Cosori’s Smart Nutrition scale wants to help you master your macros — I put it to the test

I've been testing a range of measuring scales for several months, but I hadn't reviewed a scale that breaks down the nutritional value of food, until I picked up Cosori's Smart Nutritional Scale. I like the idea that even if you don't want to count calories, you can see the amount of fat, potassium, and other nutritional content at a glance, helping you achieve your health and fitness goals.

But for all these extra details, you will need to connect the scale to the free VeSync app, as the details won't appear magically without it. You also get lots of added functionality which allows you to customize your nutritional goals and view your nutritional intake each day, week and month.

Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale: Price and availability

The Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale is available in the U.S. under the Etekcity brand and is available at Amazon for $39. In the U.K., it's available at Amazon for £45. However, from June, the product will be available in the U.S. under the Cosori brand. Etekcity and Cosori are subsidiaries of the VeSync brand. As I am based in the U.K. I have tested the Cosori branded version.

The Cosori scale is similar in price to KitchenAid's Dual Scale, which is $36.49 at Amazon. But keep your eyes open, as prices are often discounted.

Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale: Design

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There's really not much to fault the design of this scale. It comes neatly packed and feels sleek and slimline. The top section is built in food-grade stainless steel, and the LED display is embedded within the amply-sized weighing platform, keeping the design flush.

If you flip the scale over, you'll discover the black plastic casing and the housing for 3 x AAA batteries, which are already in place. There are also four non-slip feet, which will keep the scales steady on your countertop.

The display sits on the left side of the scale and measures 1.75 (W) x 4.3 (L) inches, giving plenty of space to view the weight and nutritional breakdown of your food, even when you have a large bowl placed on the weighing platform.

At the bottom of the display, you'll see the unit touchpad and the Tare and On/Off button beside it. The streamlined design makes the scale super easy to clean, as there are no awkward parts for food to get wedged into. It's very similar to Zwilling's Enfinigy Digital Kitchen Scale and KitchenAid's Dual Platform Kitchen Scale.

Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale: Ease of use

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Overall, I found the Cosori scale easy to use, but I was surprised at the lack of instructions. There was a Quick Start Guide inside the packing, showing you how to download the VeSync app, (more on this later), but I expected more information on how the scales work with the app and what information you can gain. After all, it's not your standard kitchen scale.

Even when downloading an instruction guide, which I did by scanning a QR code, I was surprised at the lack of detail. And I'm someone who normally likes to be left to it! However, don't let this dissuade you, because this scale really is quite smart.

Powering up
The batteries are already within the unit, so once you unpack the scale, you can get going. At this point, you'll also want to download the VeSync app on your phone. I'd already installed it from previously testing Cosori's Smart Thermometer, but it is easy to connect.

Controls and measurements
There are two touchpoints on the bottom of the LED display, with the unit measurements on the left and the tare and on/off functions on the right. When you first turn the scale on, you'll need to hold down the on/off button for 3 seconds. The same applies when you turn it off.

The scale measures in grams, millilitres, ounces, and pounds and ounces, and it has an extra handy feature that you can select when measuring liquids, giving you the option to choose either water or milk. You'll notice a different icon on the display when selecting milk, which contains a 'M' inside a droplet.

Tare function
You can also tap the same point to operate the tare function, taking the measurement back to zero. Ideal when placing a bowl on the scale before weighing ingredients, or when adding multiple items to one bowl.

Display and platform
The weight is displayed at the top of the screen, with the nutritional values below. You may think that such a large display will limit what you can place on the weighing platform, but, as I've mentioned above, this isn't the case, and there's plenty of room for a bowl or cube-shaped container. The flush design also makes it easy to use, unlike the raised edges of the Escali's Primo Digital Kitchen Scale, which has a ridged edge.

It is the largest display out of all the kitchen scales I've tested, but its purpose is to show a breakdown of nutrition content, and it includes 12 sets of data.

Weight limit
The scale will measure up to 11 pounds or 5kg, similar to other kitchen scales I've tested. An 'Err' message appears on the display if the amount is exceeded.

Storage
Like all kitchen scales, you should store this scale on a flat surface and avoid putting anything on top. And if it's out of use for a long time, it's best to remove the batteries.

Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale: App functionality

Getting started
You will need to download the instructions to learn how to use the scale and the app. Then, once you're set up, turn on the scale and open the app on your phone. I started by placing an apple on the scale, searching for ‘apple’ in the app, and then selected ‘braeburn apples’. The nutritional data on the scale told me it weighed 118g, with 61.4 calories, 1.8g of fat, 1.2g of sodium, 125.2mg of potassium, 16.2g total carbs, 2.8g dietary fiber, 12.2g sugars, and 0.3g protein. I then added it to my daily diet for breakfast. Don't worry, this was purely for testing processes, I usually eat far more than an apple at breakfast time!

Instead of searching for an item, you can scan a QR code, which is much quicker. The app is connected to Nutritionix, which claims to be the world's largest nutrition-verified database. I tried it by scanning a packet of croissants and placing one on the scale. The results came up pretty swiftly. I was impressed!

Although it won't list every food item with a QR code, and you won't be able to make use of it if you buy fresh meat and fish or fruit and vegetables that aren’t packaged, it does offer a vast array of items. But for those not listed, all you'll need to do is spend a few seconds entering the item manually.

However, I wanted to try it out, so I selected random ingredients from my fridge and store cupboard to see what would register. I chose Hovis farmhouse soft white bread, Boursin garlic and herb soft cheese, Old Jamaican ginger beer, Sainsbury’s prosciutto prudo, and Patak’s korma paste. To my surprise, everything was in the database.

And there's more
The VeSync app syncs with Apple Health and Fitbit, and includes a daily food tracking program, so you can add what you’ve had for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus snacks. This will give you your total calorie intake and a macronutrient analysis of your diet. And there’s also an option to add notes.

You can also customize your goals to state the amount of carbs, protein, and fat you’d like to aim for with a daily calorie goal.

Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale: Accuracy

Although the scale is meant to measure from 1g, I found this wasn't correct during my tests. In fact, it couldn't pick up the correct weight until it got to 4g. If you want to weigh tiny amounts of ingredients, this could be a problem, and you might prefer to opt for KitchenAid's Dual Platform Digital Scale with its precision platform.

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However, as the weight increased, the scale was more accurate and could accurately measure a 5g, 10g, and 20g weight when placed in the center and on the edge of the platform.

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I also placed a combination of weights on the scale to measure 171g, taking a 1g, 20g, 50g, and 100g weight. I placed them within the center and around the platform's edge. On both accounts, the measurement was 1g over. However, during all my tests, the measurements appeared quickly on the display without faltering between different readings.

My final test is to weigh a level teaspoon of dried yeast. This is an accuracy test to see how well the scale responds to fine amounts.

Where most scales I've tested register 4g, the Cosori only registered 3g. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend the scale if you are looking for precision of small amounts when baking. If you want the nutrition elements that this scale offers, but also want a scale that offers precision for baking, I would recommend that you purchase a separate precision scale.

Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale: Cleaning

There are no awkward spaces for food and ingredients to get stuck within, which makes cleaning super speedy. Cosori advises cleaning the scale with a damp cloth, followed by a dry, soft cloth to remove any remaining moisture, and warns not to immerse the scale in water or any other liquid.

Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale: Verdict

I liked using the Cosori Smart Nutrition Scale. It can be a real benefit if you're following a specific diet or training program and want to know your calorie intake and your food's nutritional value.

However, if you are looking for a kitchen scale to help you measure precise amounts of yeast for baking bread and general kitchen purposes, you'd be better off spending your money elsewhere.

If you're looking for a kitchen scale with a similar sleek design and don't need the nutritional and app functionality, I'd recommend either KitchenAid's Dual Kitchen Scale, or Zwilling's Enfinigy Digital Kitchen Scale.

We've also recently covered the launch of Qualzy's AI scale, which uses a AI to detect and track the calories and macros in your food. We'll report back once we've got hold of the product to test.

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