Kitchen scales remain an essential component of many UK home kitchens, with volume sales of the items rising eight per cent over the last year, a new study has found.Reseach by GfK also revealed that that the kitchen scales market is now worth 13.6 million - a value growth of one per cent compared to the year ending May 2009, HousewaresLive.net reported.According to GfK, the growing popularity of TV cookery programmes and modern recipes using pounds or kilograms instead of traditional cup measurements have contributed to the growth.It was also noted that the increasingly stylish design element of kitchen scales had boosted the market. Such sleek designs would likely complement a set of Perrin and Rowe kitchen taps or an Astracast sink.GfK also found that electronic kitchen scales are the most popular type in UK homes, with a value share of 66 per cent, compared to mechanical scales with a 35 per cent share. Meanwhile, a recent article on EyeOfDubai.com noted that a growing number of technologically advanced refrigerators are being developed to support the kitchens status as the heart of the home.