Kitchen scales: mechanical, electronic or vintage? Our Gault&Millau selection
But it's not the only one. Since the dawn of time, scales have been used to weigh, measure and regulate commerce, and have become indispensable to cooks. Since Roberval, who had the idea of placing the pans on top of, rather than underneath, the plague, the utensil has become increasingly sophisticated. The result is an ever lighter, more reliable and more attractive model for our kitchens.
There's that chocolate fondant you make with your eyes closed and without weighing anything, which is the glory of your desserts. Then there's the "cup" method, which is a little approximate, and those "spoons" in Anglo-Saxon recipes, which you always wonder whether they should be calibrated flat or domed.... Cooking without scales? Difficult!
Sacré Auguste
It wasn't invented yesterday. It weighed pieces of bronze in Antiquity, salt during the Venetian Republic, and babies at birth.in his collection of 2,500 recipes, Auguste Escoffier makes the scales his own, even if he cheerfully mixes up spoons, grams and deciliters. No contemporary chef could do without them, let alone a pastry chef, and chocolate makers, whose alchemy cannot tolerate a single gram's difference. for them, the most sophisticated scales, for us the choice of a decorative or technical scale. Or both.
"Astro-nomy
The sturdy Roberval, with its two copper plates and its pretty weights with decreasing volume, used to be found in antique shops, but is no longer worth a fortune on Leboncoin today. The trebuchet with its mini-platter would be better reserved for the laboratory or goldsmiths, while the chrome or cream trade scale, with its lacquered steel platter and large triangular dial, is still the stuff of dreams. The luxury of being born between September 23 and October 23, under the eponymous sign. Astrology doesn't specify whether the Libra native, renowned for his diplomacy, for always being on the cutting edge of fashion, sociable and talkative, is also lucky enough to come into the world endowed with the gift of cooking without weighing.
For everyday use, the choice is truly personal. Should you opt for aesthetics, with an elegant mechanical scale, or play the vintage card with the mythical Terraillon in orange bakelite with smoked plastic bowl? Or combine your high standards with your culinary talents, and choose an ultra-flat, precise electronic model. Bowl or not, multifunction model, high-precision measuring spoon, even robot with scale extension: the proposals are endless, at all prices. For all of them, the rule is the same: the accessory must be placed on a stable, flat surface. An uneven surface could result in erroneous measurements. You haven't reached this level of talent to deserve this.
The Gault&Millau selection
Whether you need to weigh several kilos or just a few grams, here's an overview of the different scales, from the most precise to the most aesthetically pleasing.
- The elegant one. Matte black vintage electronic scale with removable bowl and liquid conversion, dishwasher-safe, "KSC01", Smeg, €149.99.
- The kinetic. Battery-free electronic scale, kinetic energy operation, one turn of the handle for 2 minutes of use, 10 kg capacity, "MBC2", Miago, €25.99.
- The meticulous one. Ultra-precise electronic scale, 0.10 g graduation, "Minutia", Essentiel B, €17.99.
- The cute one. Electronic scale with integrated handles and liquid conversion, "Macaron + Coco", Terraillon, €29.99.
- The retro one. 1950s-style black scale, analog and digital display, "KSF01", Smeg, €189.99.
- The original. Digital spoon scale for precise weighing of small quantities, "Cuillère à doser", Cook concept, €9.99.
