Measuring food

breakyoface
breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When you guys measure your food with cups/tsp/tbs etc do you fill it up to the top or a little under? Do you mush it down to add more? Just curious.
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Replies

  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I use a food scale for measuring solids and measuring cups for liquids. I got my food scale for less than $7.00 including shipping, on ebay.
  • OkamiLavande
    OkamiLavande Posts: 336 Member
    When you guys measure your food with cups/tsp/tbs etc do you fill it up to the top or a little under? Do you mush it down to add more? Just curious.

    I use a food scale for pretty much everything that is possible, but with cups/tsp/tbs I fill them a little under. With cups I go just below the meniscus(the line). I NEVER mush it down to add more because that is added calories and if you don't add those calories it's cheating, just saying. Plus, mushing it down isn't accurate. Most things require a food scale for complete accuracy. Even my coffee creamer I'll use a food scale sometimes if I can figure out the weight well enough.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    I weigh ALL my foods, except liquids. :wink:
  • _Resolve_
    _Resolve_ Posts: 735 Member
    A food scale will be the best investment one can make while trying to lose weight.
  • bleep
    bleep Posts: 68 Member
    Yep food scale is the way to go.
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
    So if it says you can have 1 cup of say mashed potatos, you still use the scale instead of just using the measuring cup?
  • JulsiePie
    JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
    I'm kinda annoying about measuring, but if it was homemade mashed potatoes, I'd weigh everything separately (potatoes, butter, etc), and then mix them.....then I'd weigh the whole batch (making sure you subtract the bowl), then take out my portion and do the math lol....it's complicated but more accurate.

    I use cups and spoons rarely for measuring....usually my scale. Today I made shepherds pie and it was a bunch of measuring and writing down exact amounts. Then I added it all up and divided the pie by 6, and the total calories by 6...time consuming, yes, but makes me happy lol.
  • OkamiLavande
    OkamiLavande Posts: 336 Member
    So if it says you can have 1 cup of say mashed potatos, you still use the scale instead of just using the measuring cup?

    I do. Always.
  • OkamiLavande
    OkamiLavande Posts: 336 Member
    I'm kinda annoying about measuring, but if it was homemade mashed potatoes, I'd weigh everything separately (potatoes, butter, etc), and then mix them.....then I'd weigh the whole batch (making sure you subtract the bowl), then take out my portion and do the math lol....it's complicated but more accurate.

    I use cups and spoons rarely for measuring....usually my scale. Today I made shepherds pie and it was a bunch of measuring and writing down exact amounts. Then I added it all up and divided the pie by 6, and the total calories by 6...time consuming, yes, but makes me happy lol.

    I do the same thing on paper and then on the recipe make on here. xD
    Glad I'm not the only one who does this.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    So if it says you can have 1 cup of say mashed potatos, you still use the scale instead of just using the measuring cup?
    Yes, because volume isn't going to be accurate. Weight always is.

    Never use the volume measurement of a solid.
  • Xaudelle
    Xaudelle Posts: 122 Member
    FOOD SCALE.
    Can't cheer for one enough.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    I'm kinda annoying about measuring, but if it was homemade mashed potatoes, I'd weigh everything separately (potatoes, butter, etc), and then mix them.....then I'd weigh the whole batch (making sure you subtract the bowl), then take out my portion and do the math lol....it's complicated but more accurate.

    I use cups and spoons rarely for measuring....usually my scale. Today I made shepherds pie and it was a bunch of measuring and writing down exact amounts. Then I added it all up and divided the pie by 6, and the total calories by 6...time consuming, yes, but makes me happy lol.

    I do the same thing on paper and then on the recipe make on here. xD
    Glad I'm not the only one who does this.

    I do this but divide by the total weight of the finished product. Then I serve myself XX amount of grams--> therefore XX servings. MFP calculates everything for me. If I say 6 servings, I don't know if my 1 serving is actually 1/6th of the total (other family eats the rest), so I like to do it my way. If you are the only one eating the 6 servings and they are all about the same size, it likely doesn't matter how many calories each serving is.
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
    Food scale is a calorie counters BFF
  • eileen0515
    eileen0515 Posts: 408 Member
    Food scale always.
  • JulsiePie
    JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
    I'm kinda annoying about measuring, but if it was homemade mashed potatoes, I'd weigh everything separately (potatoes, butter, etc), and then mix them.....then I'd weigh the whole batch (making sure you subtract the bowl), then take out my portion and do the math lol....it's complicated but more accurate.

    I use cups and spoons rarely for measuring....usually my scale. Today I made shepherds pie and it was a bunch of measuring and writing down exact amounts. Then I added it all up and divided the pie by 6, and the total calories by 6...time consuming, yes, but makes me happy lol.

    I do the same thing on paper and then on the recipe make on here. xD
    Glad I'm not the only one who does this.

    I do this but divide by the total weight of the finished product. Then I serve myself XX amount of grams--> therefore XX servings. MFP calculates everything for me. If I say 6 servings, I don't know if my 1 serving is actually 1/6th of the total (other family eats the rest), so I like to do it my way. If you are the only one eating the 6 servings and they are all about the same size, it likely doesn't matter how many calories each serving is.

    DUHHHHH!!!! Why didn't I think of that lol?? Much better to weigh it lol! Thanks for posting that....my husband divided our meal by 6. 6 very uneven squares lol.....
  • VanillaBeanSeed
    VanillaBeanSeed Posts: 562 Member
    I'm kinda annoying about measuring, but if it was homemade mashed potatoes, I'd weigh everything separately (potatoes, butter, etc), and then mix them.....then I'd weigh the whole batch (making sure you subtract the bowl), then take out my portion and do the math lol....it's complicated but more accurate.

    I use cups and spoons rarely for measuring....usually my scale. Today I made shepherds pie and it was a bunch of measuring and writing down exact amounts. Then I added it all up and divided the pie by 6, and the total calories by 6...time consuming, yes, but makes me happy lol.

    This!

    When I make a meal, it takes math and paper work! But like you said, it makes me happy! =)
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    I dont measure food. I overestimate where appropriate.
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
    I don't use cups. I use food scales for solids and a measuring jug or measuring spoons for liquids.
  • TruckersWifeTruckersLife
    TruckersWifeTruckersLife Posts: 408 Member
    Food scale
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    I weigh ALL my foods, except liquids. :wink:

    Ditto.
  • LindseySprake
    LindseySprake Posts: 333 Member
    I use a food scale for measuring solids and measuring cups for liquids.

    THIS^^
    Its the only way to be sure/accurate :flowerforyou:
  • ironrat79
    ironrat79 Posts: 273 Member
    I have a love/hate relationship with my food scale....it tells me what is right and I want it to be wrong :)
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
    I don't get cups :-/ How big is a cup anyway? Doesn't it depend on the size of your cup?! We never use them in the UK; always grams for solids and ml for liquids (or ounces and fluid ounces if you're particularly old skool).
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I don't get cups :-/ How big is a cup anyway? Doesn't it depend on the size of your cup?! We never use them in the UK; always grams for solids and ml for liquids (or ounces and fluid ounces if you're particularly old skool).

    1 cup = 8 fl oz or 250mil...it is a mesurment for cooking in North America at least. (ETA: and I am Canadian so it's not just a US thing)

    To the OP kitchen scale...if it says 1cup of mashed it probably has a gram measurment as well...for example my cottage cheese says 1/2 or 125g...guess which is more....yup the grams but for cereal 3/4cup does not equal 27grams it's a lot more...:sad:
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
    I use a food scale for measuring solids and measuring cups for liquids. I got my food scale for less than $7.00 including shipping, on ebay.

    ^^This. I got a food scale on ebay, as well for $1.88 + $3.00 shipping ($4.88 - still a bargain. It has a typo, the button that is supposed to be labelled "unit" is actually marked "uint" but it works despite the typo.)

    To answer your question, when measuring liquids, I do fill the cup all the way to the top.

    For lisaamartin1: a cup in the US is approx. 240 mL.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    I got a food scale on amazon for $14. I love it because I can zero it out as I add items. If I don't have time to log individual ingredients, I take a picture of the item sitting on the scale with the weight. It takes about 15 minutes spaced over the whole course of the day, but it's so worth it. I found that packaging was often inaccurate, especially with snacks. For example, a chip I like to eat says that one serving is 28 grams or 13 chips. I have weighed out 13 fully formed chips (none stuck together or broken) and ended up with 38 grams! That's 136% of a serving!
  • katro111
    katro111 Posts: 632 Member
    Food scale for the win! I weigh my food, find the appropriate entry in MFP and then usually edit the entry so it's in grams or ounces and log. Same works for the recipe builder in MFP.
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    I don't get cups :-/ How big is a cup anyway?

    If the ingredients for a recipe are all in Cups - then it doesn't matter what size cup you use - just use the same one.

    But over here (in the U.K) we like a teaspoon - smaller mouths I guess :-p
  • jimwon953
    jimwon953 Posts: 20 Member
    Switch to weighing in grams - you'll have better accuracy, better control, it's a minimal difference and really pays off.

    I weigh in grams, have a proper measuring spoon set to tablespoon & teaspoon and use a jug with a scale on the side to measure volume of fluids.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Another vote for the food scale!

    Also, make sure that you're using the proper entry. Weighing your food won't mean crap if the entry you're using is incorrect. Stay away from entries that say generic, homemade or start with an asterisk. Try to find an entry that has a LOT of confirmations and are mathematical possible (carbs and protein have about 4 calories per gram, fat has about 9 calories per gram). Not everything in the database is reliable and can really give you a false sense of hope.

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