Weights and Measures...Mind Boggling

neverstray
neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
in Chit-Chat
I've been weighing the meats I buy, and they are always differenttan my scale. I think my scale is correct because I weigh things that have a solid known weight, and it is right on. So, my question is this, is there a way they weigh meats that make it different than the label weight says on the package. I've tried it with the package and with out the package. Sometimes it is more sometimes it is less. There is no rhyme or reason that I can see. Right now I have a steak that says, net weight = .56 lb, tare .06. But, when I weigh it on my scales, less the package, my scale says 9.6 oz. I'm confused. It should be 8 oz. I mean, I win. But, not always.

Replies

  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    No one, eh?
  • projektai
    projektai Posts: 107 Member
    I have no idea. =/
  • wendyapple
    wendyapple Posts: 323 Member
    could be discrepant scales at your butcher s your own... or maybe your butcher doesn't know lb to oz conversion? just a guess...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Maybe their scale is off.

    If you are confident your scale is good, than go with your scale.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Maybe their scale is off.

    If you are confident your scale is good, than go with your scale.

    Uh, yeah, but I'm charged by the ounce. I'm not weighing for calories, I'm weighing for money. I want to know if they over charge.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    All measuring devices have an error percentage, it's hard to weigh anything precisely. And I guess the weight I. Eh package is only an estimate too.
  • me4sweetd
    me4sweetd Posts: 6 Member
    I use to work in a couple delis, The tare is a number that they put in to counteract the packaging of course, but they are not going to weight each individual package and tare it for that specific piece of meat. You put the tare in once and the scale will remember it until you clear it out. When packaging in bulk, It is more cost efficient to over guess the tare by a bit so that no one is shorted actual meat than it is to pay someone per hour to hit tare, wait for it to tare, and then put the meat on to weigh, wrap it in plastic and reweigh it for plastic tare. You would think that all the packages would tare out the same, but they do not. Some meats require the absorbtion pad, some don't, so that can effect the weight a good bit, the plastic wrap is also almost impossible to tare out because the meat has to be put in before you weigh it. So they just bump up the tare a bit to cover everything. They are only losing pennies on the dollar to over estimate, but saving hours in labor costs. Hope this helps.
  • divemunkey
    divemunkey Posts: 288 Member
    Considering their scales are most likely of higher quality, and legally must be calibrated every so often, and I doubt yours is, I'm betting their number is right, and yours is not.
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
    Just go with your scales, sometimes food loses water from the time it was packed to when you cook it. You need to stick to one set of scales in order to be consistent.

    Trust your own judgement as well, some of the food on MFP have been added by members and may not be correct.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I use to work in a couple delis, The tare is a number that they put in to counteract the packaging of course, but they are not going to weight each individual package and tare it for that specific piece of meat. You put the tare in once and the scale will remember it until you clear it out. When packaging in bulk, It is more cost efficient to over guess the tare by a bit so that no one is shorted actual meat than it is to pay someone per hour to hit tare, wait for it to tare, and then put the meat on to weigh, wrap it in plastic and reweigh it for plastic tare. You would think that all the packages would tare out the same, but they do not. Some meats require the absorbtion pad, some don't, so that can effect the weight a good bit, the plastic wrap is also almost impossible to tare out because the meat has to be put in before you weigh it. So they just bump up the tare a bit to cover everything. They are only losing pennies on the dollar to over estimate, but saving hours in labor costs. Hope this helps.

    That sounds reasonable. As long as it is always higher. But it's not always higher. I feel like I'm onto a huge breaking lawsuit. Lol. Not really, but maybe. I'll keep checking it as I buy. As long as its mostly higher, I'm ok with it.

    What started this is that I used to use the amount the package said, until one time, I cut off the fat from. Steak, and it was still heavier than he package said. I was like WTH! Ever since then, I've been obsessed.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Just go with your scales, sometimes food loses water from the time it was packed to when you cook it. You need to stick to one set of scales in order to be consistent.

    Trust your own judgement as well, some of the food on MFP have been added by members and may not be correct.

    AGAIN, I DON'T CARE ABOUT CALORIES. I AM CONCERNED WITH BEING OVER CHARGED.
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,177 Member
    Just go with your scales, sometimes food loses water from the time it was packed to when you cook it. You need to stick to one set of scales in order to be consistent.

    Trust your own judgement as well, some of the food on MFP have been added by members and may not be correct.

    AGAIN, I DON'T CARE ABOUT CALORIES. I AM CONCERNED WITH BEING OVER CHARGED.



    Is it free range organic or corporate farm raised? I would think fee range would weigh less due to less additives.








    <sarcasm>
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Just go with your scales, sometimes food loses water from the time it was packed to when you cook it. You need to stick to one set of scales in order to be consistent.

    Trust your own judgement as well, some of the food on MFP have been added by members and may not be correct.

    AGAIN, I DON'T CARE ABOUT CALORIES. I AM CONCERNED WITH BEING OVER CHARGED.



    Is it free range organic or corporate farm raised? I would think fee range would weigh less due to less additives.








    <sarcasm>

    Yeah, since muscle weighs more than fat...
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    net weight = .56 lb, tare .06. But, when I weigh it on my scales, less the package, my scale says 9.6 oz. I'm confused. It should be 8 oz. I mean, I win. But, not always.

    Net weight is the weight of the product without the package; so it sounds to me like you got more for your money. With the package it should weigh about 10 oz, based on their label.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Just go with your scales, sometimes food loses water from the time it was packed to when you cook it. You need to stick to one set of scales in order to be consistent.

    Trust your own judgement as well, some of the food on MFP have been added by members and may not be correct.

    AGAIN, I DON'T CARE ABOUT CALORIES. I AM CONCERNED WITH BEING OVER CHARGED.

    Okay, calm for a moment and realize that 1 - you are on a fitness site. We are automatically going to assume you are concerned about the weight because of the calories.

    And 2 - your original post didn't clarify that you were concerned about being over charged...which goes back to the first thing about us assuming you are concerned with the calories because this is a fitness site.

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