I like my guests to help me cook, and so anything that can save space in some other way is always a plus.
One device that always ends up on the bottom of the pile is my kitchen scale. I don't use it often, but I do use it when I'm using one of those old-school Italian cookbooks that lists ingredients by weight instead of by "cup" or "1/8 package" increments. I also use it for measuring the weight of fruit when I'm baking, weighing single portion sizes, and so on. These tasks are important, but digging around in the cabinet for the scale when I have to use it is a pain.
Apparently, I have some sort of telepathic link to the people who came up with an idea for the wall-mounted kitchen scale by Porsche Design. Forget the fact that one of the top designers in the automotive industry designed it: the scale has design choices that make a lot of practical sense, too. It mounts on the wall and holds up to 2kg of weight (or more if you choose to use the 'tare' function). It also has an integrated clock and timer, so you can ditch the countertop egg timer. And if you're not impressed by the functionality alone, keep in mind that it's pretty, and according to the Web site, "a small work of art for your kitchen."
Now all I have to do is cross my fingers and hope that it's eventually made available in the U.S.
I have a pan of brownies sitting on my counter. I keep an eye on what I eat, but that doesn't mean that I can't eat a sweet or two. The problem that I run into is that it's hard to decide just how much brownie I can have. I've looked around, but I haven't found any helpful information. One recipe suggested that 1/20 of a pan is the appropriate serving size for a brownie. However, I'm not going to spend my time dividing a pan that precisely.
The EatSmart Nutrition Scale provides an alternative. Beyond standard scale capabilities, it can estimate calories and nutrients, and make suggestions for portion size. In the past, it's been marketed to individuals with special dietary needs, such as diabetics trying to control blood glucose. It's also been marketed as a weight loss tool. I'd argue that EatSmart's scale provides information for anyone doing a fair amount of home cooking. After all, a bag of flour doesn't come with portion sizes for finished meals.
This scale is more expensive than the majority of kitchen scales. Most vendors list the EastSmart scale at $75. However, it does have significantly more functionality than the average kitchen scale. Most can't handle anything beyond simply weighing food.
