A good kitchen scale can be an investment but it is an invaluable tool with so many uses in baking. Weighing ingredients, and weighing batter in your pans, just to name a couple.

There are two basic types of scales:

• Spring-loaded scales with a needle and numbers on it show weight in ounces, pounds and/or grams.

• Digital scales offer the same information, plus a tare option, which will deduct the weight of your pan or bowl if it is placed on the scale, then hitting the tare button before adding ingredients or batter.

Look for a scale with a nice level surface that is designed so that you can see the face when you have a large pan on it. If you choose a digital scale, consider purchasing a power adapter for it so low batteries is never a concern.