Dry weight vs. cooked weight

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ambie1973
ambie1973 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
Hello. I'm kinda getting the hang of this calorie counting deal. Been at it about 3 weeks now. But I got stumped tonight. Had some spaghetti and the only serving info I could find was that it was 1 serving = 2 oz dry weight. Well, how much is 2 oz when you cook? I made alot for the kids so I didn't measure it out for myself but I'm guessing I had maybe a cup cooked. It seemed reasonable. But I don't want to underestimate. Does anyone know how to convert? I have been looking online but everything I see is converting just oz to cup, both dry, but I need to know cooked. I hate to go cook 2 oz by itself just to figure it out.
Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • kimbalion23
    kimbalion23 Posts: 491 Member
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    I recently cooked some spaghetti. Using my scale, it appeared that 2 oz dry was 5.2 oz cooked. (I actually cooked 20 oz dry and ended up with 52 oz cooked). Hope that is close, cause that is what I am using.
  • manda1002
    manda1002 Posts: 178 Member
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    I ordered a spaghetti measure thing the other day for this reason. But I read that spaghetti doubles its weight dry to cooked, and that a serving is about 1/2 a cup. Guess I'll find out eventually.
  • WickedGarden
    WickedGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    hmmm...I figure, well if the package says 2/3 cup dry 'per serving' then I count whatever calories it says on the package. I measure out the 2/3 cup because when you cook it, you cook in water, so you are merely 're-hydrating' the pasta.

    uhhh....right? :embarassed:
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
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    Don’t eat spaghetti…., it’s not very healthy. Your body has a hard time processing it. Aren’t we here for our health anyway?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    1 pound of pasta is 4 portions. The calorie info is for 1/2 of a full portion. A full portion is 4 oz. dry.
  • ambie1973
    ambie1973 Posts: 5
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    Yes, we ARE here for the health. And having a small serving of pasta once a month isn't going to kill me.

    Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking I'm just going to have to measure it next time!
  • nero82
    nero82 Posts: 27
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    actually there are different entries in the food database for dry or cooked. If I remember to weigh my rice for example, I use the uncooked food database entry. If I forget, there is also an entry in there for cooked rice, but it is measured in cups rather than weight.

    Also note that the nutrition panel on the packet will be for uncooked.
  • pearsy67
    pearsy67 Posts: 104 Member
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    The dry vs cooked weight does not seem to be a big issue in Australia, all the food I buy only has the info for the packed weight.

    I take the simple approach, I count the calories from the pack going into the pot and then divide by the portion I take out. So if my packet of Penne is 1650 Cals, and I take about 1/4 of that then I allocate about 415 Cals to my meal.

    I try and make sure that I don't get obsessive about calorie counting as that tends to make it harder for me to just eat better naturally. After a couple of months of weighing everything I am getting a much better feel for the 'right' portion sizes for my meals and so I am weighing less and less.

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