My Name Is Bakingfool and I Have a Problem

[PaulO in MA]

What kind of scale do you have? I just have an old-style non-didtial scale. It wasn't expensive. I think the brand is Good Cook.

I should switch to weight for baking.

Going to make dough for French bread tonight and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

My wife e-mailed on Friday that with the nice weather here she wants to sit outside at lunchtime reading a book and having bread and cheese.

[bakingfool]

It's an inexpensive Salter digital scale that I picked up seven or eight years ago.

I typically buy our groceries in bulk, so I use the scale to portion out things like meat, cheese and butter. For example, I'll portion one ten-pound package of meat into ten one-pound packages, divide one two-pound block of cheese into four half-pound blocks, etc. For that, the scale is great.

But, I learned to bake using measuring cups for dry ingredients, and that's what I'm most comfortable using.

Plus, I'm one of those people who bake by "feel." If the dough "feels" right, even without the full amount of flour, I stop adding flour. If the dough "feels" like it needs more flour, I add it. My unorthodox methods drive my dear mother-in-law crazy, since she's all about precision, but using the scale to bake just seems like kind of a hassle to me.

I guess you really can't teach an old dog new tricks!

[Red Apple Guy]

A good scale now can be had for $25 to $30. Most are accurate to 1 g but some exceed that. Watch out for maximum weight as some stop at 2 lbs, others go to 5 pounds. I have an OXO i bought at a grocery store and a Tonito I bought on line.

They speed up baking. I add ingredients to the same bowl, clearing or taring the scale with a button between ingredients.

Red

[duonyte]

I had a Polder or Salter that was dropped one too many times. I now have two that I bought from Aldi for $10, work very well. I find them a convenience for many of the recipes here that are listed in weights. Digital is the way to go!

I grew up using volume measurements, am comfortable using both. Don't want to have to convert things. Mine go up to 11 lbs which is plenty for me. Of course weight is more accurate and certain, but I also sometimes just pour out the, say, salt into my hand - I've been cooking long enough that for many things I can eyeball pretty accurately.

You can often find digital scales on sale and they are so worth having - even if you just use them from time to time. I use mine at least weekly, although probably not daily.