Measuring- Cup vs Scale

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Al_Ann_momma
Al_Ann_momma Posts: 12 Member
in Getting Started
Which is a more accurate measurement? For instance, If I cook frozen peas and carrots and the serving size is 2/3 cup (90g). I can measure out 2/3 cup and then weigh out 90 grams and the 90 grams is a bigger pile than the 2/3 cup. I am just using this as an example, eating a little more veggies I personally find is fine. I would like to find out which is more accurate because I don't want to be eating more than I need too of some things. Thanks :)
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  • cliffdc
    cliffdc Posts: 30 Member
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    weight.... its always weight.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
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    Weight is the most accurate. The cup, it depends on how the pieces are sitting, how much space is between them, where on the cup you are reading.. Weigh it.

    This video (once you get past the strange intro) shows very well how off the measuring cups/spoons can be.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    It'\s obviously weight.

    A gram is a gram. It\s always going to be a gram. A cup is not always a cup. Nobody packs a cup the same way twice.

    Mass > Volume.
  • DamianaKitten
    DamianaKitten Posts: 479 Member
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    I always weigh solid foods. Sauces, liquids, etc. all get measured in cups/tbsp/whatever.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Weight~Digital food scale for food and measuring cups for liquids!!
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
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    absolutely weight!! most of the times I get more with weight, and then I question it for 5.2 seconds, then say well the package says so and so grams, so i eat the larger amount (weighed out amount) :)
  • Brianna716
    Brianna716 Posts: 303 Member
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    weight! You'll get more shredded cheese by weight than by volume (yay!) but less sour cream by weight than by volume (boo!)

    For example- 1 serving of sour cream is 2 TBSP- 30 g, 60 calories. I used to measure out my 2 TBSP and log my 60 calories. Yeah- wrong. My 2 TBSP was actually 57 grams, almost 2 whole servings! And that was with me leveling off the top of the tablespoon, not heaping it. I was actually eating 114 calories instead of the 60 I was logging.

    I would also accidentally get some on the outside of the measuring spoon and lick it off. Now is that going to cause me to not lose weight? No. But it will prevent me from getting an accurate picture of my calorie intake, especially when you consider how many times this would add up of the course of a day, a week, a month! Now, I put my container of sour cream on the scale and 0 it out. Then I scoop out our scream until it reads -30g, and I know I'm getting 1 serving, even if I lick the spoon :)
  • amdarosa619
    amdarosa619 Posts: 98 Member
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    Great thread. I dont own a food scale. Any suggestions on portion estimation alternatives? I only have a measuring cup
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
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    If it's liquid I measure it in a cup. (i.e. Almond Milk)

    If it's solid I weight it. (i.e. Turkey Breast)

    Things like cheese I will weigh in a cup like 1/4 cup. To be honest the margin for surplus is probably minimal and I generally don't even fill the cup up all the way.
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
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    Someone posted a link to this video yesterday. I thought it was really surprising, and I already knew the scale was more accurate.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • Serenitynow29
    Serenitynow29 Posts: 119 Member
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    Great thread. I dont own a food scale. Any suggestions on portion estimation alternatives? I only have a measuring cup

    A good scale is one of the best pieces of equipment you can own. Even more so if you bake bread or cook regularly for measuring ingredients. I have the OXO food scale, got it earlier this year with a gift card from Amazon. It weighs in both grams and ounces and comes highly recommended from my favorite cooks for home use.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
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    Great thread. I dont own a food scale. Any suggestions on portion estimation alternatives? I only have a measuring cup

    The suggestion is to spend the $10-20 and buy a scale. It's well worth the investment.

    Side note: I didn't realize until yesterday that meat is to be measured raw, not cooked.
  • Carol_L
    Carol_L Posts: 296 Member
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    If I have a weight per serving on something, I'll always use weight as it is more accurate. I weigh peanut butter, cream cheese, even liquids if I'm using them in large enough quantities and I have a weight on either thecontainer or on the nutritional information.

    Most foods are not symmetrical or homogenious, so there's a lot of judgement as to what constitues a small peach/onion/banana/zucchini or whatever. If someone doesn't level off their measuring cup/spoon, their interpretation of 1 cup or tablespoon can be off significantly in either direction depending if you pile or shake the measuring instrument. When you weigh, you have consistency, which can be important when you're trying to tweak your diet for whatever results you're targetting.
  • DamianaKitten
    DamianaKitten Posts: 479 Member
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    Someone posted a link to this video yesterday. I thought it was really surprising, and I already knew the scale was more accurate.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    OMG

    And here I thought I was being good by using level spoons for my dressings and things. Damnit. :grumble:
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
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    Someone posted a link to this video yesterday. I thought it was really surprising, and I already knew the scale was more accurate.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    OMG

    And here I thought I was being good by using level spoons for my dressings and things. Damnit. :grumble:

    I was brought up thinking the "smaller" spoon is a "teaspoon" and the "larger" spoon is a "tablespoon"....

    When you measure boy you find out how quick you are wrong.
  • DamianaKitten
    DamianaKitten Posts: 479 Member
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    Great thread. I dont own a food scale. Any suggestions on portion estimation alternatives? I only have a measuring cup

    The suggestion is to spend the $10-20 and buy a scale. It's well worth the investment.

    Side note: I didn't realize until yesterday that meat is to be measured raw, not cooked.

    I ran into that, too. /sigh There's even entries for the "cooked" version on things. They're wrong. <_< Now I measure out the raw, cook, find the difference, and then figure out the calories. It's a good thing I love math. :laugh:
  • Brianna716
    Brianna716 Posts: 303 Member
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    Great thread. I dont own a food scale. Any suggestions on portion estimation alternatives? I only have a measuring cup

    Invest in a scale. Any digital scale that has a zero/tare function and can switch between oz and g will do. No need to spend a ton of money.
  • DamianaKitten
    DamianaKitten Posts: 479 Member
    Options
    Someone posted a link to this video yesterday. I thought it was really surprising, and I already knew the scale was more accurate.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    OMG

    And here I thought I was being good by using level spoons for my dressings and things. Damnit. :grumble:

    I was brought up thinking the "smaller" spoon is a "teaspoon" and the "larger" spoon is a "tablespoon"....

    When you measure boy you find out how quick you are wrong.

    Well, I meant standard measuring spoons for what it's worth. My "small" spoons are different sizes, and I've never used them as a direct measuring tool. More or a "that looks good for this recipe" tool. Granted, that was before starting the journey to actively lose weight.

    On the plus, my husband is willing to work out with me since he keeps going over his calories for the day. :laugh:
  • Brianna716
    Brianna716 Posts: 303 Member
    Options
    Great thread. I dont own a food scale. Any suggestions on portion estimation alternatives? I only have a measuring cup

    The suggestion is to spend the $10-20 and buy a scale. It's well worth the investment.

    Side note: I didn't realize until yesterday that meat is to be measured raw, not cooked.

    I ran into that, too. /sigh There's even entries for the "cooked" version on things. They're wrong. <_< Now I measure out the raw, cook, find the difference, and then figure out the calories. It's a good thing I love math. :laugh:

    To look at this a different way- let's say you want to cook up some marinated chicken. Go into the recipe builder and enter the weight of your raw chicken. Enter your marinade. Cook and weigh your chicken again, now enter the total oz or g as the number of servings in the recipe. Then to add to your diary, enter the number of ounces that you're eating as the number of servings. Example- I cooked 29 ounces of chicken, added 1/4 cup olive oil and a season packet. Cooked it came out to 27 ounces/servings, or 45 calories per ounce. Now I can weigh my cooked chicken and know it's accurate.

    To compare that to the database, the first selection for "marinated chicken breast" is 140 calories for 4 oz. As a newbie, I measured 4 oz cooked chicken and logged it as 140 calories. Now that I have my own recipe, I know that 4 oz of (my) cooked chicken is 180 calories.
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
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    Weight is the most accurate. The cup, it depends on how the pieces are sitting, how much space is between them, where on the cup you are reading.. Weigh it.

    This video (once you get past the strange intro) shows very well how off the measuring cups/spoons can be.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    Great video and very eye opening. Thanks you for posting. I does make me re-think how I have been measuring. Not what I do NOT thank you for is that horrible music that I can not get out of my head.:laugh:

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