Kitchen Scales

[Fresh01]

Hi,

Wondering if anyone had any recommendations on kitchen scales? Both my electronic and manual ones died last week, mind you they were both 8-10 years old. Can't decide whether to get another manual or electronic set? Any recommendations? Need to be kid friendly as the girls (under 6) like "assisting".

We were given an olde fashioned balance type as a wedding present - brass pan and brass weights. Snazzy electronic scales died years ago but there' s really nothing on these ones to go wrong! Quite good for arithmetic as the dcs work out what combination of weights gives (say) 275g. Only quibble is the pan doesn't hold spaghetti very well. Oh and the danger of DCs dropping the weights on your best china dish ...

Thanks for that idea, might look into that style of scale. Was talking to mother in law and she is still using same set she got 50 years ago for her wedding. She just got metric weights for them a few years ago. She said if I wanted a set she would get them for my birthday next month : )

I'd get a non-digital one. Our digital one always turns itself off halfway through weighing things when I get distracted by my rampaging toddler / knock at the door / .

I just got these and i love them although id maybe go for black if i could pick again! They are really heavy and decent size bowl. I bake alot and these are great. Were £39.99 and worth the money imo.

www.kitchencraft.co.uk/catalogue/detail.aspx?pid=19026&gid=41609&pg=k%2b5gsmiLYWdPlSm%2b2TITbw%3d%3d

Forgot link!! doh!!!!!

Kitchen Craft Cream Enamelled Mechanical Kitchen Scale - not sure why link failed....brain frazzled...off to bed to recharge!!!

I like the look of manual scales, but they take up way too much counter space IMO. If you've got a huge AGA-type kitchen fine but otherwise...The little Salter electronic scale I've got has a very small footprint, is very reliable, takes normal batteries not lithium (I use rechargable).Really easy to switch between imperial and metric which I find useful, and to zero so you can use any container. And easy to keep clean.

For many years I had the one which measures liquids too, wish I'd got another of those TBH.

I have my grandmothers' scales (apostrophe in the right place, I have two sets, one from each grandmother!). My gran's pan balance has a lovely big pan that is just right for doing big bakes; my nan's pan balance has a smaller brass pan that is less useful (although it looks delightful).

I have both their sets of brass weights in imperial, and a metric set of brass weights that I bought myself - they weren't easy to find but I managed it eventually!

I would never swap these for any kind of spring balance (which are rubbish at small weights) or digital scales, which can go wrong and/or need power/batteries. But I appreciate they're hard to get decent ones without paying stupid prices for them now. Like this example, which is on sale for £145 - but it has a decent sized pan at least.

john lewis digital ones cheap and cheerful, really thin so hide in cupboard.