I use a digital kitchen scale practically every day. If you're serious about baking or developing recipes, it's a necessity. You may notice some of the more professional baking cookbooks show the weights of ingredients. It's a much more accurate way to measure than by using cups and spoons. When I develop a recipe using an ingredient like fish or chicken, I specify the weight because it makes a big difference in cooking time and also in terms of servings. For example, a salmon steak could be as small as 6 ounces or over a pound.
Kitchen scales can get pretty expensive but the most recent one I tried, the EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale is not expensive at all and has a lot going for it. If you are looking for a basic digital scale I would definitely recommend it. I spent about $50 for my Salter Aquatronic scale when my earlier scale, a Tanita died. It's a little more accurate for very small measurements (under one ounce) and it has a larger bed, but other than that, it really doesn't have any other advantages over this less expensive compact model. Since I'm generally using the tare function to "zero out" the bowl or plate anyway, the size isn't a big problem for me. I think the small size has a lot to do with the fact that it is marketed as a way to count calories.
Pros:
+ Very inexpensive, $25 (and qualifies for free shipping)
+ Small and compact
+ Plastic and well sealed, easy to clean
+ Easily switches from ounces to grams
+ Measures down to half and ounce
+ Auto shut off after just a couple of minutes
+ Uses 2 AAA batteries
+ Large display
+ Easy to clean
Cons:
- Small bed means larger items won't fit unless placed in a bowl (which you must tare or "zero out")
- When weighing larger quantities reading the display can be a challenge
- Weight limit is 11 pounds
- Scale died after 3 years
