Bacon? Hamburgers?

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lilawolf
lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My package of bacon says that two pan fried slices is 110 calories, but when I cook 4 slices (for my hubby and I), I pour off a quarter cup of grease. The directions do say to drain on paper towels, so are they assuming that the grease would get poured off, or do they have to tell you what is in two slices? I could use the grease to cook something else after all.

Same question about hamburger. I have quarter lb 80/20 patties that give their calorie count for 4oz as 370 calories. Again, I pour off a bunch of grease when I cook them. 4oz is a quarter of a lb, and more than the final, cooked product. What do I log? 3oz? If I am pouring off mostly fat, then that would be more calorie dense than the protein/fat combo that is left.

Help!

Replies

  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I know that calorie counting is far from an exact science, but we are talking about a lot of grease here!
  • Frozen300
    Frozen300 Posts: 223 Member
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    I don't know the answer but do yourself a favour and always take the high side of your calories in everything you eat.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Ill try one more time for an answer...
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    The "grease" you're pouring out of a pan is actually the natural fat of the meat in a heated liquid form. Since I think most calorie counts are PRE cooking, it includes that fat.
  • ritasice21
    ritasice21 Posts: 200 Member
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    It depends. Some products will tell you if it is cooked or raw. If not, try using this site. Here you can pick if it is raw, broiled, fried etc.
    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list
  • cupotee
    cupotee Posts: 181 Member
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    A slice of fried bacon with the grease poured off and drained is 42 calories. If you eat the grease along with the bacon, a slice would be 110 calories.

    Edit: you probably have thick-cut bacon, which is why each slice is coming out to be 55 calories. This count is assuming you are removing as much grease as possible.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    The "grease" you're pouring out of a pan is actually the natural fat of the meat in a heated liquid form. Since I think most calorie counts are PRE cooking, it includes that fat.

    Bacon is actually an exception to this. If the package (as all I've seen do) says the calories are for pan-fried slices, the fat left in the pan / poured off is not included in that count.
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
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    That fat will burn of quickly and doesn't add as much calories, the calories come from the muscle being burned since that will generate more heat than the fat that will be burned out with in seconds.

    " In cooked beef, the muscle proteins, like the sugars in cooked starch, have opened up and allowed digestive enzymes to attack their amino acid chains. Cooking also does this for collagen, a protein that makes meat difficult to chew because it forms the connective tissue wrapped around muscle fibers." - a study I read a while back about this same deal can't find it now.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    That fat will burn of quickly and doesn't add as much calories, the calories come from the muscle being burned since that will generate more heat than the fat that will be burned out with in seconds.

    " In cooked beef, the muscle proteins, like the sugars in cooked starch, have opened up and allowed digestive enzymes to attack their amino acid chains. Cooking also does this for collagen, a protein that makes meat difficult to chew because it forms the connective tissue wrapped around muscle fibers." - a study I read a while back about this same deal can't find it now.

    J.C. I don't even know what you're saying.

    OP you are making this too complicated. If the label says 2 slices are 100 calories, put that. Going into so much detail is pointless.
  • cuteazz1
    cuteazz1 Posts: 37
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    Just list it as cooked or raw...If Im listing that I ate a hamburger it asks me if it was 4oz cooked or 4 oz raw,If Im eating bacon it says the same thing...it accounts for the difference in grease/fat/weight by doing it that way.Also...when the math gets too complicated I just go with the highest number just in case....

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