Genius or Overthinking It?

Mac_X

I had a fantastic idea today, and it occurred to me I can't have been the first person to have thought of it. So you tell me, MFP community of amazingness: is the following a good idea or complete waste of time?

I do a lot of cooking, especially for other and for large groups (10-30). My house is built to entertain and my wife and I spend good money and time to do it, cause it's what we do for fun. That said, I put out a spread that has many, many different dishes. Also, I bet a lot of you are going to be doing the same thing over the holidays. So here's my idea. Instead of having regular spoons/forks/serving utensils, what if you had a special set of "measuring spoons" you would use to serve the food with? That way, instead of wondering later when you are logging your calories "Did I have 1.5 servings of 1/4 a cup of mashed potatoes or was that 1.75 servings of 1/4 a cup of mashed potatoes?" Or similar crazy stuff we all put ourselves through to make sure we get the right calorie amounts, you would KNOW EXACTLY how much you ate of each dish.

Oh yes, I had exactly a half cup or corn, because the awesome measuring spoon serving utensil told me so! That green bean casserole was delicious, I should have had more than the 1.25 servings of 1/2 cup that I had!

Is the concept clear? Using measuring spoons as serving utensils so you know EXACTLY how much of each dish you consume. Genius! Or is it?

ChasingAmyLiz

Honestly, I openly admit that while I am at home and portioning my own plate I use measuring cups and spoons. My family gave me odd looks at first but it helps me. Eyeballing things just doesn't work for me.

But as for dinner parties and such.... personally if I were a guest I'd be thrilled. I say go for it!

mamajenb

Sorry, Weight Watchers already make them http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Watchers-Easy-Measure-Serving/dp/B002B8NSC6/ref=sr_1_fed0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354492171&sr=8-1&keywords=portion+scoops

Mac_X

Leave it to weight watchers to be completely on the ball with something so awesome.

Yanicka1

Measuring cups are not a good way to calculate portions

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

MouseTmom

Great idea but I just went to that site - 3 serving spoons (1/4, 1/2 and 1cup) for 54.99. Ridiculous price!! That is why I quit weight watchers many years ago. They were ALWAYS triying to sell you overpriced snacks, food scales, etc.

loulabelle73

What a great idea... looks like there are quite a few companies that sell them

miriamwithcats

I went through my cupboard adding water from a measuring cup to see what all the bowls held. Now I use those to know what I am eating. But, I live alone and usually eat from bowls.

earlyxer

Do MFP enough, and when you just LOOK at a plate of food you'll know how many calories are in it +- 10%.

jeleclekat

Great idea but I just went to that site - 3 serving spoons (1/4, 1/2 and 1cup) for 54.99. Ridiculous price!! That is why I quit weight watchers many years ago. They were ALWAYS triying to sell you overpriced snacks, food scales, etc.

agreed - I just went to site and saw the price..No way! I'll stick with measuring cups. My guests are friends so know
i measure anyway

ObtainingBalance

Honestly, I openly admit that while I am at home and portioning my own plate I use measuring cups and spoons. My family gave me odd looks at first but it helps me. Eyeballing things just doesn't work for me.

But as for dinner parties and such.... personally if I were a guest I'd be thrilled. I say go for it!

Same!

lbaileyjohannsen

What if you just figured out how much your regular spoons held so you didn't have to buy new ones? I think this is a great idea anyway, just to keep better track of portion sizes.

Derpes

You could always take a different route in terms of design, custom features and so on.

Develop a prototype, test it, apply for patents/trademarks and go to the market (easier said than done, right).

If you differentiate your product from others in the marketplace it could work.

The key would be outsourcing production to a company that has the capacity and capabilities to meet your needs - manufacturing minimums could be an issue. Another issue to resolve would be the supply chain - would you sell directly to consumers or utilize retail distribution channels to sell the product?

Now I am over thinking it!!

lewcompton

Many chefs are going to single spoon or shot glass servings for appetizers... Makes it easy to track your calories simply figure out total calories/how many servings there are then multiply by how many you ate and up the different ones you ate and voila. Still sounds like over thinking a bit... but for those of us that are horizontally challenged perhaps it is genius.

Espressocycle

Sorry, Weight Watchers already make them http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Watchers-Easy-Measure-Serving/dp/B002B8NSC6/ref=sr_1_fed0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354492171&sr=8-1&keywords=portion+scoops

These are going for 40-50 smackers online right now if you can find them. You might be better off just buying a bunch at the dollar store and so on and measuring them until you find ones that make sense.

bellesouth18

Regular food service serving utensils are already sold that way. Check out your local kitchen supply store. You can get 1/2 c., etc. spoons a lot cheaper than those Weight Watchers items. Yikes, were they expensive! :drinker:


Edit: It is a good idea if your guests won't take it the wrong way! haha I already measure and/or weigh my food.