It's no secret how much Phil and I love to spend time in the kitchen. Admittedly, he is a better "cook," while I consider myself a better "baker." Out of the two disciplines, cooking is more of an art. There are no rules. You can experiment, build flavor, and play with the ingredients with little to no risk of ruining your dish. You don't necessarily need a recipe- just a basic understanding of food preparation.
Baking, on the other hand, is a science. It's precise. You must follow the directions. Measurements, temperatures, moisture in the air, and timing are of the upmost importance. You could use the same cookie recipe on a dry, winter day as you do in the humid summer and wield completely different results.
Why am I better baker? Because I follow directions. Phil? Well, he just doesn't. He needs something that gives him structure. Something that holds him accountable for the recipe.
Enter the Drop Kitchen Scale. This "smart scale," which retails for under $100, is paired with a free app that you can download on any iPad. The app comes preloaded with all kinds of fabulous recipes from Food52, Good Housekeeping, and more, and it communicates with the scale over bluetooth. We were invited to a fabulous little shindig in Hell's Kitchen to test it out, chat with fellow bloggers, and enjoy un petit peu de fromage et vin!
Phil and I were assigned a recipe for buttermilk biscuits. Frankly, I'd never made them before, so this was the ultimate test.
What's unique about the Drop scale is that it runs off of the recipe from the app. It's super-intuitive and knows when the correct measurement is applied before moving onto the next step. You don't even have to push "next ingredient," after you add to your mixing bowl because it senses when you've added the correct amount. I thought this was so great because iPads in the kitchen can be a big mistake if you're swiping the screen with messy fingers! Additionally, Drop easily rescales quantities, so there's no math required!
I got started on preparing the dough, while Phil set up the oven.
