Skip to main content

On Weights and Measures

On Day 1 of my hands on baking class I always ask my students if they already have a weighing scale. A digital one to be exact. If they don't have one, I give out a few basic rules on choosing and buying a better digital scale. Better because there are so many brands out there and this isn't a baking gadget that you pick up on a whim. After all, you will be weighing your precious ingredients on this thing. A 2 to 5 gram difference on the flour, sugar, water and milk will not be disastrous. But it will ruin the formula if it is salt. 

Salt should not be more than 1.8% if the fat you're using is salted butter or margarine. It would be fine if the fat is oil or shortening because both are bland in flavor. If the salt is lower than 1.6%, the flavor of the bread will not be balanced (although some people prefer reduced salt in their bread). Still, we're talking about a properly made bread and not a diet restricted formula. Although some breads in New York are really salty to my taste, 1.9-2% salt (baguettes for example), an additional 2 or 5 grams or vice versa will really put your recipe off balanced so that's why you need a really accurate scale down to the last 1 gram. 

My first rule, don't buy anything less than P1500.00. Most of my digital scales that lasted for more than 3 yrs are at this price range, about $32-$35.00. The ones that didn't last are about P800.00 to P1000.00 ($25.00), such a waste of money and I have about 3 of these that went to the bin. 

Second, read the reviews if you have the luxury of buying from Amazon or any stores online. I like the fact that I can get help from people I don't even know. Sometimes I spend days looking for the best deal. I'm not parting with my precious dollars just like that. Heck no.

If you are buying from a local store, department store or hardware store, bring 1 kilo of sugar with you. Get one that is branded like Hermanos or SM Bonus. Ask the store if you can test the scale by weighing the sugar. If it's accurate, then your good to go. Why? I had students who end up with falsely calibrated scales with a weight difference of up to 75 grams!!! That's why.

Basically that's it. Cross your fingers and hope you get the brand you will keep using for the next 10 yrs. What's my favorite brand?

My winner is the round black Ozeri, with 2 AA batteries. Not the ones operated by those hard to find watch batteries. Grrr! 
Ozeri Black is my constant companion for about 7 yrs now. I'm so happy with it. Just make sure you remove the batteries after use and NEVER EVER PUT ANYTHING ON TOP DURING STORAGE. In Filipino, huwag gawin patungan ng kung anu ano. Hindi po siya la mesa. 

My P4000.00 Tanita that I've been using for years got damaged when someone placed books on top of it. 😣 After that, the numbers went wild, up down and wouldn't sit still.

 This one is a goner. It doesn't tare. The numbers keep changing. Goodbye! This is Epica Accupro.

This is also Ozeri and still works but I haven't got the time to buy the expensive battery just yet. It's cheaper in the US though, I bought a 6 pack once but here in Manila, bleeh. So watch out. You can buy regular batteries from the sari sari stores but not this one. 
Bottom Right scale is both battery operated and can be plugged in so that's a bonus. I bought 2 of these from www.webstaurantstore.com and I am happy with it. 

I'm not an authority on digital scales, I am only sharing my experience working with them. If you have any horror stories about your digital scales, please do share them here.  If you are one of those who are lucky to be baking with a dinosaur scale like my Ozeri Black, tell us so we can share your joy. To the world.. 

November 21 24 28 Bread Making class. Hands on. 
*** will keep on updating this so stay with me..

Update: December 8, 2019
Was able to find my 2nd box of this scale with the electric cord. I seem to have misplaced the other and I'm sure I will find it when I dig into my other stuff. 
It's really convenient just in case you ran out of batteries.


This last one is not digital bit old school weighing scale.
The trick is to keep pressing the bowl until the arrow sets at 0. I like using this when I make a big batch. 
The increments is in 10s and can weigh up to 5 kgs. Pretty neat! The bowl is large so I guess it can take in 1 kg of flour and 3 kgs of meat. Still the accuracy of a digital scale is a must for commercial baking.
January schedule is 16 19 22. See you in class!
Text 09495705091 for inquiries. 
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you for the tips, will be very careful when I buy my scale for sure.
11:28 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3rd Class Flour, What's It All About

For starters i cannot make this Hard Monay if i did not bring any 3rd class flour or soft weak flour to New York. Once i ran out of 3rd class and tried Cake Flour, it turned bad, do not even think of using All Purpose, it will be soft but not chewy as this one made with yes, 3rd class indeed. So third class is hard to find here in the US if you will use that term. You have to say or look for soft wheat flour, that's it, not hard wheat flour, not cake or All purpose but something in between these two. It is easy to find in the Phil., just ask your local bakery suppliers and they know it is Tercera. Tercera is not for bread, bakers use it basically for cookies, cakes and other pastries, but we bakers know how to create bread recipes using part of this flour with the bread flour or hard wheat flour. It makes a softer version of any of your fave breads, with a cheaper price tag. Plus if i own a bakery, i get to use the third class for my cakes and cookies, lowering my food cos...
19 comments
Read more

Cutting Pandesal, Baston Style

So how do we really do the Baston style "singkit" cut? First start with a slightly stiff dough, if your dough does not have eggs or eggyolks, a hydration of around 55% is ideal. I have seen bakers use less water, but that will make your Pandesal too dry and dense after 1 day or so so try to keep it slightly on the soft side, but not too sticky. Why? If you use a sticky dough for the Baston style cut, the dough will spread and will have a flat look rather than a rounded shape we are all familiar with. In Tagalog, "lalapad" ang dough so medyo flat ung Pandesal. So after you mix the dough, divide it into 2 to 4 portions if you are mixing  kilogram. Experienced bakers divide their dough into 500 gram portions, i do mine the same way. Flatten the dough, focusing more on the length and not on the height. The height of the dough should be around 2 to 3 inches only. Next, fold the dough while pinching the edges making sure the dough surface ...
3 comments
Read more

Kape at Pandesal

When someone emailed me about Kape at Pandesal, i suddenly felt home sick. Just these two words. Dipping Pandesal in coffee. Who got this phenomenon or practice started? We all know the colonial Spanish era and Gregorio Zaide mentioned our fondness for idling around in the history books (Juan Tamad and siesta), but for breakfast? Who wants to jump up and down when you wake up? This is the answer. Dunking the warm, crispy Pandesal into hot, steaming coffee. How did this thing start? Who invented it? What made the Pinoys dunk their Pandesal? Maybe the Pandesal in those days are rock hard, or maybe it is one way to sweeten the bread. Baka may alamat dito. Is it because the Pandesal is salty in those days? After all, sal means salt right? The Italians love to dunk their Biscotti in coffee, but the Biscotti deserves it. Seriously, Biscottis if not dunked in coffee can give you a free tooth extraction. But the Pandesal? Okay to some, it cools down the coffee. Don't tell me they...
Post a Comment
Read more