At Johnson and Wales University (JWU), instructors are tasked with teaching students the properties and characteristics of ingredients as well as the principles and techniques of production. All aspects of the baking industry, from management, sanitation, baker's math and marketing to inventory and packaging, are addressed during scheduled labs.

However, the most important lesson of all is the simplest of all: the first step in production is accurate ingredient measuring, if the measurements are flawed, the product will be flawed. You must first measure and organize ingredients in order to make the remaining yet important steps in the process relevant. Therefore, students are taught to use scales to weigh all ingredients, from liquid to dry; for small and large batches to ensure consistent, predictable results.

Each student lab is equipped with 10 OHAUS Valor 4000 scales, which are sturdy and durable enough for daily repetitive use by up to forty students. The stainless steel scales are protected from damage by liquids and other ingredients as well as sharp utensils. Two students can also work on the same scale at the same time, as there are displays on the front and back of the scale including a touchless sensor on the rear of the scale so the second student can also use the Tare function. Frequently the scales are positioned at a 45° angle on the table so four people can participate and/or observe.

Chef Mitch Stamm is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef and Associate Instructor at JWU in the artisan bread and Viennoiserie areas. Chef Stamm uses a variety of OHAUS scales in his work, depending on the size of the job. He is particularly fond of the Valor 7000 for larger bakery tasks, and describes it as a "workhorse," with its 15kg capacity. Chef Stamm describes Valor 7000's touchless sensors as, "the most talked about feature on campus."

"The swipe and wave tare feature is quite a bonus when working with wet and/or sticky items," recalled Stamm.

In addition, Valor 7000's baker's percentage reinforces baker's math with students while enabling quick, on the fly formulating when creating new products. Baker's percentage software also provides an extra level of assurance that the percentages are correct while saving the time associated with complex formulas.

He is also the faculty advisor for Operation: Peace Love & Bread, a student organization that meets at least once a month to bake between 200 and 400 loaves of bread for a charity in their area. The students use Valor 7000's to help them be as efficient as possible when baking so many loaves of bread in such a short period of time.

When Chef Stamm's work takes him out of the lab at JWU, he relies on the CL5000F, as he calls, "the road warrior."

"I have traveled with the CL5000F all over the U.S., Asia, and Europe, and I know I will have a reliable, accurate scale wherever I am," said Stamm.

Learn more about the Valor® 7000, Valor® 4000 and CL Series