You may not expect this, but my most-used kitchen appliance is the OXO Digital Scale. Having an accurate digital scale can make or break many baking recipes and makes many, many tasks in the kitchen easier. I use mine several times per day for such tasks as brewing coffee, portioning out servings of leftovers, baking…anytime I use an ingredient that isn’t divided into clear serving sizes, I throw it on the scale. Never again will you need to guess what 3 ounces of dry spaghetti looks like or what size scoop of peanut butter actually amounts to one serving. Total control.

The model I linked to above is the 5 lb. capacity model that sells for under $30. I have the beefier OXO Digital Scale – 11 lb., but at a $20 discount, I think the 5 lb. model is a better deal. It should handle nearly every task you throw at it.

OXO Food Scale - 11 lb.

Any digital scale with a tare function will be useful to you, but my OXO has been performing reliably for several years now. I’ve even dropped it a few times. OXO has become synonymous with quality when applied to kitchen tools. If I’m shopping for a kitchen item, there’s a good chance I’ll look first to see if OXO makes it.

You can find the full list of MM Essentials here. If you have an Essential in your life that you would like to see here, let me know. I’d love to test it out and include it in an upcoming post.

[images via OXO]