By now, you should know that eyeballing a cup of sugar or teaspoon of baking soda does not cut it in baking. Even the slightest miscalculation can turn a fluffy chocolate cake into a dense sheet of sadness the moment it hits the counter. And while kitchen scales can help, pros like Christina Tosi like to take things a step further for maximum precision by using an ultra-accurate gem scale—a.k.a. the tool jewelers use to weigh precious gemstones. Because if it’s good enough for weighing rubies and sapphires, it’s good enough for weighing your kosher salt.
Weigh Gram
200g Digital Pocket Gram Scale
The two-time James Beard Award–winning chef and Milk Bar founder swung by the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen to show just how precise her Weigh Gram Jewelry Scale really is. It measures to the hundredth of a gram, which Tosi calls “diamonds-level weight.” To prove it, she measures out exactly one gram of salt on the gem scale, then places it on a standard kitchen scale, which doesn’t register a thing.
“The highest degree of a decimal [it can measure], the better,” Tosi says. “That’s when you’re going to get the most specific with your ingredients that make all the difference in micro changes.” These “micro changes” can be the defining factor in things like density, flavoring, and height. The more precise you are with your measurements, the more likely you are to deliver consistent, delicious results in the kitchen.
Impressive, right? Even more impressive—the Weigh Gram Jewelry Scale costs only $10. Each scale can weigh up to 200 grams at a time. It comes with touchscreen buttons and an LCD screen that makes it easy to see exactly how much something weighs, no squinting. There are six conversion units, too, in case you need to switch to ounces.
Being a serious baker means “you’re fussy when it makes a difference,” Tosi adds off-screen. “And if you’re an at-home baking pro or an aspiring one, you need one of these in your life.”
Watch the full Instagram reel to catch Tosi’s demo in action—then snag the scale for yourself while it’s still just $10. Your next batch of cookies (and cakes, and brownies) will thank you.
