Digital kitchen scale
A digital scale reading to the gram, used for syrups, saline, batches and checking what a jigger or a barspoon really holds.
What it's for: Making syrups and solutions by weight, and checking measures.
What it changes in the drink
Repeatability. Syrups and saline solutions are defined by weight, and sugar packs differently from cup to cup. A scale makes a 2:1 syrup the same every time and tells you what your jigger and barspoon really hold.
Do you need one? Worth having
Most kitchens have one; it is what makes the syrup and saline calculators exact.
- Good substitute
- Measuring jugs and cups, accepting a little variation in syrup strength.
- Poor substitute: balance scales with imperial weights
- Too coarse for the few grams of salt a saline solution turns on.
- Typical size
- One-gram resolution and at least 2kg capacity covers syrups and batches.
Making a syrup by weight
- Put the jug on the scale and press tare.
- Add the sugar to the weight you want, tare again, and add the water.
- Stir or warm gently until dissolved. Weigh the result if you want the exact yield.
Common mistakes
- Measuring salt for saline by the spoon. Grain size changes how much a spoonful weighs; weigh it.
Cleaning and care
Wipe; never immerse. Replace the battery before it reads low; weak batteries read wrong before they die.
What to look for
One-gram resolution, a tare button and a capacity of at least 2kg. A second, 0.1g scale only matters if you make tinctures or weigh salt for small batches.