There are lot of kitchen gadgets available that are fun to have, but not really necessary. Others are indispensable, and we highly recommend that you invest in a digital kitchen scale if you do not already have one. It is much easier, faster, and more accurate to weigh your ingredients, and once you start using a scale, you will wonder how you ever got by without one. The only time we recommend using measuring cups or spoons is to find out how much an ingredient weighs, so you never have to measure it again!
A scale is essential for consistently good results when baking because flour is impossible to measure accurately. The same person measuring exactly the same way each time will still be off by up to 10%. That may not sound like a lot, but it is the reason why one batch of cookies runs all over the pan and another batch with the same recipe is dry and crumbly. Another reason for inconsistency is that measuring cups and spoons are not standardized. One set can hold different volumes than another set, and that can make the same recipe come out quite differently. There is no question that you will get better and more consistent results when you weigh your ingredients, but you also save time and dishes! This video shows how much faster it is to weigh your ingredients:
