I am so confused about pasta

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morgaine108
morgaine108 Posts: 53
in Food and Nutrition
So my husband cooked 8 oz by weight of dry pasta and cooked it. After cooking, it came out to 22 oz. He divided it by 4 and gave us each a 4th of what was cooked, taking a little out for my youngest who is only 4 and won't eat that much. He gives me a bowl of pasta that is basically completely full and I do not see how that much pasta is supposed to be one serving. I have looked it up on here and other places trying to figure this out. Every time we make pasta there is this argument (we are both on mfp) and he seems to think counting that huge amount of pasta as about 200 calories is right and I just don't see how that can be. Everyone talks about how pasta servings are so small, I just don't get it.
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  • Ramberta
    Ramberta Posts: 1,312 Member
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)
  • pixeldust
    pixeldust Posts: 18
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    Depending on the type of pasta, 8oz dry would translate to 500-550 calories.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)

    No. Measure before cooking. Otherwise you're measuring the water it absorbed. Your standard box of pasta is 16 oz (before cooking it) and contains 8 servings. A serving is 2oz when dry.
  • bodiva88
    bodiva88 Posts: 308 Member
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)

    No. Measure before cooking. Otherwise you're measuring the water it absorbed. Your standard box of pasta is 16 oz (before cooking it) and contains 8 servings. A serving is 2oz when dry.
    THIS!
  • morgaine108
    morgaine108 Posts: 53
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    Depending on the type of pasta, 8oz dry would translate to 500-550 calories.

    This is 8 oz of dry pasta for 4 people, so 2 oz dry for each person. When divided up after cooking, this was 5.5 oz per serving and pretty much filled an entire cereal bowl.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)

    How does adding hot water add calories?
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)

    No. Measure before cooking. Otherwise you're measuring the water it absorbed. Your standard box of pasta is 16 oz (before cooking it) and contains 8 servings. A serving is 2oz when dry.
    This. It's the same with rice. Water doesn't add calories, but it adds weight, so the only way to judge the calories is dry.

    ETA: Not everyone eats his pasta the same way--some people eat it al dente, or a little tough without soaking up much water, others cook it to death, so it soaks up lots more water. Same with rice.
  • two_octopodes
    two_octopodes Posts: 130 Member
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    This is 8 oz of dry pasta for 4 people, so 2 oz dry for each person. When divided up after cooking, this was 5.5 oz per serving and pretty much filled an entire cereal bowl.

    Then you are doing it right. Each 2 oz dry serving is 200-210 calories (depending on brand), so 8 oz divided 4 ways is a 200ish calorie serving for each person. The cooking process/water does not add ANY calories.
  • charliedingus
    charliedingus Posts: 13
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    i always go by dry ingredients. water has no calories.
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
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    I haven't really had pasta since I started MFP but I just learned something.. :smile:
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)

    No. Measure before cooking. Otherwise you're measuring the water it absorbed. Your standard box of pasta is 16 oz (before cooking it) and contains 8 servings. A serving is 2oz when dry.

    THIS!

    I agree! I actually measure 1.5 oz of dry pasta for my husband and for me and add loads of cooked/steamed or sauted vegetables (specially zucchini and spinach) to the tomato or pastasauce. I eat less pasta and more veggies and for me this is a good thing.
  • BiggyFuzz
    BiggyFuzz Posts: 511 Member
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    it's just added water so you want to measure before ... I eat mostly whole wheat pasta, had to get use to it but it's not bad at all
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
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    Measure dry with ounces.

    Measure after cooking if you want to do it by the cup.
  • KeriW626
    KeriW626 Posts: 430
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)

    How does adding hot water add calories?

    How do calories go down in cooked pop corn??? Isnt that kind of like rice, 1 cup raw = 2 cups cooked? and same with water how does water add calories??? scratching my head. OMG I know nothing about dieting... or food.

    after much discussion with my hubby/ MFP, partner and we agree with :Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)
  • roundtherink
    roundtherink Posts: 61
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    The only way I get it right is to open the box, divide it to 7 equal portions (or however many it says the box contains) and then store them separately in Tupperware. It does take up a bit of room in my pantry, but at least this way I know I've measured correctly beforehand.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    A portion is 3 to 4 ounces per person for adults. 300 to 400 calories per serving. Pasta is 100 calories per ounce. You measure dry. The cooking adds no calories. You add calories for any sauce based on what that sauce is. I am a professional chef.
  • KeriW626
    KeriW626 Posts: 430
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    After reading all the comments, I think I will stick to cooked squash, ie: spegettie squash, butter nut squash, zucchini, steammed aldenti. ala rice.
  • loranch
    loranch Posts: 94 Member
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    I don't eat pasta often anymore, but I usually go by cup measurement after cooked.
  • cbaac03
    cbaac03 Posts: 152
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    You definitely want to measure out your pasta portions AFTER you cook it, not before. It plumps up and becomes quite more in volume than it is in the package. The same goes for popcorn, but in reverse-- the calories go down once the kernels are popped. Just measure out your portions based on the way you actually eat the food and you should be fine. :)

    How does adding hot water add calories?

    How do calories go down in cooked pop corn??? Isnt that kind of like rice, 1 cup raw = 2 cups cooked? and same with water how does water add calories??? scratching my head. OMG I know nothing about dieting... or food.

    Cooking dry pasta causes it to absorb water resulting in, say, 2 oz of dry pasta to weigh 4 oz after cooking it. The numbers here aren't important (i don't know if it actually doubles or not). Just know that dry and cooked pasta weigh differently. Knowing this, you understand that weighing out 2 oz of dry pasta would not yield the same number of pasta noodles as 2 oz cooked would, because now you are weighing pasta+absorbed water. SO...basically, as with all food, weigh your food how you are gonna track it. With pasta I would recommend weighing dry with a scale to be most accurate.

    The popcorn thing...if you weigh out one cup of unpopped popcorn kernels say you get like 75 kernels (again, actual numbers not correct or important). Now you cook the popcorn and you measure one cup of popped popcorn. You get like 15 pieces of popcorn or something...Get it?

    Cooking food, without adding calories, does not change the calorie count of the food, it changes the weight of the food, which is why you should always weigh how you will track.
  • SoCalWoman
    SoCalWoman Posts: 2,384 Member
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    yeah the comparison to popcorn doesn't work.

    Whole grain pasta (or any for that matter) you should just go by the dry amount. But seriously..whole grain pasta may take some time to get used to but has some amazing protein and fiber. Love it. :)

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