Raw vs cooked food and weight?

NeuroticVirgo

So I just got a food scale, and was playing with it this morning. My potatoes weighed 15 oz raw, but only 6 oz after they were cooked (I baked fries). Thats a huge difference.... So the question is, do I count the 15oz or the 6 oz?

I'd assume the 15oz, but I was just curious about this, I never realized how much food changed when you cook it.

ChubbieTubbie

Yeah, definitely the 15 oz. That's so sad though!

Mindful_Trent

It depends... if it's a packaged food, usually they will specify. If they don't, you can go by how much of the package you ate (so if they say a serving size is 6 oz or 1/2 of the bag, and you know you ate half of the bag, then go with that.

If you cooked regular potatoes (not packaged), you can go with this site to verify nutrition - they have nutrition for both cooked and raw unprocessed foods.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

jamie1888

I think there are options on most foods to select "cooked" or "raw". So, you can measure before or after cooking. Just make sure you select the right one when you log it.

CoryIda

I think you need to go with the larger number.

lutzsher

If it isn't specified it will always be the raw weight.

Mahooka

I think there are options on most foods to select "cooked" or "raw". So, you can measure before or after cooking. Just make sure you select the right one when you log it.

This is correct. You either log the weight of the raw potatoes or the weight of the baked fries.

You didn't eat 15 oz of baked fries and you didn't eat 6 oz of raw potato

elainegsd

It depends on which entry in the database you choose. If you choose something like "Potatoes, raw" then use the 15 ounces. If you choose something like "Potatoes, baked" (or however you would describe your cooking technique) then use the other number.

rshunk

From what I have read you should typically weigh food after cooking. Most items in the database here give a cooking method so I would think that you should weigh after, unless it says otherwise of course.

Mahooka

I think we are making this harder than it should be.

I would ask you "what did you eat?" Remember we are logging what we ate here.

If you answered raw potato, I would log 15 oz of raw potato.
If you answer baked fries, I would log 6 oz of baked fries.

I don't know a lot of people that eat raw potatoes but I would use those in a recipe.