Salter add and weigh scale

I love this weighing scale, it is such a perfect example of a well-designed, functional and yet beautiful item, that I thought I would share it with you.

I bought it a couple of years ago on a whim - I didn't need any scales but I saw it in the shop and fell in love with it.

It's made by Salter, it's their 'add and weigh' scale and has clearly been designed by someone who understands how good design can make the cooking process so much easier. Not to mention minimising the amount of washing-up, which is always a good thing in my book.



It looks great - stainless steel jug and a matt black and steel base. Not only that, it stores in the absolute minimum of space by turning the jug upside down and placing it over the base. The only thing that would make it smaller would be if it were telescopic.

Secondly, it's very, very functional. The reason it's called 'add and weigh' is that you can effectively 'zero' the measurement and then add the next ingredient. But unlike electronic scales which need batteries, this is a purely mechanical scale and very simple - something which I think it hugely under-appreciated in these days of electronic everything.

The base is made of two parts - the inner part contains the weighing equipment and the needle. Over this, the matt black cover is loose, and contains a window with the dial printed on it, with both imperial and metric units. To zero the scale, you simple turn the black cover so that the zero of the dial is over the needle.

Not only can you zero it and then add more ingredients, you can also weigh directly into any measuring bowl or pan, saving having to wash up the jug. This means you are not limited as to what volume of ingredient you can weigh by the size of the jug.

The jug itself is handy, the handle and lip making it easier to move ingredients from the scale to the pan or bowl.

Inside the jug are scales for imperial and metric liquid measurements, 'cups' and so on. All this for £20 and no batteries required. What's not to like?

I do also own an electronic scale for when I need to weigh small things very accurately. (I'm talking about wool and fibre, not illegal substances!) But every time I get my Salter scale out to do some baking, my inner design geek gives a little coo!