History of Kitchen Scales

Ancient scales

For almost as long as there have been civilizations, there have been scales. Historical records place one of the first scales in ancient Sumer (located in the present day Middle East) in 7000 BC. The scales used by the ancient Sumerians were equal arm balances, which consisted of a long lever that hung from a central point. The scale was used to tell if two objects weighed the same amount. These scales were primarily used for weighing goods and precious metals. Such scales are still in use today, and can be seen pictured in many courthouse portraits of Lady Justice, who is generally blindfolded and holding an equal arm balance in one hand.

As history evolved, so did the scale. The simple, equal arm balance model was adjusted to form a steelyard scale, most probably by the Ancient Romans. A steelyard scale was based on a large lever like the equal arm balance, except that on one end a regulated weight was hung, and on the other a pan was hung to weigh objects. The pan was moved down the lever until the lever hung evenly, and the weight was measured by the location of the pan.

Kitchen scales

While most scales were initially used to measure the weights of precious metals, they quickly spread to use in the culinary fields. Scales were commonly used in grain mills to measure out grains, and by farmers to measure crops. In town centers, scales began to be used by butchers to measure the weights of cuts of meats. Today, kitchen scales can be found in the produce sections of grocery stores, in delis, and even in private home kitchens.

Original kitchen scales, which date back to the Victorian period, were either balance scales, or mechanical scales. These kitchen scales were generally found in the kitchens of wealthy homeowners. In the 1900s, use of kitchen scales spread. In the 1950s, it became common to find a mechanical kitchen scale in any American kitchen. A mechanical kitchen scale had a weighing pan on top of the scale, and a large, circular scale face on the front to show weights.

Today, kitchen scales are as popular as ever, but you are much more likely to find an electric or digital kitchen scale in most modern kitchens. Antique kitchen scales, such as Victorian kitchen scales or mechanical kitchen scales, are sometimes purchased for decoration or collection, but are not as widely used as electric or digital kitchen scales.

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