An unusual one for us but it caught our eye so we had to check it out. This is the Drop, a connected kitchen scale and recipe app. So in brief, this is a digital weighing scale, that can be used when baking or cooking. This isn’t new, digital scales have been round for a long, long time but the guys at Drop seem to be doing things a little bit better.
Initial thoughts are good. It comes in a well designed box with plenty of information presented in a fun and easy to read format. The box comes with a front flap. Open it up and you are greeted with the scale itself. On the back it lists, in brief, that the way it works is that you find a recipe on the app, connect the scales and create something yummy at the end. More on that later though. The scale itself is quite small It’s got a red, rubbery top, to help tackle any slippage and there is a single button to turn it on and off. The scale is battery operated, so no need for any cables. It uses very little energy so they say battery life is very good. The scale is small in size, but it’s got a big enough surface area to allow you to put any size or weight of bowl on it.
Setting the scale up is easy. First you need to download the free Drop Kitchen App which is currently only available on iOS, so sorry Android lovers! Once downloaded, turn your device’s Bluetooth on and tap the button on the front of the scale. The LED will flash three times and there we go, the scale should now automatically connect to your device, displaying a now connected scale in the app. This worked for me first time and as long as your Bluetooth is on, it automatically connects every time. The scale is capable of weighing anything from 1/4 teaspoon to 12lbs!
It’s a simple concept to get your head around. Within the app there is a menu where you can select Scale, Recipes, Shop and Device Set Up. Select the Scale option, place your bowl, hit zero to sync the scale up to the bowl size and you are ready to starting pouring. You can also switch between multiple bowls just by hitting the zero button and change the measurement units from ounces to grams. When following one of the recipes on the app, the scale works alongside the recipe and makes it even easier to cook. It’s a great concept. It’s simple to use, accurate, versatile and hardy; everything you need from a set of scales.
The highlights of the app are the recipes and how they’re presented. There are hundreds of recipes available, provided by professional and amateur cooks uploaded themselves. The variety is endless. Starters, mains, desserts, cakes, breads, you name it, it’s there. A highlight for me is that it not only provides food recipes, but cocktail recipes too not that I like to drink… much. The recipes are really user-friendly and photos are provided. Information is simple to understand and there each split into ‘prep’ and ‘make’. Prep briefly lists out what you need to do to get ready to make the recipe, and Make simply goes through the recipe in a simple step by step process.
I really enjoyed using the scale, it made cooking and baking exciting and interesting. The scale works really well, it’s very simple to use and is robust enough to be used in a busy kitchen. The app is the highlight for me. It’s got a great choice of recipes and it’s really user-friendly. Any downsides? Maybe one, the price. It retails at £79 which is a little steep.
For further info and to purchase, visit the official Drop website.
