Scales

Working with weights is far more accurate and repeatable than working with volumes. This especially holds true when curing and adding curing agents in the correct proportions. This is also important when looking for repeatability in the addition of dried herbs and spices into things like a simple fresh country sausage.

Ideally there are 3 size scales worth having in the kitchen

• 0 - 10kg with an accuracy of 50g or better (most would be better*)
  
  
• 0 - 5kg with an accuracy of 10g (also most are better*) 
  
  
• 0 - 100g with an accuracy of 0.1g (most to 0.01g)

*Just because a scale shows a 1g accuracy on the display. this does not necessarily make it accurate to one gram

Out of all of these and unless you are planning on doing somethign large scale, the only one you can get away without is the 10kg scale.

The last on this list is typically marketed as a jewelers scale and this is why you need it:

Prague powder is a blend of sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate chrystals at somewhere around 10% blended in sodium chloride (table salt) which has been coloured pink for safety - if it weren't coloured and you confuse it with table salt you could very easily kill yourself.

With Prague powder (NOTE this is for the one I purchase, different suppliers may have different blends) you are looking at an addition rate of 0.375% of the mass of the meat. Lets say you are curing a half belly slab of bacon at 1,32kg. This will require the addition of 4.875g Prague powder into the cure. you cannot measure this accurately with a 5kg digital kitchen scale.

Jewelers scale with Prague powder

Another mod I have done with one of my 5kg scales to allow me to weigh hanging meat (like Salami) reducing contact with any contaminating surfaces:

Frame to hang salami under scale