Food Weighing Question

PinkPixiexox

Hi every one :]

I am new to weighing food (and frankly, I will never look back!) and I just wanted to ask a question if that's okay! I'm still trying to get to grips with it, so forgive me for being tedious.

Frozen Food: Do I weigh this before I cook it (Frozen) or once it has been cooked? In this case, I am talking about chips (French fries for the US!), frozen fish and frozen vegetables.

Baked Potatoes: Same question - do I weigh this raw or cooked? Or does it not really matter?

Steak/Meat: .. I think you see where I'm going here, raw or cooked?

Thanks in advance! And apologies again if I'm asking repetitive questions - but you all answer AMAZINGLY!

VykkDraygoVPR

Most meats will be labelled for their raw weight, so always measure it raw. It should say otherwise if it's the post-cooking weight. Like my bacon specifically says the weight is for a fried slice (probably to account for fat rendered).

The other things, I am less sure on. I tend to weigh before cooking, because I'd rather weigh some extra water weight that may evaporate, than underestimate the calories I consume.

CurlyCockney

For frozen food, the pack will say whether the nutrition data applies to cooked or raw (although sometimes it's in tiny print!). Everything I bought frozen has given the data for cooked. Edited to add, if you're going to use the 'cooked' data you need to make sure you've cooked it exactly as recommended on the pack, or add the calories for any oils/marinades etc. that you use.

Baked potatoes (confession: I buy frozen ones!) - it doesn't matter, as long as you use the correct item in the database (i.e cooked or raw).

Steak/Meat - same as potatoes.

Welcome to the scaly side :-)

VintageFeline

I check what the nutrition info says, mostly it has frozen and cooked info so when I scan it I check which it's using and go from there.

I generally weigh meat cooked because I do it by dishing up each thing onto a plate on the scale so I always check for cooked entries and cross reference with packaging to check for accuracy.

I do also leave a little buffer though in my intake for any little errors I may make (and eating out guesstimations!). So far so dandy.

PinkPixiexox

I had meatballs yesterday but the cooked/raw weight wasn't mentioned on the packet. I simply scanned the pack and weighed my meatballs and entered the gram weight. I hope I haven't miscalculated massively! :]

CurlyCockney

If you bought them from one of the big supermarkets, their website will also have the data.

Just remember that even scanning might not give you the correct data - some of the MFP info is just weird!

cityruss

If possible weigh raw, then choose the correct database entry for raw state.

If not possible, pick the correct database entry for the method of cooking used.

If it's pre-prepared pre-packaged shop food you are at the mercy of the shop in question and their nutritional info. Tesco generally has raw/as sold weights on their website and packages. Asda do not. Lidl is hit and miss and sometimes publishes both raw and cooked.

Too be honest it's such an inexact science that as long as you pick a suitable database entry, you're good to go. Example of this would be smoked back bacon. I shop at Adsa but they don't publish raw/as sold weight for their smoked back bacon, so I just use the Tesco value for the exact same bacon, but they publish raw/as sold weight.

As above, the database isn't always to be trusted, so if time allows I like to double check if it's a product or item that I don't use regularly.

MelodyandBarbells

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

I had meatballs yesterday but the cooked/raw weight wasn't mentioned on the packet. I simply scanned the pack and weighed my meatballs and entered the gram weight. I hope I haven't miscalculated massively! :]

I like to think I can't go wrong weighing the item as packaged by the manufacturer. I weigh items frozen as well and prefer not to over think that aspect of it

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

Calories can be off by 20% so I round up just in case. So far it's worked when I've had to eat packaged food...

CurlyCockney

The 20% thing doesn't apply in the UK.

PinkPixiexox

I haven't had oven chips in forever and I fancy some with dinner tonight (fries, i think - for US!). They are frozen, so I was going to grab a couple of handfuls of frozen chips, whack them in the scale - weigh and then cook. This is generally what I have been doing with every thing - weigh then prepare/cook. Someone mentioned in a previous post that the problem with weighing frozen food is the scales are actually weighing the ice too - therefore adding more grams? I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I'd rather be slightly over estimating than under.

With the barcode scanner, I have found that the majority of foods I scan don't actually mention whether it is cooked or raw weight so I just go with whatever it says and just change the grams. UK foods tend to be quite accurate, I've found - if off by a couple of calories..

I'm still trying to get to grips with it. General things such as cereal and fruit, I am fine with. It's when it starts getting in to meats and frozen! I appreciate all your responses.

CurlyCockney

The barcode scannner isn't pulling data from the manufacturer or retailer, it's pulling it from the MFP database - so it contains the same errors as searching for things on here does.

Personally, I add foods myself rather than trust MFP due to the sheer amount of errors on here (many of which have been 'verified' but are still wrong). I don't add my contributions to the database, but they are in My Foods for the next time I eat them.

I always use the 'cooked' info if I can as I use the same method as @VintageFeline. I find this easier (and I don't have to worry about putting raw meat/fish on to things that aren't going to be subjected to heat), but it's really personal preference.

cityruss

Scan the oven chips and compare to the package data. If the package data is for raw/as sold then that's what needs weighing and logging, if the data is for cooked then weigh and log after cooking.

http://groceries.asda.com/product/oven-bake-chips/mccain-straight-cut-oven-chips/38982522

The above has both raw and cooked so either can be used.

http://groceries.asda.com/product/oven-bake-chips/asda-extra-special-chunky-oven-chips/59800872

These only have ovenbaked data, so would need weighing after cooking.

Again, it's about picking the correct entry on the database and ensuring that package data and the chosen entry tally up.

For even better accuracy you can edit or add foods yourself.

PinkPixiexox

cityruss wrote: »

Scan the oven chips and compare to the package data. If the package data is for raw/as sold then that's what needs weighing and logging, if the data is for cooked then weigh and log after cooking.

http://groceries.asda.com/product/oven-bake-chips/mccain-straight-cut-oven-chips/38982522

The above has both raw and cooked so either can be used.

http://groceries.asda.com/product/oven-bake-chips/asda-extra-special-chunky-oven-chips/59800872

These only have ovenbaked data, so would need weighing after cooking.

Again, it's about picking the correct entry on the database and ensuring that package data and the chosen entry tally up.

For even better accuracy you can edit or add foods yourself.

Really helpful - thank you.

I shop at Tesco so will check the packs a little more thoroughly from now on.

suziecue20

Yes, definitely weigh your oven frozen chips before cooking. The natural water in potatoes always evaporates during cooking so if you weigh them after cooking they will weigh much less and you will be way out when you log. This is important for jacket spuds too.

I make my own oven chips (sometimes a mixture of sweet pots and white pots) with very little oil and they come out less cals than the frozen ones.

PinkPixiexox

suziecue20 wrote: »

Yes, definitely weigh your oven frozen chips before cooking. The natural water in potatoes always evaporates during cooking so if you weigh them after cooking they will weigh much less and you will be way out when you log. This is important for jacket spuds too.

I make my own oven chips (sometimes a mixture of sweet pots and white pots) with very little oil and they come out less cals than the frozen ones.

What if the barcode scan is based on cooked weight as mention above? Surely @cityruss is correct in what he's saying about weighing depending on what the packaging suggests?

It's interesting to see differing opinions on the subject!

suziecue20

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

suziecue20 wrote: »

Yes, definitely weigh your oven frozen chips before cooking. The natural water in potatoes always evaporates during cooking so if you weigh them after cooking they will weigh much less and you will be way out when you log. This is important for jacket spuds too.

I make my own oven chips (sometimes a mixture of sweet pots and white pots) with very little oil and they come out less cals than the frozen ones.

What if the barcode scan is based on cooked weight as mention above? Surely @cityruss is correct in what he's saying about weighing depending on what the packaging suggests?

It's interesting to see differing opinions on the subject!

Hey @cityruss is right (apologies ) Just read the packet and it says 'Typical values per 100g oven cooked'. This means I have been doing myself out of calories by weighing them frozen

I'm having them tonight with my fittata so I will get more chips yay

Fresh potatoes though still need to be weighed raw - I'm going to stand by that one lol

PinkPixiexox

suziecue20 wrote: »

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

suziecue20 wrote: »

Yes, definitely weigh your oven frozen chips before cooking. The natural water in potatoes always evaporates during cooking so if you weigh them after cooking they will weigh much less and you will be way out when you log. This is important for jacket spuds too.

I make my own oven chips (sometimes a mixture of sweet pots and white pots) with very little oil and they come out less cals than the frozen ones.

What if the barcode scan is based on cooked weight as mention above? Surely @cityruss is correct in what he's saying about weighing depending on what the packaging suggests?

It's interesting to see differing opinions on the subject!

Hey @cityruss is right (apologies ) Just read the packet and it says 'Typical values per 100g oven cooked'. This means I have been doing myself out of calories by weighing them frozen

I'm having them tonight with my fittata so I will get more chips yay

Fresh potatoes though still need to be weighed raw - I'm going to stand by that one lol

Hehe, good job I made this post on chips then !!

Thanks for your help though - I was going to have a great big baked potato tomorrow so I'll definitely be weighing that raw!

splatzor

I would weight them once they are cooked. The reason why I do this is because when weighting frozen you get in ice/water. I believe most of the 'fries/chips' nutritional values are for 'after' you prepared them (according to their instructions of course)