Simple Scale "Trick"

ATT949

This is a simple idea and lots of you folks might already know about it but it's new to me so I thought I'd pass it along.

I have a tupper of tuna fish salad (yeah, first mayonnaise in 29 days!) and I wanted a 4 oz portion. I leave a small tupper that I use to weigh stuff on my scale, so I could just scoop out of the big tupper into the little tupper and then dump it onto my salad plate.

Makes sense but that means I've got to clean up the little tupper (yes, guys do clean their kitchens).

Well, there is an easier way:

Hit the "On" button on the scale, put the big tupper (full of tuna fish salad) on the scale, hit the "On" button again so the scale zeroes itself (it will take into account the weight of the "tuna tupper"). Then scoop from the big tupper until the scale reads -4.0 OZ (yes, negative 4.0 OZ) or what ever your serving size is.

It's a lot quicker, there's nothing to clean up, and you still get to lick the spoon!

AsaThorsWoman

What is tupper?

lazygirllosesweight

This is a simple idea and lots of you folks might already know about it but it's new to me so I thought I'd pass it along.

I have a tupper of tuna fish salad (yeah, first mayonnaise in 29 days!) and I wanted a 4 oz portion. I leave a small tupper that I use to weigh stuff on my scale, so I could just scoop out of the big tupper into the little tupper and then dump it onto my salad plate.

Makes sense but that means I've got to clean up the little tupper (yes, guys do clean their kitchens).

Well, there is an easier way:

Hit the "On" button on the scale, put the big tupper (full of tuna fish salad) on the scale, hit the "On" button again so the scale zeroes itself (it will take into account the weight of the "tuna tupper"). Then scoop from the big tupper until the scale reads -4.0 OZ (yes, negative 4.0 OZ) or what ever your serving size is.

It's a lot quicker, there's nothing to clean up, and you still get to lick the spoon!

I really need to start weighing my food. Any suggestions on a scale?

mynameisdumbnuts

I know what you mean. On my scale, it's called the tare button.

Edited to add: I presume tupper means Tupperware. We bought an EatSmart scale from amazon.com. It was a great sale and it's a great scale. It measures in grams, ounces, pounds and kilos. The booklet that came with it has this enourmous list of foods and their calorie factors (number of calories in a gram of food).

This is it (except ours is white): http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1294434316&sr=8-3

wildcard29

I learned this awhile back and it has saved me time and dishes:)

ATT949

What is tupper?

Sorry - "tupperware".

It can be any container, actually, it was just such a simple idea that I completely overlooked.

ATT949

I know what you mean. On my scale, it's called the tare button.

Same here but I've always used it to zero out the scale so I can dump stuff into it.

It just hit me this AM that "there's a better way".

ATT949

This is a simple idea and lots of you folks might already know about it but it's new to me so I thought I'd pass it along.

I have a tupper of tuna fish salad (yeah, first mayonnaise in 29 days!) and I wanted a 4 oz portion. I leave a small tupper that I use to weigh stuff on my scale, so I could just scoop out of the big tupper into the little tupper and then dump it onto my salad plate.

Makes sense but that means I've got to clean up the little tupper (yes, guys do clean their kitchens).

Well, there is an easier way:

Hit the "On" button on the scale, put the big tupper (full of tuna fish salad) on the scale, hit the "On" button again so the scale zeroes itself (it will take into account the weight of the "tuna tupper"). Then scoop from the big tupper until the scale reads -4.0 OZ (yes, negative 4.0 OZ) or what ever your serving size is.

It's a lot quicker, there's nothing to clean up, and you still get to lick the spoon!

I really need to start weighing my food. Any suggestions on a scale?

I use this:

Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale


IIRC, Cooks Illustrated rated it highly in the "economy" price range. I've had it for about a year and it's worked just fine.

I bought it at Amazon which has a bucket load of colors:

http://tinyurl.com/323ab4u

ATT949

I learned this awhile back and it has saved me time and dishes:)

So simple, isn't it but just something that we overlook 'til we have a "blinding flash of the obvious"!

robin52077

or just put your salad plate on the scale and add the tuna to it until it gets to 4 oz....

there are many ways to do this and I think I have found them all since I weigh everything I eat! :laugh:

I will even weigh a pan before cooking in it, like say a lasagna pan. That way, after it comes out of the oven, you can weigh the whole thing, subtract the weight of the pan, and you know the exact weight of the whole lasagna, then you know how many calories are in the WHOLE thing, and can weigh out precise portions of the whole meal based on 1/8 of recipe, or 1/12 of recipe or whatever...

jenneyd

I know what you mean. On my scale, it's called the tare button.

Edited to add: I presume tupper means Tupperware. We bought an EatSmart scale from amazon.com. It was a great sale and it's a great scale. It measures in grams, ounces, pounds and kilos. The booklet that came with it has this enourmous list of foods and their calorie factors (number of calories in a gram of food).

This is it (except ours is white): http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1294434316&sr=8-3

great little scale! thanks for posting, I do not have one yet! So is the other one posted, thank you, for posting ATT!

foxynurse

I will even weigh a pan before cooking in it, like say a lasagna pan. That way, after it comes out of the oven, you can weigh the whole thing, subtract the weight of the pan, and you know the exact weight of the whole lasagna, then you know how many calories are in the WHOLE thing, and can weigh out precise portions of the whole meal based on 1/8 of recipe, or 1/12 of recipe or whatever...

That is possibly one of the best ideas I've ever heard of!

ATT949

or just put your salad plate on the scale and add the tuna to it until it gets to 4 oz....

Unfor "tuna" tely I can't do that 'cause the plate is so big that it covers the window on the scale so I can't read the weight.

I will even weigh a pan before cooking in it, like say a lasagna pan. That way, after it comes out of the oven, you can weigh the whole thing, subtract the weight of the pan, and you know the exact weight of the whole lasagna, then you know how many calories are in the WHOLE thing, and can weigh out precise portions of the whole meal based on 1/8 of recipe, or 1/12 of recipe or whatever...

Great idea!

robin52077

Unfor "tuna" tely

groan.....
:laugh:

and thanks!

ATT949

Unfor "tuna" tely

groan.....
:laugh:

and thanks!

Heh, I just couldn't resist!

dwarfer22

OMG I never thought about that. Great tip!