Sunday, January 23, 2011

Using a digital scale when cooking and baking

Why use a digital scale when cooking or baking? Measuring ingredients by the cup or tablespoon was good enough for our mother's generation.

Why go digital? The simple answer is, "because we can." The longer answer is, "because we know that certain ingredients, such as flour, can vary significantly by volume, based on the amount of air mixed in with the ingredient." Any experienced baker knows that too much flour can ruin an otherwise perfect creation.

Many new cookbooks list both measurements by volume and weight.

For convenience, get a scale with a 'zero feature,' also known as 'tare weight,' like this one:

This allows you to put the bowl on the scale, set the digital read out back to 'zero' then add the 6 ounces of flour that is called for. You can then use the 'zero feature' a second time before adding the next ingredient.

www.themodernscale.com