Weighing Meat: Before or After Cooking?

oldbayalex
oldbayalex Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Searched around but didn't see the answer to this, and wanted to be as accurate as possible - I frequently cook chicken breast where a serving size is 4 oz. Is that before or after cooking? Not sure how much weight (if any) is lost when grilling it. Thanks for any input!

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I weigh and log all of my meat raw. If you choose to weigh it after cooking, then be sure you're choosing the appropriate entry in the database (ie don't use a raw entry for cooked meat, a boiled entry for baked meat, etc - find one that's specifically accurate for grilled chicken).
  • adam_willard12
    adam_willard12 Posts: 12 Member
    The nutrition facts on the outside of the container/package are for raw weight
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Weight IS lost when cooking it. Because the amount lost depends on how long you cook it, the raw numbers are most accurate, but there are also entries in the database for cooked meat. Just don't interchange them--use the one for the state of the meat when you weighed it.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    the weight lost cooking is water weight for the most part and not significant (at least for many items) For high fat items there will be fat lost in cooking as well but I'd just log the raw calories statistically the changes will be insignificant, There are USDA yield charts that will give you the numbers (bearing in mind they are based on averages and you need to knw the correct grade of meat.- in beef for example the same cut can vary quite a lot for fat content )

    Since your goal is weight loss starting with the higher weight raw isn't a bad idea but if you need to know the difference look to this link

    http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/retn/USDA_CookingYields_MeatPoultry.pdf
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I tend to go with the raw measurements when I can, but the chicken I purchase has the cooked weight as the serving size on the package, so I go with that.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    Weight IS lost when cooking it. Because the amount lost depends on how long you cook it, the raw numbers are most accurate, but there are also entries in the database for cooked meat. Just don't interchange them--use the one for the state of the meat when you weighed it.

    Fact.

    Give me 120g of raw chicken. I can cook the **** out of it and it will weigh 80 grams and be nearly inedible. Or I can properly cook it and end up with 95g. Yet it all has the same number of calories. The database doesn't have an entry for chicken that has had the **** cooked out of it. Raw weight is best. I only weigh chicken cooked if it's more convenient for whatever reason - leftovers, typically.
  • TiberiusClaudis
    TiberiusClaudis Posts: 423 Member
    usually raw

    be mindful of any added oils etc you may add during cooking of course
  • oldbayalex
    oldbayalex Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks all! Confirmed what I thought.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Weight IS lost when cooking it. Because the amount lost depends on how long you cook it, the raw numbers are most accurate, but there are also entries in the database for cooked meat. Just don't interchange them--use the one for the state of the meat when you weighed it.

    This. Post cooking weight depends on how much water was lost when cooking, and you have no way of knowing that. Raw weight is the most accurate.

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