Kitchen Scales and Food Thermometers: Which Do You Need?

Kitchen scales and food thermometers both replace guesswork with measurement. They solve different problems, so many cooks start with whichever matches what they cook most.

Kitchen scales

A scale measures ingredients by weight rather than by volume. It is especially useful for baking, where small differences in the amount of flour or other ingredients can change the result.

• Digital or mechanical: digital scales are common and easy to read. Mechanical scales use a dial and do not need batteries.
• Tare function: this lets you reset the display to zero after placing a bowl on the scale, so you can weigh ingredients directly into it.
• Units: look for a scale that switches between the units used in your recipes.
• Capacity and platform size: check the maximum weight, and make sure the platform is large enough for your bowls.
• Cleaning and storage: a flat surface is easier to wipe down, and a slim scale is easier to store.

Food thermometers

A thermometer shows the temperature of food, which helps you judge doneness without cutting into it.

• Instant-read thermometers give a quick reading when you insert the probe near the end of cooking.
• Leave-in probe thermometers stay in the food while it cooks and often connect to a display outside the oven.
• Oven thermometers show the temperature inside the oven, which can differ from the dial setting.
• Candy or deep-fry thermometers are made for the higher temperatures used in sugar work and frying.

When using a thermometer, insert the probe into the thickest part of the food, away from bone and the pan. For safe minimum temperatures for different foods, refer to guidance from the U.S. government’s food safety resources, and follow the instructions that come with your thermometer, including how to check its accuracy.

Features worth checking

• Display that is easy to read, with a backlight if you cook in low light.
• Reading speed and how long the probe is.
• Whether it is water resistant and easy to clean.
• Battery type and whether it can be replaced.

Which one should you get?

• If you bake often, start with a scale.
• If you cook meat, poultry, or fish often, a thermometer is a useful tool.
• If you do both, you may eventually want both.

Specifications vary by model, so confirm the details with the retailer before you buy.