Why Use a Food Scale?
From home kitchens to professional work stations, scales are an essential tool for ensuring accuracy, consistency and the overall quality of food. In a commercial setting, scales also act to save time and money as they take the guesswork out of food preparation while reducing any garnish-happy wastage.
What To Look For When Buying a Food Scale
When searching for a food scale, we recommend you evaluate them using three criteria to ensure they meet your needs.
- Capacity: refers to the maximum weight that a scale is capable of weighing.
- Resolution: Means the smallest increment in applied weight that can be detected or displayed on a digital scale.
- Waterproof: To withstand the rigours of kitchen life, you want a food scale that is resistant to dust, dirt and water. Always check the IP rating is up to par with the tasks at hand.
The Five Best Food Scales
The Instrument Choice Scientists have compiled a list of the best food scales from our extensive range. These we present to you highlighting key features and specifications.
1. 1.5 kg Valor 7000 Compact Food Scale
Product Code: IC-V71P1502T
Built for a seamless, hassle-free user experience, the Valor 7000features front and rear touchless sensors that help minimise scale contamination. The unit features a user-friendly menu and setup, various weighing application modes, a fast measurement time, and, most importantly, it’s very accurate.
Specifications
Capacity: 1.5kg
Resolution: 0.1g
Waterproof: IP43
Other capacities: 3kg x 0.1g, 6 kg x 0.2 g, 15 kg x 0.5 g and 30 kg x 1 g
2. 1000 g x 0.5 HL-WP Professional Catering Scale 
Product Code: IC-HL1000WP
Rugged and portable, the IC-HL1000WP is the perfect device for any professional caterer or chef. Outstanding features include the display of 3000 divisions for maximum accuracy, a washable body made of stainless steel and its small footprint, which will help you maximise your usable bench space.
Specifications
Capacity: 1kg
Resolution: 0.5g
Waterproof: IP65
Other capacities: 300 g x 0.1 and 3000 g x 1
3. 30kg x 1g SW30 Food Grade Portion Scale
Product Code: IC-SW-30
The IC-SW-30 scale is an incredibly popular choice for commercial kitchens and bakeries. It features a large 200 x 225 weighing platform, three intuitive mechanical keys, and a bright LED backlight. These impressive features, all at an affordable price, it's easy to see why this scale has earnt its place in the list of best food scales of 2020.
Specifications
Capacity: 30kg
Resolution: 1g
Waterproof: IP65
4. 15 kg FD Series Food Scale
Product Code: IC-FD15H
The FD Food bench scale is a multi-use portioning scale, specially designed for food portioning, check weighing as well as a range of other foodservice applications. Features include a bright backlit LCD screen, sturdy stainless steel construction, stable weight display that resolves within 2 seconds, and several useful check-weighing modes.
Specifications
Capacity: 15kg
Resolution: 1g
Waterproof: IP43
Other capacities: 3 kg x 0.1g and 6kg x 0.2g
5. 6000g x 1g - Valor 3000 Compact Food Scale 
Product Code: IC-V31XW6
The Valor 3000 combines a rugged, full stainless design, with high- performance, and portability. The encompassing stainless steel housing includes a removable weighing pan, which helps ensure the scale is safe and easy to clean. The 10x capacity overload protection acts as a safeguard against accidental overloading.
The IC-V31XW6 is operator-friendly, offers extreme safety protection, together with outstanding performance.
Specifications
Capacity: 2kg
Resolution: 0.1g
Waterproof: IP65
Conclusion
The best food scales of 2020 offer a variety of features and specifications - which is great you’re almost certain to find a device that’s right for your application. We hope our analysis helps if you’re currently looking for a product.
If you’re needing a food scale and want a hand finding the right food scale for your application, speak with an Instrument Choice Scientist! We're here to help! Call 1300 737 871 or email customer-service@instrumentchoice.com.au.
