Logging "from scratch" meals?

katphi1618

I cook only from scratch. I eye ball everything. Dollop of this a dash of that. Rarely do I use a recipe. Question: How do you log meals when you're a free-floating home cook? Cooking is my art and it's always a masterpiece. :-D

cwolfman13

Use the recipe builder...but you'll have to measure things out for it to be accurate.

RelCanonical

Put the bowl on the scale, tare it, then add an ingredient, however much you want, note the weight, tare it again, add the next ingredient, repeat, repeat. If you're adding something that you can't stick on a scale (e.g. adding something to a hot pan), weigh the container, add it, and then weigh the container again and the difference is how much you added by weight.

lynn_glenmont

katphi1618 wrote: »

I cook only from scratch. I eye ball everything. Dollop of this a dash of that. Rarely do I use a recipe. Question: How do you log meals when you're a free-floating home cook? Cooking is my art and it's always a masterpiece. :-D

If you don't already, trying using a mise en place approach (i.e., cleean, chop, slice, and otherwise prep all ingredients before you start cooking. Weigh each container for each ingredient empty, then weigh it again after you've added the ingredient (e.g., onions, carrots, etc.). If you're adding a mix of raw vegetables that are going to all go in at once (because there's no issue about their needing different cooking times), just tare the mise en place container between each veg you add to it). Make a note of the weights as you go along.

I have always done a lot of "free-styling" cooking from scratch, too, but it really didn't take long to get used to noting weights as I went along. You can log it all later.

If you have trouble hitting your calorie and macro goals when you log later, you might consider logging the ingredients you plan to use ahead of time, especially the more calorie-dense ingredients, with rough estimates of how much you think you'll be using, and then revise it after you cook.

kshama2001

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

katphi1618 wrote: »

I cook only from scratch. I eye ball everything. Dollop of this a dash of that. Rarely do I use a recipe. Question: How do you log meals when you're a free-floating home cook? Cooking is my art and it's always a masterpiece. :-D

If you don't already, trying using a mise en place approach (i.e., cleean, chop, slice, and otherwise prep all ingredients before you start cooking. Weigh each container for each ingredient empty, then weigh it again after you've added the ingredient (e.g., onions, carrots, etc.). If you're adding a mix of raw vegetables that are going to all go in at once (because there's no issue about their needing different cooking times), just tare the mise en place container between each veg you add to it). Make a note of the weights as you go along.

I have always done a lot of "free-styling" cooking from scratch, too, but it really didn't take long to get used to noting weights as I went along. You can log it all later.

If you have trouble hitting your calorie and macro goals when you log later, you might consider logging the ingredients you plan to use ahead of time, especially the more calorie-dense ingredients, with rough estimates of how much you think you'll be using, and then revise it after you cook.

I use the mise en place approach for stir fries, where there are lots of ingredients and no time to prep in between adding them.

Otherwise, it's just the one container - the bowl on top of the scale. While the ingredients with longer cooking times are cooking, I prep the next one.

1. Chop item with longest cooking time, ex: onions, weigh them, note weight, toss in pan
2. Chop next ingredient, weigh it, note weight, toss in pan
3. Etc.

karenvandam

There are already some great comments here. I would add that if you are making multiple servings (say a big pot of chili or something), remember to measure the final amount to determine how many servings you have. I jot down the tare weight of the pot before I start or else pour the food into another container to get the final weight. When I log my recipe, I name my recipe with the serving size and date so I can use it for leftovers. For example: Chili 7/16/18 per 100g servings. That way if I put half the chili in the freezer, I can still log the food three months later.

There are some recipes that defy good tracking, however. I've struggled with measuring how much marinade clings to my vegetables or chicken when I grill it. It's definitely hard to track the oil pick-up from frying (a good reason not to fry your foods!). I wish MFP allowed us to use our own recipes within a recipe, too. For example, if I make a marinara and then use it in lasagna. If you use all the marinara, it can be done. But if you have some extra, it's very hard to track.

Good luck with tracking and enjoy your cooking!

katphi1618

Lots of food-for-thought. ;-) I do use a mise en place system for veggies and mixing marinades. I can see how I could use the mise en place as general measurements.

Any more advise (and friend requests) much appreciated! :-)

DoubleUbea

As RelCanonical said, put the bowl on the scale, tare, add first ingredient, log, hit tare, add next ingredient, log, hit tare, add next ingredient, and so on.
As an "about that much" cook, I make many meals like this.

FL_Hiker

I'm like you where I don't really measure often when I cook, and I don't want to either! To me cooking is relaxing and an art form. My approach is a little different, and not for everyone. I refuse to weigh my foods on a scale, that's too obsessive for me, I don't have the time, and it's not something I would keep up with for the rest of my life (I also don't need to get a grasp on portion size, I know what is too much). I set my calorie goal for 1200, but I'm not really eating 1200 ( i error on the side of caution), I know my meals tend to go over because I don't measure, so that's why I count calories this way. It seems really odd to most.. but it really has worked the best for me. I know my body well and can tell when I've eaten under what I need to, or if i've over eaten. So far i've lost 17 lbs this way and only 7 lbs more to go to my goal weight, so granted I didn't have a HUGE problem with portion control to begin with, I knew I was over eating and that is how I gained weight. Keeping it in my mind at 1200 is a good way to psyche myself out of just gorging on extra desserts every night, if I put in all three of my meals and it says 1200 I think hmm yeah maybe not extra dessert tonight. Or if the meals I created were particularly low cal that night ill make sure I add in a dessert. In reality I know my meals are actually ending me closer to 1400-1500 most days, i'll use an extra dollop of butter, etc. I just count my base foods like main meals, I won't add in a sip of beer, or extra butter. Sorry if this was more confusing than anything, I hope it was helpful.... it has allowed me to continue cooking the way I have without weighing things while also still losing weight. Perhaps its plain insane but it works for me...

WholeFoods4Lyfe

Use the recipe builder. I jot down my ingredients as i go and then add later. I use a chalkboard in my kitchen. I’m a hot mess LOL

livingleanlivingclean

I know approx volume and amounts of ingredients to use for whatever meal I'm trying to make - I prelog and then work from there.

mjrc2

I am a from scratch cook and am having problems with this as well. I need to find a more fast and efficient way to log my foods. It took for ever to guess-timate my chopped salad! I cook large meals and freeze them in individual servings for work. I guess I will have to start by buying a scale.

Nikolaijj

I just use the base of the foods, honestly. I can log most things in their raw form, then just cook them however I please. If I use oil, I eyeball it and always round up. I also find it helpful to make recipes as single portions, especially small items. So while my recipe for wontons makes 46 and that serves like 6-7 people for soup, I have one wonton as one serving for absolute accuracy when I log it. If I eat only four wontons, I don't have to do any kind of math when a usual serving is 6.

hesn92

I'm the same way. Logging my meals is a real chore sometimes. I am not a very good recipe follower. I'll find recipes online to get a general idea but when I cook I just kinda add a little of this, a little of that. When I make one meal, I will take my time that first time and measure/weigh (or maybe just estimate lol) each ingredient and then create the recipe on myfitnesspal. And then every time I make that same meal again I just use that entry to log it. I accept that it's not exactly the same and not completely accurate, but it's good enough. If your aim is to be super accurate with your logging then I wouldn't take that approach.