Cooked and uncooked?

Samm471
Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay this has probably been asked a million times. Should pasta be weighed before it's cooked? Is it the same for potatoes and rice? So for example I need 150g of pasta I should weigh this before it's cooked? It's going to be a lot of pasta to eat once it swells with water etc 😕 sorry if this has been asked loads just trying to figure out the best way to weigh stuff. When I weigh it after it's cooked 150g of pasta doesn't look so much and easier to eat

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    weigh food uncooked unless the package states otherwise
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    weigh raw, log raw

    weigh cooked, log cooked
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    weigh food uncooked unless the package states otherwise

    Thanks! A lot of the pasta etc I use doesn't actually say on the nutritional information wether it's cooked or uncooked 😕 my rice does but not the pasta or potatoes
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    When you have the option (i.e. cooking at home), raw is preferable. The reason for that is that while water doesn't add calories, it does impact the scale weight. So, the calories in 100 grams of cooked rice can vary significantly, depending on how much water it absorbed while cooking and/or how much evaporated if it's been sitting there for a bit. If you're eating out, you obviously have no choice but to use the cooked weights in the database and hope for the best.
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    When you have the option (i.e. cooking at home), raw is preferable. The reason for that is that while water doesn't add calories, it does impact the scale weight. So, the calories in 100 grams of cooked rice can vary significantly, depending on how much water it absorbed while cooking and/or how much evaporated if it's been sitting there for a bit. If you're eating out, you obviously have no choice but to use the cooked weights in the database and hope for the best.


    Thank you! Okay so if I need say 150g of rice I should weigh 150g of rice before I cook it? It just looks like tonnes of rice after it's cooked especially to eat In one sitting
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    150g uncooked is quite a lot. Are you sure that's the intended portion size?
  • DaintyWhisper
    DaintyWhisper Posts: 221 Member
    Samm471 wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    When you have the option (i.e. cooking at home), raw is preferable. The reason for that is that while water doesn't add calories, it does impact the scale weight. So, the calories in 100 grams of cooked rice can vary significantly, depending on how much water it absorbed while cooking and/or how much evaporated if it's been sitting there for a bit. If you're eating out, you obviously have no choice but to use the cooked weights in the database and hope for the best.


    Thank you! Okay so if I need say 150g of rice I should weigh 150g of rice before I cook it? It just looks like tonnes of rice after it's cooked especially to eat In one sitting

    Yes, you are right! Both rice and pasta should be weighed in its the dry form. The calories on the package are for the pasta/rice on its own. The amount it weighs after it's cooked has no correlation to the weight on the nutrition label. It will differ based on how much water it has absorbed, etc. So, you will definitely want to weigh it dry! If the package doesn't specify, assume a dry weight. Most things aren't labeled to weight as cooked, so it will certainly say "cooked" or "as prepared" on the label if it wants you to weigh it that way.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Samm471 wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    When you have the option (i.e. cooking at home), raw is preferable. The reason for that is that while water doesn't add calories, it does impact the scale weight. So, the calories in 100 grams of cooked rice can vary significantly, depending on how much water it absorbed while cooking and/or how much evaporated if it's been sitting there for a bit. If you're eating out, you obviously have no choice but to use the cooked weights in the database and hope for the best.


    Thank you! Okay so if I need say 150g of rice I should weigh 150g of rice before I cook it? It just looks like tonnes of rice after it's cooked especially to eat In one sitting

    150g is a normal serving of rice when cooked. I think that would typically be about 50g uncooked or something like that. Check multiple sources if you're not sure something looks right. A quick Google will show you pretty clearly that 150g is the serving size for COOKED long grain white rice.
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    150g uncooked is quite a lot. Are you sure that's the intended portion size?

    See I've always just cooked and weighed my rice that way and 150g of cooked rice isn't that much..but raw it's a lot once it's been cooked. Or even pasta for example I always have 150g of cooked pasta after training and again weigh it after it's cooked but if I weigh it before it's cooked it's a lot more when it's cooked. I don't know if that makes any sense lol

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Samm471 wrote: »
    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    150g uncooked is quite a lot. Are you sure that's the intended portion size?

    See I've always just cooked and weighed my rice that way and 150g of cooked rice isn't that much..but raw it's a lot once it's been cooked. Or even pasta for example I always have 150g of cooked pasta after training and again weigh it after it's cooked but if I weigh it before it's cooked it's a lot more when it's cooked. I don't know if that makes any sense lol

    that's fine if you're using the cooked entry in the database?

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