How to measure/weigh - before or after cooked weight?

helaurin

I'm trying to figure out how to calculate the calories, etc. in a corned beef I made. The weight before and after cooking is significantly different. I made this in a slow-cooker, covered in water. According to the label, a serving is 4 ounces and that's 200 calories.

Before cooking: 5.6 pounds = 89.6 ounces
Cooked weight, fat layer not yet removed: 3 pounds and .6 ounces = 48.06 ounces
Cooked weight, after removing fat layer: 2 pounds and 3 ounces = 35 ounces.

If the 4 ounces/200 calories is based on the original weight, then the piece should equate to 22.4 servings.

Taking that 22.4 serving amount and dividing the final cooked, trimmed of fat piece, would mean that a 4-ounce original weight serving is equal to a final weight 1.56 ounce serving.

So if the nutrition is based on the expected final weight, trimmed of fat, a 3-ounce piece would be 150 calories.

If the nutrition is based on the original weight, a 3-ounce final weight piece would be 400 calories.

That's a 250 calorie difference, and if someone is trying to stay between 1,200 - 1,400 calories per day - that's a BIG difference.

So which is accurate? Do I log that 3-ounce piece as 150 calories, or as 400 calories?

cwolfman13

helaurin wrote: »

I'm trying to figure out how to calculate the calories, etc. in a corned beef I made. The weight before and after cooking is significantly different. I made this in a slow-cooker, covered in water. According to the label, a serving is 4 ounces and that's 200 calories.

Before cooking: 5.6 pounds = 89.6 ounces
Cooked weight, fat layer not yet removed: 3 pounds and .6 ounces = 48.06 ounces
Cooked weight, after removing fat layer: 2 pounds and 3 ounces = 35 ounces.

If the 4 ounces/200 calories is based on the original weight, then the piece should equate to 22.4 servings.

Taking that 22.4 serving amount and dividing the final cooked, trimmed of fat piece, would mean that a 4-ounce original weight serving is equal to a final weight 1.56 ounce serving.

So if the nutrition is based on the expected final weight, trimmed of fat, a 3-ounce piece would be 150 calories.

If the nutrition is based on the original weight, a 3-ounce final weight piece would be 400 calories.

That's a 250 calorie difference, and if someone is trying to stay between 1,200 - 1,400 calories per day - that's a BIG difference.

So which is accurate? Do I log that 3-ounce piece as 150 calories, or as 400 calories?

The label is 4 oz raw weight. For the vast majority of foods, it is the raw weight that is listed on the label. If not, it will be noted...like for something like bacon, it's usually X oz or grams "pan fried". The best you can do here is just find an entry for the cooked weight you're serving yourself. A food label isn't going to assume you trim the fat or have any kind of estimate as to how much it would weigh cooked as different cooking methods will result in more or less water lost during the cooking process...so it's just the weight as is coming off the shelf.