I just tested OXO’s latest kitchen scale and it's got one feature that's a total game changer

If you asked me what my top five must-have kitchen gadgets, kitchen scales would be in my top three. They are an essential gadget that everyone should own — even if ordering takeout is your thing.

No amount of guesswork will help you estimate the correct amount of rice or flour you need for a recipe, and sometimes cup measurements aren’t precise. There’s really no alternative to owning an accurate kitchen scale, to help you serve up success in the kitchen.

I’ve been testing a range of kitchen scales to see how they perform, so with OXO’s reputation for designing practical equipment for around the home, this was one food scale I definitely wanted to test. Would OXO’s Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull-Out Display impress?

OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale: Price and availability

These aren’t the cheapest of kitchen scales, but you wouldn’t expect that with an OXO Good Grips Product. In fact, retailing at a list price of $55.95 at Amazon, (although at the time of writing, they are currently reduced by 14% to $48.15), they are nearly a hefty $20 more than KitchenAid’s Dual Kitchen Scale, which is $36.49 at Amazon.

Elsewhere you can find them at Walmart for $51.93, William Sonoma for $55.95, and direct from OXO for $55.99.

OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale: Design

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Although this scale doesn’t come with a bowl, don’t be put off, as its main feature is a game changer. It comes with an extendable display, which cuts short problems of being able to read measurements when using a large bowl.

Once extended, it reaches about 3.5 inches away from the platform. Plus, the display is set at a slight angle, which makes it easy to read. It also keeps the design sleek, with the display tucking back into place when not in use, making storage easy.

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It has a decent-sized platform, which measures 7 x 7 inches, giving plenty of space for bowls and pans, but it sits slightly raised on a black plastic base. This could cause issues with ingredients getting stuck beneath, especially if you’re a messy cook. However, OXO has thought of this, and the platform is detachable (more on this later).

The sleekness of the design is very similar to KitchenAid’s Dual Kitchen Scale, although this one doesn’t come with a precision scale. They are also a mix of stainless steel and black plastic, with the stainless steel being more than happy to show fingerprints and watermarks!

The controls are integrated into the display screen to minimize where ingredients can lurk, although I still found they accumulated around the edge of the screen.

OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale: Ease of use

Overall, I found the OXO scales intuitive and easy to use and they have a few welcome features that weren’t there just for the hell of it.

Powering up
The OXO kitchen scale’s battery housing is on the gadget’s reverse. Just flip over the scale and remove the casing before inserting 4 x AAA batteries, which are luckily included, so there’s no need to rummage around your drawers to find spare batteries.

This is double the amount of batteries than is needed for the Elekcity Digital Scale and one more than the Joseph Joseph Switch Scale.

Controls and measurements
You’ll find two buttons on the front of the scale that are integrated into the display. Turn the scale on by pressing the button on the left. The same button works as the tare function, and will reset your scale back to zero. To turn the scale off, you just need to hold the button down for slightly longer.

If you haven’t used the scale for five minutes, the display will switch to stand-by mode, dim, and retain its memory. This stays on for three minutes longer than the Etekcity kitchen scale. You can reactivate the scale by pressing any button. However, after 15 minutes, the scale has an auto-shut-off function, and the memory will be lost. It will then need to be switched on by the Power On icon.

I like that it stays on for 15 minutes, as I can often get distracted or pulled away from the kitchen, so this ensures you’ve got extra time to get back on track without weighing your ingredients again.

The button on the right of the display controls the measurement, which can be switched from kg/g and lb/oz. It’s simple to switch, meaning it’s not an issue if you’re using a mix of imperial and metric measurements for a recipe.

You can also monitor the capacity level of the scale on the right of the display, which gives you an indication of when you're getting close to the maximum 11lb (5kg) capacity.

Tare function
You’ll have to remember to use the tare function if you place your choice of measuring bowl onto the scale once you’ve turned it on. You can also make use of it to reset the scale if you are measuring more than one ingredient at a time. It’s a function that I always use, and is a must-have on my list.

Display
The pull-out display makes this scale exceptionally easy to use, and there’s no question that this could be the main reason you chose this product over other models. It also gives you the flexibility to use large pots on the scale without cutting off the display. What’s more, although the scale is slimline, the display is positioned at an easy-to-view angle, meaning you won’t need to crane your head to see the measurements.

Storage
With no bowl to contend with and a slim design, this kitchen scale is easy to store. And, although it’s not an unattractive design, I wouldn’t keep this out on display.

It’s not a heavy scale, but I noticed it felt heavier than the KitchenAid Dual Kitchen Scale, so I decided to weigh them to discover the difference. I was right — the KitchenAid scale weighed 1lb 4.5oz, 5.2oz lighter than the OXO scale.

OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale: Accuracy

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Most of the kitchen scales I’ve tested weren’t spot on when measuring 1g, and this wasn’t any different for the OXO scale. However, where they did differ was that other scales were accurate once they measured 2g and upwards.

Although the OXO scale measured 2g accurately, when it came to 5g, it measured 6g, keeping to the same measurement when it was placed in the center and the outer edge of the scale.

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My final test was adding 170g, using a 1g, 20g, 50g, and 100g calibrated weight. And, like with other tests, I placed them in the center and at the edge of the scale. Strangely, the 170g weight measured 172g in the center and 171g on the edge.

I finished my test by taking a level teaspoon of dried yeast, to see how it would respond to a small amount of ingredients. Just like the other scales, such as the Etekcity and Joseph Joseph Switch Scale, it measured 3g.

Throughout all the accuracy testing, the scale responded quickly, without faltering, before it gave a reading.

OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale: Cleaning

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OXO recommends cleaning the scale with a damp cloth, but I also found it needed polishing with a microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints and watermarks.

You can also remove the platform, which resolves the issue of ingredients getting caught beneath the base and the platform. I was worried I might damage the clips when removing and replacing them, and I wondered how this would survive after months of use.

However, despite this fear, removing the platform to clean allows you to place raw protein directly on the scale, knowing that you can remove it and give it a thorough clean. Alternatively, you can weigh protein in a bowl or place a piece of parchment paper on the scale.

OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale: Verdict

If you like to weigh ingredients using large bowls and pots, this is the kitchen scale for you. The pull-out display, which can stay put, gives even more added flexibility and serves as the key selling point for this appliance.

It records measurements fast, has an extra long time-out function, and lets you know when the scale is near capacity.

Plus, with the battery indicator, you’ll never run out of juice at a critical moment. There are other options that aren’t as pricey, so you’ll need to weigh up whether paying out extra dollars is worth it.