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Terry[_3_]

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:13:12 +0000 (UTC), (axlq)
wrote:

>I went looking online for kitchen scales today. Lots of digital
>things, but nothing I am looking for.
>
>For the past 40 years my mother had (from Germany) this incredibly
>useful kitchen scale. It needed no batteries, had no moving
>mechanism (just a couple parts you move yourself), simple to
>operate, fool-proof, etc.
>
>The whole thing was plastic. It consisted of a measuring cup at
>one end of a balance beam, a counterweight at the other end, and a
>sliding pivot in the middle, on which the whole scale would balance
>on your countertop. The sliding piece had a small bubble-level in
>it. Well, not all plastic; the counterweight clearly had some metal
>in it and the bubble-level contained liquid.
>
>You set the sliding thing to point at the weight you want (written
>on the balance beam) and fill the measuring cup with ingredients
>until the bubble-level shows it's balanced. The scale will then be
>sitting on your countertop rocking back and forth on the sliding
>pivot. In ASCII art (fixed-width font) it looked something like
>this:
>
> measuring
> \ cup / sliding adjustable
> \ / pivot counterweight
> \__/ ____ ____
> |===============| |=======####
> balance beam \/
>
>Of course, being from Germany, the weights on the balance beam were
>marked off in grams, and the volume increments on the measuring cup
>showed milliliters. That's OK.
>
>Try as I might, I can't find this device ANYWHERE. Not on eBay, not
>on my Google searches, noplace. Are these still sold anymore?
>
>-A

Hello Axlq,

I don't know if the "single-beam balance" is still sold, though
triple-beam ("trip") balances are readily available. A trip balance
has three beams and three weights; 100g, 10g, 1g is common.

I had to use trip balances in high school chemistry. Today's
electronic balances are SOOOO much more convenient (trust me; I've
taught chemistry for mumble-mumble years). My electronic kitchen
scale was under $20, and I can do much the same as you did with your
mom's balance. You use what is called a "tare" button on the balance.

Want to weigh 750 g flour?
--Push ON button. Balance reads 0g.
--Put the cup or bowl on the balance. Now it reads something more,
say 224 g
--Press TARE. The balance again reads 0g. It's automatically
subtracted the weight of your cup/bowl.
--Spoon in flour. When you get close to 750 g, slow down. Stop when
it reads 750 g. Done.
--Need to weigh another ingredient? Just put the new cup/bowl on the
balance and TARE again. Reads zero again. Go for it.

My scale will weigh up to 5000 grams to plus or minus a gram. When
making bread I can weigh both the flour and the yeast if I want...

Hope this helps -- Terry