1 cup = 8 oz but 8 oz is more than 1 cup???

mommabenefield
mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
in Food and Nutrition
In advance ... Sorry! .... I might be over complicating this but when you have to ask you have to ask... :embarassed:

I love weighing my food and I thought I already understood how this works but all of a sudden confused myself.. so help me please

1 cup = 8 oz right? ....at least in liquids its supposed to ....

But what about something like Zucchini... say that a 'serving' is '1 cup' .... does that mean the serving should still measure out to equal 8 ounces even though an actual 'cup' of zucchini weighs much less....??

Whether sliced chopped slivered shredded or mashed... is 1 cup supposed to weigh 8 oz? of just fill 1 measure cup even if the weight is under 8 oz?

Replies

  • sudmom
    sudmom Posts: 202 Member
    Ounces Measure weight, cups measure volume. I think weight is more accurate.
  • mommabenefield
    mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
    so if 1 'cup' of Zucchini is 100 calories

    is it 8 oz of Zucchini 100 calories?
    or is it the 3, 4, 5 ounces that it 'measures' actually the 100 calories?


    that's what I thought at least... and if that's the case... why do serving sizes bother saying 'cups' :grumble: the more I think about it the more confused I get and the more I think I might be under eating my portions for some things but still counting the full calories for the item.... *oy* :embarassed: hope that makes sense
  • ofccat
    ofccat Posts: 284 Member
    Dry and liquid won't measure the same. So with dry out it in measuring cup and go with that. You can usually find a weight caloric count either on here or by googling and going to a valid site.
  • eyecandyrayce
    eyecandyrayce Posts: 260 Member
    The 8 oz = 1 cup is for liquids only really. Solids have different densities and my 1 cup of carrots is going to weigh more than my 1 cup of celery.

    For liquids I use cups and for solids I use ounces. If the entry says "100 calories per cup" then I try to find the same item by weight. If I can't, then I'll enter it as cups if I have no other choice.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    First, you have to understand that there are two different types of ounces. Fluid ounces are a measure of volume. Ounces on your scale are a measure of weight. And the two things are NOT the same. So use your measuring cup for fluids and your scale for everything else.

    Measuring cups were intended to be used for things like flour and sugar when calculating quantities to use in recipes. If you pour sugar into your measuring cup, it will fill the cup completely. But your chunks of zucchini, obviously, are not. That's when you pull out the scale.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    And according to the USDA, 100g of raw zucchini is 17 calories. That's about one whole small zucchini. You can eat a LOT of zucchini for 100 cals. :happy:
  • DonaldChadDavis
    DonaldChadDavis Posts: 89 Member
    Volume vs weight. 1 cup = 8 fl. oz. it could weigh 1000 million billion pounds depending on how dense it is.
  • Ctrum69
    Ctrum69 Posts: 308 Member
    as said above.. volume vs weight.

    Now, water works out the same.. liquid oz of water is the same as weight oz.. but other things, not so much.

    a quick google search shows that 1c sliced is about 113g, and one cup chopped is about 124g.

    (I say about, because how you slice or chop changes the volume you can fit in a cup).

    Get a decent scale (if you don't already have one, they aren't expensive at all.. about 18 bucks on AMazon), that measures in oz and g, and if it's not labeled, resort to googlery to get a figure.

    And don't sweat a gram here or there.. it won't matter in the long run.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Your confusion lies in not having adopted the metric system. :wink:
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    yup measure liquids - weigh the rest - unless of course you don't really care about minor differences (with certain veg ie: bell peppers, onion, celery I measure my chopped veg using a cup because it's close enough - not enough cals to make a difference to me) but with larger and whole pieces I weigh them - I could use a whole tomato in a salad so I weigh it. If you are measuring after cooking it is just as easy to weigh it.
  • MadTownD
    MadTownD Posts: 149 Member
    Your confusion lies in not having adopted the metric system. :wink:

    Pretty sure it wasn't her choice what the Gub'ment mandated be put on the nutrition labels in the U.S. Kudos to her for trying to work with the information available and get it right.

    :smile:
  • MadTownD
    MadTownD Posts: 149 Member
    First, you have to understand that there are two different types of ounces. Fluid ounces are a measure of volume. Ounces on your scale are a measure of weight. And the two things are NOT the same. So use your measuring cup for fluids and your scale for everything else.

    Measuring cups were intended to be used for things like flour and sugar when calculating quantities to use in recipes. If you pour sugar into your measuring cup, it will fill the cup completely. But your chunks of zucchini, obviously, are not. That's when you pull out the scale.

    This is so helpful! ????
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    Your confusion lies in not having adopted the metric system. :wink:

    Pretty sure it wasn't her choice what the Gub'ment mandated be put on the nutrition labels in the U.S. Kudos to her for trying to work with the information available and get it right.

    :smile:

    Since 1992, US food packages are required to show both US Customary System, and metric. 20 years later most American's still have no clue what a gram is, a kg is something from Europe, and a liter is half of a 2 liter bottle of soda.

    But yep, if you are not used to thinking about what is in a container, it is confusing. Even more so when they give you something like "Serving: 1/2 pack (5 oz/142.5 grams)" on a package of a soup like product (Channa Masala). Is it a liquid, or a solid? Grams = weight...so solid.
  • mommabenefield
    mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
    Your confusion lies in not having adopted the metric system. :wink:

    Pretty sure it wasn't her choice what the Gub'ment mandated be put on the nutrition labels in the U.S. Kudos to her for trying to work with the information available and get it right.

    :smile:

    :laugh: :laugh:

    and thanks :)
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    In advance ... Sorry! .... I might be over complicating this but when you have to ask you have to ask... :embarassed:

    I love weighing my food and I thought I already understood how this works but all of a sudden confused myself.. so help me please

    1 cup = 8 oz right? ....at least in liquids its supposed to ....

    But what about something like Zucchini... say that a 'serving' is '1 cup' .... does that mean the serving should still measure out to equal 8 ounces even though an actual 'cup' of zucchini weighs much less....??

    Whether sliced chopped slivered shredded or mashed... is 1 cup supposed to weigh 8 oz? of just fill 1 measure cup even if the weight is under 8 oz?

    1 cup = 8 oz in liquid measurement. 1 cup of zucchini (considered a dry measurement) you should use your measuring cups, not what you would measure liquid in.
  • charityldamron
    charityldamron Posts: 3
    Well, now I am even more confused. Hahaha. Just kidding.
  • mommabenefield
    mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
    Ok so what I 'think' I understand is that for all of my solid foods I should be weighing in grams

    I do have a scale measures in ounces and grams and that's why all the confusion lol

    I thought that 1 cup = 8 oz no matter what but now i think i get it that ounces should really be used only for liquid measurements and grams for all my solids.

    I feel cheated when it comes to measuring cups used for anything else besides baking really. A gram here or there is no big deal to me but I do want to make sure I am eating my proper portions so that I don't feel deprived later on... Does that make sense?

    And yes I could eat a crap load of zucchini for 100 cals :laugh: :bigsmile: :wink: So if I'm gonna charge myself self for 100 calories of squash I want ALLL my squash :laugh: :laugh:

    Thank you everyone! :drinker:
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Yeah, use grams for measuring. It's just easier. Most packages have grams as well as cups. For fruits and veggies use "raw" when searching. Look for the entry without the * and it'll have an entry for 100 grams. The entries without * are from the USDA database. I also use them for meats.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    In advance ... Sorry! .... I might be over complicating this but when you have to ask you have to ask... :embarassed:

    I love weighing my food and I thought I already understood how this works but all of a sudden confused myself.. so help me please

    1 cup = 8 oz right? ....at least in liquids its supposed to ....

    But what about something like Zucchini... say that a 'serving' is '1 cup' .... does that mean the serving should still measure out to equal 8 ounces even though an actual 'cup' of zucchini weighs much less....??

    Whether sliced chopped slivered shredded or mashed... is 1 cup supposed to weigh 8 oz? of just fill 1 measure cup even if the weight is under 8 oz?

    1 cup = 8 oz in liquid measurement. 1 cup of zucchini (considered a dry measurement) you should use your measuring cups, not what you would measure liquid in.

    Nobody should use measuring cups ever. Use a food scale.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    Cups are measured in fluid ounces, which are different from weight ounces - a fluid ounce is a unit of volume rather than weight. So 1 cup may be 8 fluid ounces, but that doesn't necessarily mean that if you fill the cup it will weigh 8 oz whatever, if that makes sense.

    Also, cups vary in size, so unless you are using a specifically designed measuring cup you may not get the same size "cup".

    I highly recommend measuring food in metric, i.e. ml, grams rather than pints, oz, fluid oz etc. There is usually more precision.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    The difference is air pockets. Even grains of sugar, salt, flour have enough uneven sides to allow air pockets which will change the volume. The most accurate recipes will be in weight not in volume. Enjoy that last bite of squash!:drinker:
  • BrettWithPKU
    BrettWithPKU Posts: 575 Member
    I hate fluid ounces.
    In the kitchen, There are teaspoons and tablespoons, and there are fractions of a cup. But then there are fluid ounces, where each ounce is--you guessed it-- a FRACTION of a CUP.

    I propose a permanent ban on fluid ounces.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    I propose a permanent ban on fluid ounces.

    Would not be missed.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Ok so what I 'think' I understand is that for all of my solid foods I should be weighing in grams

    Not quite - or, I should say, not necessarily. I think you may still be confused, or maybe you're just neglecting to use the correct abbreviation for fluid ounce, I can't tell.

    A gram (g) is weight and is measured on a scale.
    An ounce (oz) is weight and is measured on a scale.
    A fluid ounce (fl oz) is volume and is measured in a liquid measuring cup.

    You should measure in the same units given on the label, though you can convert between g and oz if necessary. If you have a volume measurement and a weight measurement available, the weight measurement will be more accurate.

    Be careful you don't read oz. and think fl. oz. or vice versa.
  • Ctrum69
    Ctrum69 Posts: 308 Member
    The difference is air pockets. Even grains of sugar, salt, flour have enough uneven sides to allow air pockets which will change the volume. The most accurate recipes will be in weight not in volume. Enjoy that last bite of squash!:drinker:

    And for about 90% of recipes, (and virtually all calorie counting) it won't make a bit of difference.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    so if 1 'cup' of Zucchini is 100 calories

    is it 8 oz of Zucchini 100 calories?
    or is it the 3, 4, 5 ounces that it 'measures' actually the 100 calories?


    that's what I thought at least... and if that's the case... why do serving sizes bother saying 'cups' :grumble: the more I think about it the more confused I get and the more I think I might be under eating my portions for some things but still counting the full calories for the item.... *oy* :embarassed: hope that makes sense

    You're getting confounded by volume and weight.

    8oz of equivalent to 1c volume of water. Not all liquids weigh the same either. I have some "special" apple juice that weighs much less than water.

    So when a serving is listed as a cup, it's physical volume with voids removed as much as possible, but not packed. So, you take out your dry measure cup, and use it. If a weight is listed, you take your scale.

    8oz os zucchini is about 40 calories as per google, what's the cup's calories?

    40 calories for 8 ounces equals out to 5 calories per ounce. Google also lists a cup of zucchini as 113gr. So, a lot of the volume measurement depends. A cup of mash zucchini would be different.

Categories