Which Weighing Scales Should I Use For Baking?

Our answer

Nigella uses metric scales for baking as accuracy is important for most cakes, such as the Cupcakes (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS), which are based on a Victoria sponge where the weights of butter, sugar and flour should all be the same. Cup measures are not as reliable as scales as the way you put the ingredients into the cup, how firmly you pack the cup and many other factors can lead to quite a variance in the weight of each cup measure.

If you are looking at buying a set of scales then we would suggest buying a set of digital scales. These usually have several functions, including metric and imperial weights and a function to measure liquid volumes in millilitres. We would also suggest buying a set that has an "add and weigh" function. This is usually labelled as a "tare" function and lets you reset the scales to zero. So you can put a bowl on the scales and set it to zero, then weigh each ingredient into the bowl, resetting to zero in between each ingredient. Digital scales are also usually fairly slimline, so they don't take up much storage space. There are so many brands available that we don't have a favourite, just aim for one that fits your budget.