How to work out calories of chicken breast

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Replies

  • LaauraLoses
    LaauraLoses Posts: 29 Member
    Yeah the calories are the same it doesn't change after cooking it
  • heiliskrimsli
    heiliskrimsli Posts: 735 Member
    LaauraLoses wrote: »
    Yeah the calories are the same it doesn't change after cooking it

    I know the weight goes down after cooking, due to water loss.

    I am asking why people think that a raw piece of chicken has a different mass when frozen versus not frozen since someone in this thread said that the raw values are not applicable if the item is frozen.
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 358 Member
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    http://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/chicken-the-preferred-protein-for-your-health-and-budget/the-nutritional-value-of-chicken/

    Thanks for posting this.
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 358 Member
    heiliskrimsli wrote: »
    LaauraLoses wrote: »
    Yeah the calories are the same it doesn't change after cooking it

    I know the weight goes down after cooking, due to water loss.

    I am asking why people think that a raw piece of chicken has a different mass when frozen versus not frozen since someone in this thread said that the raw values are not applicable if the item is frozen.

    Ok. I am sorry. I am an engineer and not a scientist so my knowledge on water molecules and mass of the atoms slowing down during the freezing state is not up to par. All I was trying to get at is you don't have to weigh it raw which is what I was replaying to in the first place. I more or less meant that 4oz of cooked chicken is going to be more caloric than 4oz of raw chicken so you should input into the database how you are measuring it (raw or cooked). I'm sorry for causing a bigger issue by throwing in that I cook my frozen chicken. BUT, I can't cut up my frozen chicken into the weights that I want so I have to cook it or thaw it to do that. I always cook it before cutting the chicken to the 4oz or whatever I need.
  • heiliskrimsli
    heiliskrimsli Posts: 735 Member
    need2belean wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    http://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/chicken-the-preferred-protein-for-your-health-and-budget/the-nutritional-value-of-chicken/

    Thanks for posting this.

    Could you point out the chart for the frozen raw chicken breast?
  • A_Rene86
    A_Rene86 Posts: 141 Member
    LaauraLoses wrote: »
    Yeah the calories are the same it doesn't change after cooking it

    Of course the calories don't change, but the weight does, which in turn affects the calories if you're using the package's calorie count, which is based on raw meat. For example, I have a 5 oz piece of raw chicken breast, which after cooking, now weighs 3.2 oz. If I log 3.2 oz raw chicken, that's incorrect and I'm entering less calories than I consumed. I should be logging 5 oz of raw meat.

    As long as you're using cooked entries, this isn't a problem, but plenty of people are using the raw nutrition facts for their cooked meat and this can result in an inaccurate count.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    heiliskrimsli wrote: »
    need2belean wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    http://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/chicken-the-preferred-protein-for-your-health-and-budget/the-nutritional-value-of-chicken/

    Thanks for posting this.

    Could you point out the chart for the frozen raw chicken breast?

    https://www.reference.com/food/frozen-meat-weigh-thawed-meat-847e7d20d52a7c73
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,138 Member
    edited April 2017
    I find the argument above about raw vs frozen and the approximate weight interesting and at first glance a chicken that is raw and then frozen won't have any changes (actually the likelihood would be to lose water in the freezing process and thus have more calories for a given weight)

    However this ignores that most chicken we buy, especially pre-frozen, is NOT "pristine" chicken meat, and it has been dipped in solution (to preserve the quality of the meat of course, nothing to do with tenderizing substandard product or plumping up the weight as chicken processors will hasten to assure us). This substantially change the weight and calories of the frozen product.

    So... good luck in figuring out an absolutely correct value.

    The USDA thoughtfully provides the following entries which I think are as close as we can expect to get...

    05062, skinless, boneless, meat only, raw
    05314, as above "with added solution"
    05746 and 47 = 05062 above cooked braised and cooked grilled
    and
    05747 and 48 = 05314 above cooked braised and cooked grilled.
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    I've probably been doing it wrong, but I just go by the weight on the package. I know that it's not *exact*, but as long as the butcher scale isn't too far off (which it shouldn't be!), I'm not that worried about it. I divide the portions and then make sure that they all add up. For example, if the package weight is a pound of chicken that I'm going to be using over two days, I just make sure that all of my entries for that chicken over those two days add back up to a pound of chicken. If one is off slightly, it will be made up for in another entry as long as it's all accounted for at the end. This is the same method I use for things like wine. I know that I'm not going to measure exactly how much I pour into each glass, but as long as all of the entries over the course of the week all up to the 750ml in the bottle, I'm okay with a day to day estimate. Admittedly, this method only works for me because I'm the only one at my house consuming the items. If anything, I consume less than I actually long, once my dogs get a bite or two at the end of every meal ;)
  • heiliskrimsli
    heiliskrimsli Posts: 735 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I find the argument above about raw vs frozen and the approximate weight interesting and at first glance a chicken that is raw and then frozen won't have any changes (actually the likelihood would be to lose water in the freezing process and thus have more calories for a given weight)

    My point all along has been that the statement regarding the raw weight not being applicable to a frozen piece of raw chicken is factually incorrect.
  • heiliskrimsli
    heiliskrimsli Posts: 735 Member
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    A_Rene86 wrote: »
    LaauraLoses wrote: »
    Yeah the calories are the same it doesn't change after cooking it

    Of course the calories don't change, but the weight does, which in turn affects the calories if you're using the package's calorie count, which is based on raw meat. For example, I have a 5 oz piece of raw chicken breast, which after cooking, now weighs 3.2 oz. If I log 3.2 oz raw chicken, that's incorrect and I'm entering less calories than I consumed. I should be logging 5 oz of raw meat.

    As long as you're using cooked entries, this isn't a problem, but plenty of people are using the raw nutrition facts for their cooked meat and this can result in an inaccurate count.

    Exactly. The point of all this should be - if you weigh it raw, then log it as raw weight. If you weigh it cooked, then log the cooked weight.

    Sheesh. :p

    If it is frozen and not cooked it is .... raw. And you can in fact weigh it and use the raw weight entry.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,138 Member
    heiliskrimsli wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I find the argument above about raw vs frozen and the approximate weight interesting and at first glance a chicken that is raw and then frozen won't have any changes (actually the likelihood would be to lose water in the freezing process and thus have more calories for a given weight)

    My point all along has been that the statement regarding the raw weight not being applicable to a frozen piece of raw chicken is factually incorrect.

    Well, factually, 24 hours after entering my freezer, my frozen banana slices weight approximately 5% less than the raw banana slices I put in there.

    I cannot speak to your chicken ;-)
  • ConnieT1030
    ConnieT1030 Posts: 894 Member
    I once tested this for chicken, because I saw someone say that freezing does not add weight, and I wanted to see for myself. (high school physics was a LONG time ago!)
    I put a chunk of raw chicken in a ziploc baggie, weighed it, and then popped it in the freezer. Once frozen (the next day i think), i took it to the scale and weighed it again. Exact same weight.
    Maybe the banana wasn't frozen in air/water tight packaging.
  • Out_of_Bubblegum
    Out_of_Bubblegum Posts: 2,220 Member
    TL:DR - Measure your chicken while frozen.

    Freezing meat causes water to form ice crystals.. which cause cell walls to burst, which then leak out their liquid during the thawing process... this the pinkish liquid on the plate left and is mostly water.

    If you take raw (never frozen chicken), weigh it, then freeze it, thaw it, and weigh it again (minus the excess liquid) - the thawed chicken will weigh less because it lost liquid due to the freeze/thaw process... but will still have the same calorie content as it did before thawing it out.

    In other words: Freezing your chicken does not magically reduce it's calorie count... if you want to measure raw and your chicken is frozen... best to measure it BEFORE thawing.

    NOTE: This is also the reason that previously frozen foods taste a little different and have a different texture than never-frozen foods.

    NOTE 2: Most "fresh/never frozen" poultry has been frozen at least once.. in the US, "fresh" is stored at 26 F, which is well below the freezing temperature of water.. There is still some cell damage, just not as much as with "frozen"
    https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/487e1e26-1421-4ac1-a86c-c8e65f6ce885/Poultry_Label_Says_Fresh.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,138 Member
    edited April 2017
    ConnieT1030 wrote: »
    Maybe the banana wasn't frozen in air/water tight packaging.
    You're absolutely correct. The bananas were sliced and frozen on an open tray so that they could be easily used. Hence the 5% loss of moisture :wink:
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    bwmalone wrote: »
    TL:DR - Measure your chicken while frozen.

    Freezing meat causes water to form ice crystals.. which cause cell walls to burst, which then leak out their liquid during the thawing process... this the pinkish liquid on the plate left and is mostly water.

    If you take raw (never frozen chicken), weigh it, then freeze it, thaw it, and weigh it again (minus the excess liquid) - the thawed chicken will weigh less because it lost liquid due to the freeze/thaw process... but will still have the same calorie content as it did before thawing it out.

    In other words: Freezing your chicken does not magically reduce it's calorie count... if you want to measure raw and your chicken is frozen... best to measure it BEFORE thawing.

    NOTE: This is also the reason that previously frozen foods taste a little different and have a different texture than never-frozen foods.

    NOTE 2: Most "fresh/never frozen" poultry has been frozen at least once.. in the US, "fresh" is stored at 26 F, which is well below the freezing temperature of water.. There is still some cell damage, just not as much as with "frozen"
    https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/487e1e26-1421-4ac1-a86c-c8e65f6ce885/Poultry_Label_Says_Fresh.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

    We buy chicken, weigh it in to whatever portions we need, freeze it, then cook it - sometimes from frozen, sometimes thawed.

    The weight of the frozen is the same as the raw weight. Some liquid comes out when it's thawed, but it's minimal. (this might depend on the quality of the chicken - I guess some may have the weight bumped up with extra water!)

    If you're cooking frozen chicken, use a raw weight entry.

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