buy an electronic kitchen scale

I keep meaning to do this, and when I do, I’ll go for the My Weigh i5000 scale recommended on the Cooking for Engineers blog. My current foodie gadget lust is for a ThermoWorks ThermaPen professional cooking thermometer ($85) that gives a stable readout in 1-3 seconds. Unlike those instant-read thermometers that aren’t.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=95

I use the scale mostly for measuring incredients for making break… and occasionally for weighing letters.

I suggest getting one that has a flat surface so you can use your own dishes (rather than the kind that come with a bowl attached) and one that easily switches from ounces to grams.

Getting a good kitchen scale really brought my tool set up to the minimum level for becoming a very good cook. Do get one with the tare function so you can cancel out the weight of the measuring bowl and do add & weigh. I like my Salter 6055. Very compact and easy to clean.