measure pasta before or after cooking?
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alicaramik2 wrote: »I made this mistake in the beginning. Two ounces of cooked pasta is such a tiny amount, I almost gave up on ever having it again. Two ounces of dry pasta is a pretty reasonable amount (still a whole lot less than I used to eat) so that makes my Italian heart happy. One thing I have been doing is using a different shapes pasta for myself. That way I don't have to cook it separately. For example, penne for me and spaghetti for everyone else. It's easy to pull out my serving without having to re-measure after cooking.
Oh wow that sounds like a pain to have to dig through all the pasta to find your shapes, lol. I'd rather just use another pan.SyntonicGarden wrote: »Weighing it when it's been cooked is silly. Pasta absorbs water. Al dente pasta will have less water than over-cooked pasta. Weigh it before. And +1 for different shapes.
Personally, with stuff like this, I weigh it all after it's cooked, then weigh my own portion. Then I say "If it's 16 oz cooked, and I took 4 oz, then I took 1/5 of the box." Then I use that math to figure out what the dry weight was. Proportions and whatnot.
Got to weigh it before though. The box weight is never accurate.0 -
WeddedBliss1992 wrote: »me thinks i shall not be making pasta much
lol, too much math for pasta haha = )
I think that when you log it, you can search for pasta "raw" or "boiled". So as long as you use the entry you weighed, you should be fine. (That would mean using a generic search instead of the one on your container, but I doubt the difference is too noticeable
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alicaramik2 wrote: »I made this mistake in the beginning. Two ounces of cooked pasta is such a tiny amount, I almost gave up on ever having it again. Two ounces of dry pasta is a pretty reasonable amount (still a whole lot less than I used to eat) so that makes my Italian heart happy. One thing I have been doing is using a different shapes pasta for myself. That way I don't have to cook it separately. For example, penne for me and spaghetti for everyone else. It's easy to pull out my serving without having to re-measure after cooking.
Oh wow that sounds like a pain to have to dig through all the pasta to find your shapes, lol. I'd rather just use another pan.
I thought the same thing.0 -
alicaramik2 wrote: »I made this mistake in the beginning. Two ounces of cooked pasta is such a tiny amount, I almost gave up on ever having it again. Two ounces of dry pasta is a pretty reasonable amount (still a whole lot less than I used to eat) so that makes my Italian heart happy.
Same here. I was so disheartened until I realized I was supposed to measure my pasta dry (and, tangentially, my meat raw). Every pasta box I have specifies that the serving is 2 oz dry, and about 1 cup cooked. I much prefer measuring to "about 1 cup.)
But seconding that as long as you choose a consistent measurement (i.e. always selecting "angel hair pasta cooked"), it should balance out. It still won't be as accurate, I would think, but close enough.0 -
WeddedBliss1992 wrote: »me thinks i shall not be making pasta much
I live in Italy and make pasta everyday in hundreds of different ways and forms. Here, 100g dry, is a portion. I always make mine separately in a small pan, and often make 50 or 70g for myself. I also am careful of how much sauce I put on, whereas the family (all males) can eat alot more. This is what works for me. Pasta is so good! I hope you don't decide to give it up. 0 -
You weigh it dry/uncooked. Trust me, I'm Italian, living in Italy.
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WeddedBliss1992 wrote: »the pasta i bought says that 2 oz is a serving size, but it doesn't specify if this is pre-cooked measure, or after cooking. which do you use? most of my other foods will indicate.
that is dry...before cooking.0 -
Weigh it dry.
When cooking for more than one, weigh the pasta again *after* cooking (to determine total cooked weight - not for logging), then weigh out your portion (to determine the percentage of the total you are eating), then use that percentage against the total *DRY* weight, and you have the calories for your portion - no need to cook separately or use different shapes.0 -
2oz of dry spaghetti is approximately one cup cooked.0
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I weigh and cook 6 oz of pasta. I weigh the cooked pasta (colander first, tare, then with pasta) and eat a third of the cooked pasta by weight. It's not as cumbersome as it sounds lol0
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2 oz dry is about 1 cup cooked... so if I'm cooking a whole box for several people, I just scoop out a cup for myself once it's done. It also helps if you're eating elsewhere to know that 1 cup is a serving.0
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I must be very tired because many of the posts in this thread seem to make no sense at all.0
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I was responding to:You're talking about a situation where you eat out, we would all have to try and guess but OP wants to know if she should weigh it dry or cooked so obviously she has an option. To say for her to cook it then weigh it and if she underestimates makes no sense seeing that she has a better option. Why settle for guessing when you can know you have accuracy.
The OP was cooking at home but there are situations where you can't weigh before cooking. You can get a better estimate weighing after cooking that you can by just guessing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »what is the point of weighing if you aren't going to do it correctly?
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alicaramik2 wrote: »I made this mistake in the beginning. Two ounces of cooked pasta is such a tiny amount, I almost gave up on ever having it again. Two ounces of dry pasta is a pretty reasonable amount (still a whole lot less than I used to eat) so that makes my Italian heart happy. One thing I have been doing is using a different shapes pasta for myself. That way I don't have to cook it separately. For example, penne for me and spaghetti for everyone else. It's easy to pull out my serving without having to re-measure after cooking.
This is Way Clever,
Gold star for you!0 -
WeddedBliss1992 wrote: »wow.
now i have no clue what to do! LOL
i can just use a separate pan for my pasta, measure out 2 oz of dry, cook in separate pan than the rest of the family's, then eat mine. it will be interesting to measure it after i cook it, and see the post-cooked weight in ounces as compared to the pre-cooked weight.
i have so many "extra" calories today, it won't really matter, but it might on another day.
Weigh the amount you need for everyone. Work out what % your 2oz is (and the calories for that dry weight).
Cook it - weigh it - take your % out of that.
So....6 oz of dry say - your portion is 33.3%
If its 12oz cooked - take 33.3% of that which = 4oz - that is your portion of cooked pasta.
Use the dry weight (as that's usually what is given) for the calories.0 -
from someone who cooks for my family I refuse to cook my food seperate. I weigh out the dry pasta and write down exactly how many servings I am cooking. when it is done cooking I drain my pasta very very well. (let it sit for about 5 minutes in strainer above pot) and then weigh the cooked pasta divide that total weight by how many servings and there yah have a serving. simple.
your after weight will be different every single time and with every single type of pasta because they retain water differently/difference in how done it is etc.0 -
WeddedBliss1992 wrote: »wow.
now i have no clue what to do! LOL
i can just use a separate pan for my pasta, measure out 2 oz of dry, cook in separate pan than the rest of the family's, then eat mine. it will be interesting to measure it after i cook it, and see the post-cooked weight in ounces as compared to the pre-cooked weight.
i have so many "extra" calories today, it won't really matter, but it might on another day.
Weigh the amount you need for everyone. Work out what % your 2oz is (and the calories for that dry weight).
Cook it - weigh it - take your % out of that.
So....6 oz of dry say - your portion is 33.3%
If its 12oz cooked - take 33.3% of that which = 4oz - that is your portion of cooked pasta.
Use the dry weight (as that's usually what is given) for the calories.
Yup.
And if that's too much for you, and if you're cooking for your family regularly (and you usually have your pasta to the same "doneness"), within a matter of a few meals you'll have a pretty accurate sense of what your particular cooked pasta favorites equate to as dry weight -- i.e., you'll know that X grams of "Wedded Bliss's Perfect Penne" when cooked is approximately Z grams of uncooked dry weight penne. Not precise, but depending on how you're doing and where you're at, oftentimes close enough for government work.
FWIW - I sometimes do the same thing with steak ('cause I don't eat a lot of pasta but do eat a lot of steak!). I know that a new york strip cooked "a la Cortelli" is generally going to be between 85% - 90% of dry weight. Since I often grill 'em for the family and we're not limiting ourselves to one particular steak (i.e., they often get cut up / portioned) I often have to use the cooked weight to be "accurate" and have found "a la Cortelli" estimates of dry weight to be more accurate than using db entries for the same cut of meat broiled / grilled.
Also +1 for the different pasta ideas. Smart idea.
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I weigh and cook 6 oz of pasta. I weigh the cooked pasta (colander first, tare, then with pasta) and eat a third of the cooked pasta by weight. It's not as cumbersome as it sounds lol
Did this an hour ago, weighed 6 oz, boiled it, drained it then weighed it. Divided by 3 and ate my portion!
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