This might sound like a crazy question but there are plenty of reasons for keeping a calc handy in the kitchen, even better if you have a slightly scruffy spare model that wouldn't be hurt if damaged.
Things that wuold be needed:
Converting units both US and European (I recently came across a need for 2 8oz cups!!! What on earth is an 8oz cup??),
Converting cooking times for different microwave wattages,
Cooking timers,
Cooking notes,
and so on...
There probably isn't a perfect match but if any of you have found yourself taking an HP into the kitchen for something, which did you use?
I was initially thinking of a scruffy 17B I have but then it doesn't do units so any better ideas please?
Thanks,
Mark the amateur chef
For your purpose, the HP50G. It's easy to get, not too expensive, highly programmable, better suited to run program than the older calc like the 41. It's not too bad to accidentally flour, grease or dunk the 50g. Not as bad as if you dunk a 41 or 67 or 34c etc....
You can develop a suit of program that you think you would use in the kitchen and then basically when you use it you just run programs rather than doing calculations manually.
8oz=1cup 2 cups = 16oz = 1 pint 2 pint = 32oz =1quart, etc
Keep your calc clean and dry in a ziploc bag.
charlie
The idea of a kitchen computer lead to one of the most curious electronic machines ever built “Honeywell H316”.
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=927&st=1
It even had a built in cutting board, and came with cookbook and apron :-)
A 16C might come handy though to make sense of the binary display.
I'd prefer a HW instead of a HP. Another option would be that new Elektronika calculator.
If you want to save money and don't mind a slightly smaller display, consider a 48gii instead of a 50g. You can pick up the older version (less memory, serial port, but no USB) on ebay for $50.