I have a food scale and rarely use it these days. It is good for getting to learn proportions though. My plan is fairly regimented, so in the beginning I would weigh out my protein serving (chicken/fish/etc) to see how much 5 oz of salmon or 6 oz of chicken breast looked like.
It really showed me how off my estimates would have been before - turns out 6 oz of chicken breast is way more than I would have thought.
If you decide to get one - the America's Test Kitchen folks had really good things to say about the OXO brand one with the pullout display, but all the ones they tested - even the cheapest ones - were accurate they said. I have a cheap-o one that's lasted me forever!
I have the biggest loser scale from bed bath and beyond. I got it because it was pretty cheap (with their 20 percent of coupon). And I think it works great. I also just use mine to weight chicken and beef.
I've got a fairly cheap and simple digital Salter scale, I think it was under $30, but that was 5 years ago. It's got a whole two buttons... one to turn on/tare, and one for switching between metric/english. My only real requirement when shopping for a scale was that it be precise enough to measure down to 1 gram, so I just bought whatever I could find... but it turns out Salter is a pretty popular and well-trusted brand.
I'm with Amanda. I have the BL scale which is actually made by Taylor. I picked it up at BB&B for $20. When I was doing WW I was a lot more religious about weighing EVERYTHING out and loved it because of it's TARE capability (meaning, you can put a bowl on the scale and reset it to zero... or measure your salad out and then zero out and add in chick peas for instance).
I got a cheapo food scale form walmart for like $5. I use it to measure out proportions of meat and I use it a lot when I cook meals. I really do like it.
I have one that I got about a year ago when I started feeding my dogs raw food. It was $11 from the local hi-school pharmacy. It's got a couple of buttons (on/tare, off, kilo/lb) but it's super easy to use. I use quite a it like to measure 1 oz of corn chips or cheese or something. I'd say get something in your price range and see how much you use it after a few months. You can always upgrade if you wear it out!
I found a GREAT deal on a digital scal eby taylor after xmas at target! it was originally approx 70 or 80 bucks i think, but i got it for under 30 and i LOVE IT. it measures out to the gram, or oz or kilogram..... of course it has the "tare" function, but the best thing (which i didnt even REALIZE when i bought it) is that it has like 9000 food progrmed into it!! i put an apple on it, it comes out to 133 grams, i look uo the code for apple in the book it came with , punch in the code, and VOILA! i get the calorie count for the 133 gram apple, i can get the carb count, the sodium content, fat, fiber, protein, whatever! i weigh EVERYTHING. i love it!
I just oredered one from Acehardware.com (I know right, a hardware store?) it was only 29.99 w/ no tax and free shipping! I couldn't pass it up. I should get it on Thursday according to UPS. I plan on using mine to weigh meats primarilly since I'm awful with guestimating!! I think you should really just bite the bullet and get one. Couldn't hurt right?
I have a cheap one, not digital, that I got for like 5 bucks. I really like it because I can "zero" it with a little dial on the back so I can weigh with or without the cup. I use it for cheese and meat and stuff.
I have a Hanson digital scale, but it got shaken a few times so it always shows 20 grams less than a food actually weighs. It comes with a 10 year manufacturer's guarantee, but I've lost my proof of purchase Going to get a new one as a 20lb loss reward (and keep hold of the receipt!) I think this current one I bought on Amazon because it was the cheapest option at the time. I think it's especially handy to have a scale for foods like nuts and cheese and breakfast cereal.
Last edited by Sanna Maria; 01-20-2010 at 06:17 AM.
I love my food scale!! I got it from weight watchers and I think it was only like 30 bucks. Mine also has the option to type in the different foods you're weighing and it will give you the points value for it!! I definitely think it's worth the money, I use it everyday!
Food Scales
Going to get a new one as a 20lb loss reward (and keep hold of the receipt!) 
I think this current one I bought on Amazon because it was the cheapest option at the time. I think it's especially handy to have a scale for foods like nuts and cheese and breakfast cereal.
