My Dearest Kitchen Scale,
I’m sorry. I didn’t know how much I needed you. Please don’t ever leave me again.
Love,
Miss. Mouse
Let me back up.
For years, I hated my kitchen scale. It took up space. It was constantly in the way in my small kitchens. I was always tossing it aside roughly and muttering about it.
I didn’t realize how much I actually used my kitchen scale until it finally broke one day.
Now, I’m normally the type to eyeball stuff in the kitchen, but sometimes, precision matters.
Happily, the good folks at EatSmart sent me a complimentary scale to review. (It was great timing, actually. Makes me wonder if they’re running some kind of Psychic Center for Battered Kitchen Electrics.)
EatSmart Precision Pro Scale: Two thumbs up
In short, I love this thing. It’s a great scale. It works really well, and has a bunch of features that are really useful for a home cook.
I’ve already found a nice home for it in one of my baking cabinets. I’m going to keep it in its box to keep it extra safe. And I promise to never (ever ever) toss it around even the teeniest bit.
Read on for the details about the scale and how to enter to win one of your own.
What’s in the box
Let’s start from the outside in.
The scale is packaged in a sturdy box, and comes with two AAA batteries and a calorie-counting booklet.
Turning the scale on
I popped the batteries in their compartment on the bottom of the scale, and was pleased as punch to find that they were fresh.
Note that the scale also has nice little rubber feet, to keep it from sliding all over your counter.
How the scale works
Unlike a lot of kitchen scales, the tare button is on the top, not the bottom, which is really convenient.
Pressing the unit button will toggle you through the scale’s four different units of measurement—ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms. I love this feature, because I hate doing conversions. The scale will hold up to 11 pounds.
This scale is also a smart, considerate little thing. It turns itself off after 3 minutes—not so long that you lose your measurement before you write it down, but short enough that you’re not wasting your batteries.
How accurate is the scale?
So at this point, I’ve decided that I like how this thing functions. But that doesn’t matter if it’s not accurate, right?
So, (*dramatic music*) I subjected it to one of The Mouse House’s most rigorous and scientific evaluations: The Cream Cheese Test.
In layman’s terms, I weighed an 8-ounce/227-gram brick of cream cheese.
With the wrapper on, it came in at 232 grams. It seems reasonable to me that the wrapper weighs 5 grams. (For those actual scientific types out there, I didn’t unwrap the cream cheese because I didn’t need to use it. These results were good enough for me.)
How much does the EatSmart scale cost? Where can I get one?
They’re reasonably priced at $25. They’re available for sale on Amazon.com. You can also enter to win one here for free.
Enter to win a EatSmart Precision Pro Scale!
Here’s how to enter. (This contest is open to U.S. residents only.)
- Leave a comment on this post about how you’ll use your kitchen scale.
- Enter a valid e-mail address on the comment form.
- Help spread the word and get up to two additional chances to win:
- Tweet about it!
Win a kitchen scale from @thehungrymouse http://tinyurl.com/yks8vzq
Leave a comment with your @twitter handle. - Blog about it!
Leave a comment with a link to your post.
- Tweet about it!
Contest closes at Midnight (EST) on Thursday, November 5, 2009.
One winner will be chosen on Friday, November 6 by random number generator and will receive an EatSmart Precision Pro Scale. Winner will be notified by e-mail.