Dough Scale
Most homes do not have a dough scale in them, nor do they really need them. However, professionals, especially in certain lines of work, not only want to have a dough scale in their establishment, they absolutely must have one. The two most common people who might need one of these scales are the baker and the pizza maker. There are several factors to consider when choosing this valuable tool: size, material and, of course, cost.
A dough scale is a vital part of the commercial kitchen because it helps with consistency. When you make pizza at home, you measure out cups of flour, water, etc and end up with a dough ball the size of your bowl or container. In a commercial kitchen, you measure pounds of flour with gallons of water to end up with extreme dough balls. Because you have to have a set size for each dough ball, you toss it on your scale and weigh it out. That way, you know that you can toss this dough onto your pan and make the pizza, loaf of bread or other baked goods and have it come out correctly.
The size of the scale that you need may depend on the amount of business that you do or the size of the typical dough balls that you create. For instance, if you are making five or ten pound batches of dough, the scale should be fairly large. On the other hand, if you make dough in one or two pound batches throughout the day, you can do with a smaller scale. But, here is the thing you need to consider: a larger scale can handle smaller amounts, but a smaller scale may not be able to handle the larger batches.
The material that you choose should be easy to clean and approved for food use. Consider a commercial grade product, because they are actually meant to take the abuse of daily using and cleaning. Make sure that there are no areas on the scale that can allow dirt and gunk to build up, which not only gives you more work to do but can also cause you to end up with citations or other problems.
Finally, the cost that you are willing to pay for these scales may depend on how much you use them every day. Use the frequency of use as your determination for the price that you might pay and remember that the dough scale is a very important investment and wonderful addition to your commercial kitchen.
