One thing I learned from Alton Brown's "Good Eats" is that weight is a far better arbiter that volume for measuring when cooking. While this maxim has been known to professional chefs and bakers since time immemorial, I think the applications for our little hobby also hold true.
For our rubs, we often work with materials that a strong breeze, or the occasional sneeze, can rob us of much needed ingredients. Even with liquids, the exact ratios we mimic or create in our mops, brines, and sauces benefit from this level of exacting measurement.
Trust me ... when it comes to cooking/grilling/smoking I am not a precise man by nature; I prefer doing things by eye, by taste, by smell, or by touch and find that it's worked out pretty well so far. But let's be honest ... anyone who obsesses over exact temperatures over time and across multiple sessions should probably put the same level of consideration into the ingredients. I wanted an easy-to-use scale that's easy to store and not too hard on the wallet and I think the
Ozeri Touch Digital Kitchen Scale does the trick.
PROS:1. It's face is made of tempered glass and has so far been very sturdy with regard to basic design.
2. It's quite accurate; I even borrowed some weights from one of our labs to validate the scale's results.
3. The zeroing function is a huge benefit so I can keep running totals of actual ingredients rather than doign math in my head trying to subtract the weight of the vessel/container/bowl.
4. LOOOONNNNNGGGG battery life. This is undoubtedly helped by the handy auto-shutoff feature.
5. The LCD display is more than adequate for my needs in all lighting conditions.
6. The range of weights is from 0.1 oz. to 11 lbs., which allows for not only the measurement of spices, etc. but also for weighing the wood we use in the Smokin-It's.
CONS:1. The footprint is a bit small for a reasonably high weight limit; this is great for storage but is a bit of a concern for larger items being picked up by all four of its sensors (large baking dishes, etc.).
2. The bottom casing is a somewhat thin plastic; this is easy to clean and keeps the scale lightweight but I like a bit of heft in my tools ...
FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS:This scale does everything you can ask for and then some. While I had to unlearn some old bad habits and commit myself to becoming more exacting with my cooking and mixing, I think it's paid some real dividends for becoming a better smoker of meats.
VENDOR RECOMMENDATIONS:http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Professional-Digital-Kitchen-Tempered/dp/B003MSZBSI/ref=cm_cr-mr-title