Pasta boat handle portion size?

LaurenAOK
LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
This is a question for anyone with a pasta boat!

I have one, and it says each handle is a 2-portion serving of spaghetti (you use the handles to measure out the portions). I assumed this meant that the handle measures 4oz, since 2oz is a standard serving of spaghetti.

However, tonight I am making a recipe which calls for 8oz uncooked spaghetti - so I assumed that woud be two handles' worth. But I got the spaghetti out of a 16oz box and was surprised to find that after I took out 2 handles' worth, 3/4 of the box was empty! So obviously each handle is more than 4oz or else the box would only have been half empty.

Now I'm worried because this is how I've been keeping track of my spaghetti portions. Does anyone know how much one handle of the pasta boat ACTUALLY is?

Replies

  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Bump? Any pasta boat owners out there?
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    I posted this months and months ago and I'm bumping it again because I still don't know the answer hahah.
  • grward612
    grward612 Posts: 72 Member
    I do not own a pasta boat, but as with any serving portions, you should weigh your food. Weighing food is the only way to have an accurate serving size. Just my thoughts on the subject ... which doesn't even answer your question. Sorry.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    It's "optimistic." By about 30%
  • C00lCountry
    C00lCountry Posts: 282
    Maybe it is the size of the spaghetti as well. Seems angel hair or thin is a little more condensed.
    I would say food scale it.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    This is a question for anyone with a pasta boat!

    I have one, and it says each handle is a 2-portion serving of spaghetti (you use the handles to measure out the portions). I assumed this meant that the handle measures 4oz, since 2oz is a standard serving of spaghetti.

    However, tonight I am making a recipe which calls for 8oz uncooked spaghetti - so I assumed that woud be two handles' worth. But I got the spaghetti out of a 16oz box and was surprised to find that after I took out 2 handles' worth, 3/4 of the box was empty! So obviously each handle is more than 4oz or else the box would only have been half empty.

    Now I'm worried because this is how I've been keeping track of my spaghetti portions. Does anyone know how much one handle of the pasta boat ACTUALLY is?

    I don't have a pasta boat either, and honestly I don't know how that gadget looks like. I always weight my pasta dry as 2oz= 1 serving. Sorry :blushing:
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
    hi - I have to confess, I don't know what a pasta boat/handle is? I feel like a dummy!

    but, I would agree with getting a reliable digital kitchen scale (cheap) and weighing your cooked pasta. The database will have it both cooked and uncooked AND the box should also say whether the nutrtional info is based on cooked or uncooked..

    hope this helps???

    good luck!
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    I don't own what your speaking of but I've used this site for the last year to help with pasta measurements and when I weigh/measure it out its pretty spot on.

    http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?23076-Dry-to-Cooked-Pasta-Measurements
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Pasta is always going to vary depending on how it is cooked... al dente pasta is cooked a few minutes less and absorbs less water. Tender pasta is cooked a few minutes longer and has more water. The tender pasta weighs more than the al dente pasta because it has absorbed more water. However, because water has no calories, it has the same number of calories. That is why you weigh things like pasta and rice dry.

    This is how I deal with it... If I buy a box of pasta that has 4 servings, I cook half. After cooking, I weigh the entire amount (2 servings) and then weigh half of that into my bowl (1 serving). Works like a charm =)
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I do own a pasta boat and trust me, it's off. It's about 30% more than actual measurement.
  • pinkfloydsgurl
    pinkfloydsgurl Posts: 9 Member
    *winks* each handle is 5oz dry love. I know this is old but maybe it will help others. YAY!
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