Review on Escali ECO157 Digital Kitchen Bamboo by Brandon Burnham

I like everything about this scale! While my old digital platform scale still measured accurately, they were pretty old to the point that they wouldn't turn back on without the hassle of removing and swapping out new batteries at least a few times while I stood on one foot, fingers crossed and prayed. over him. ;) So I had to go ahead and find a replacement. I knew I needed an accurate scale that could tare and easily switch between ounces and grams. And I didn't want a backlit model because I don't really need that feature and I've found that this feature can decrease battery life. With that in mind, I scoured the web for reviews and found that Wirecutter (from NY Times), Bon Appétit, and the publishers of Epicurious ALL chose Escali scales (same brand but older model) as their top pick . . Your Escali endorsement was enough for me! I love this thing! First, is it actually made of bamboo? YUP! Photos are attached to this review so you can see the scale next to the bamboo salt shaker and one showing a cross section of the thinner part of the wood finish where it was cut to fit the display case (the sides are thicker than the part cut off). it can be seen in this photo but other reviewers showed the sides so I didn't bother). The bamboo top looks like a bamboo cutting board that has been chiseled/cut from underneath to accommodate the electronics (although it's bamboo I would never use it as a cutting board because of the electronics). Bamboo is smooth and well finished, with no crevices that would be difficult to wipe out. And that's the cool part: when I'm not using the scale (because, let's be honest, you don't use it every minute when you're in the kitchen, do you?) it looks gorgeous outside with my wooden cutting boards - it fits perfectly and with part of the display obscured, it would *really* be hard to tell it wasn't an actual cutting board unless you lift it. I have a small kitchen so I like that it doesn't look like an electronic device or gadget. And the design is thin enough that you can keep it on a shelf with cookbooks etc when that works better than leaving it on the counter. At first I thought a platform scale would be MUCH better for baking since I've eaten them before, but I don't mind because the surface area is large enough to fit in my largest mixing bowls. I have no problem seeing the display, even with my largest bowl or even a large grill or pot on the surface. The tare function works well, the unit conversion between grams to ounces to pounds + ounces to fluid ounces (applies only to water btw as other liquids weigh differently than water) works well. And the hold feature is a nice little bonus. As I have occasionally used a kitchen scale to measure lighter but bulkier shipping boxes, the scale can hold up to 15 pounds depending on the box. To use the hold function: Press and hold , place an item on the scale surface and after a second or two you will hear a beep once the item's weight has been registered. Remove the product and the weight remains on the display! You no longer have to look under a box or bulky item to find out how much it weighs. ;) I also like that these scales store readings on the display for up to 5 minutes. With my old scale, I sometimes had trouble measuring something when I had to open a new packet of flour or sugar to add more when I ran out of something in a container while measuring. It's nice to have a little more time to grab what I need or get back to the recipe etc. The only negative I can think of is that the tare function button sometimes requires an extra press to reset itself. I don't really care, but thought I should mention that you may have to wait a second for it to reset to zero, or maybe even press the button again. Even when my old scale was brand new, I had to press the tare button multiple times (10 times or more) and often I couldn't tare until I cycled the scale. So I can wait a second or just press the button again. I still feel it, but nothing about it has bothered or disappointed me so far. And it takes about a second to register the weight of supplements, but it's not long enough to accidentally make a mistake. In any case, I measure quite slowly, so it was easy for me to measure, for example, the weight of sugar or flour, to determine the exact weight in grams I needed without adding too much. It is great for baking, cooking, serving and portioning meals at home. Commercial bakers may need an instant response when measuring product at lightning speed. but at home I don't feel held back or slowed down by these scales. I tested it on my old scale, which I know to be accurate (although sometimes it won't turn on lol) and weighed items of known weight. This scale seems very accurate, especially if you place the object in the center of the platform like you would with any other scale. I'm a "kitchenie" and pretty picky about what I use. With functionality and a bamboo finish, this is one of the coolest kitchen tools I've ever owned!