silly question about meats

Cbandelier
Cbandelier Posts: 217 Member
edited September 22 in Recipes
Do you weigh the meat/fish/poultry before or after cooking?

When I am adding a recipe on here, can I go by the meat package (i.e 1 lb chicken or whatever) or should I be weighing it after?

Is a 4 oz portion of meat the before or after weight?

Thanks!

Replies

  • doris_day
    doris_day Posts: 159
    I usually weigh my food after it's cooked. A six ounce steak will reduce in size once it's been cooked. Hey I only get to eat 1200 calories so I'm looking to get every calorie I can. I don't think fish or chicken reduce as much as red meat does.
  • deannarey13
    deannarey13 Posts: 452
    That is a good question. I have weighed it both ways because I didn't think the weight would change after cooking.
  • mariannekehl
    mariannekehl Posts: 66 Member
    I always go by the weight after the meat is cooked, not before.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    weigh it after cooked.
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
    After
  • lushy20
    lushy20 Posts: 215 Member
    i agree with everyone else weigh it after
  • narrowdoor
    narrowdoor Posts: 28 Member
    Hmmm I always thought the weight was before cooking....most of the online sites offer the calorie content different for before and after cooking
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    I also usually weigh it after it's cooked. However, I also search for an entry that notes that an item is cooked (baked/roasted/etc.) as many of them do, instead of using the first item that comes along.
  • Altiv
    Altiv Posts: 174 Member
    I asked my nutritionist last time I saw her and she said it's best to weigh food before cooking it, she said that because some foods gain weight (such as rice), while others loose weight after being cooked. At least that's what I do =P
  • kittyb1
    kittyb1 Posts: 42 Member
    Definitely After....it can make a big difference in calories and fat grams especially, the best example would be bacon. When you pick up a pack of bacon in the store and read the back of the package you might be totally shocked at the nutritionals: 125 calories for ONE piece of bacon? AH! Who eats just ONE piece of bacon at the brunch buffet? Well, calm down.. I have good news (not so good that you can eat bacon every day all day, this is not a health food and bacon is incredibly high in sodium). BUT- When you cook bacon, you probably notice that there’s a lot of fat in the pan afterwards. THIS IS GOOD! It means the fat that was in the bacon is being rendered (coaxed) out so that you wont be eating it. When you cook bacon (preferably pretty crispy), each piece will only have about 30-35 calories.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I asked my nutritionist last time I saw her and she said it's best to weigh food before cooking it, she said that because some foods gain weight (such as rice), while others loose weight after being cooked. At least that's what I do =P

    this is true. The question was about meats, so I said after, but with other foods it's sometimes better to measure before because it's easier, and the calorie content doesn't really change.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    Yup, after. This is especially helpful if your meat is frozen - you don't end up weighing the water weight.
  • DS13
    DS13 Posts: 136
    I weigh before because I buy beef in bulk and chop them into 3oz servings then freeze them. It's just a lot easier that way for me. I figure the few calories that Im not actually eating won't hurt me.
  • tammyj50
    tammyj50 Posts: 1 Member
    weigh meat before you cook.
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
    Traditionally meat is always weighed before cooking. If you ever go out to eat and you order a dish that shows the weight of the meat, that weight s before cooking. Likewise, the nutritional value for that item will be based on the weight before cooking. It would be impossible to determine how long someone will cook the meat so the end weight and nutritional value is unknown by the restaurant. So when making recipes you should just include the uncooked weight for meats.

    However I understand why people weigh meat after cooking as well. If you buy an 8 oz filet mignon and cook it. the end weight will vary depending on cooking method, whether it was marinated, and the amount of time it was being cooked. That 8 oz filet might end up being 6.8 oz when all is said and done. The same thing goes for meats with the bone(s) left in. So if you weigh after cooking and you can determine what you actually ate, then your diary will be much more accurate.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Traditionally meat is always weighed before cooking. If you ever go out to eat and you order a dish that shows the weight of the meat, that weight s before cooking. Likewise, the nutritional value for that item will be based on the weight before cooking. It would be impossible to determine how long someone will cook the meat so the end weight and nutritional value is unknown by the restaurant. So when making recipes you should just include the uncooked weight for meats.

    However I understand why people weigh meat after cooking as well. If you buy an 8 oz filet mignon and cook it. the end weight will vary depending on cooking method, whether it was marinated, and the amount of time it was being cooked. That 8 oz filet might end up being 6.8 oz when all is said and done. The same thing goes for meats with the bone(s) left in. So if you weigh after cooking and you can determine what you actually ate, then your diary will be much more accurate.

    this is why we say weigh it after. Fat content will be removed during the cooking process. Fat being fat, and having 9 calories per gram, that's a lot of possible calories. Considering 28 grams per Ounce, say you cook off 1/2 an ounce of fat (reasonable assumption), you're talking about 14 grams of fat X 9 calories you're talking about 126 calories different.
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member

    this is why we say weigh it after. Fat content will be removed during the cooking process. Fat being fat, and having 9 calories per gram, that's a lot of possible calories. Considering 28 grams per Ounce, say you cook off 1/2 an ounce of fat (reasonable assumption), you're talking about 14 grams of fat X 9 calories you're talking about 126 calories different.

    I agree and I realize that you're incredibly experienced in this stuff. I definitely respect all of the information you've provided on this site. It's smart to use the weight after cooking when entering items into your food diary. However, as I understand it, she wants to know which weight to use when entering a recipe on here. In that case, I believe she needs to use the weight before cooking. If she uses the weight from after cooking, then the nutritional values will be off because she won't be able to reproduce the numbers.

    For example, let's say she cooks an 8 oz filet and the weight after cooking is 7.2 oz. She then enters into her recipe that she needs a 7.2 oz piece of meat for the next time she cooks something. When she goes to use that recipe again she would have to get a piece of meat that is 7.2 oz. After cooking that 7.2 oz of meat, the weight will go down again and throw off the values. If you kept updating the recipe based on the weight after cooking then over a period of time the portions would become really tiny.

    Of course it's a great idea to weigh the meat again after cooking to see what was actually consumed. I'm all for that. But I think that in order for the recipe to stay consistent and accurate, she needs use the weight from before cooking. If I'm wrong then I apologize for the misinformation.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member

    this is why we say weigh it after. Fat content will be removed during the cooking process. Fat being fat, and having 9 calories per gram, that's a lot of possible calories. Considering 28 grams per Ounce, say you cook off 1/2 an ounce of fat (reasonable assumption), you're talking about 14 grams of fat X 9 calories you're talking about 126 calories different.

    I agree and I realize that you're incredibly experienced in this stuff. I definitely respect all of the information you've provided on this site. It's smart to use the weight after cooking when entering items into your food diary. However, as I understand it, she wants to know which weight to use when entering a recipe on here. In that case, I believe she needs to use the weight before cooking. If she uses the weight from after cooking, then the nutritional values will be off because she won't be able to reproduce the numbers.

    For example, let's say she cooks an 8 oz filet and the weight after cooking is 7.2 oz. She then enters into her recipe that she needs a 7.2 oz piece of meat for the next time she cooks something. When she goes to use that recipe again she would have to get a piece of meat that is 7.2 oz. After cooking that 7.2 oz of meat, the weight will go down again and throw off the values. If you kept updating the recipe based on the weight after cooking then over a period of time the portions would become really tiny.

    Of course it's a great idea to weigh the meat again after cooking to see what was actually consumed. I'm all for that. But I think that in order for the recipe to stay consistent and accurate, she needs use the weight from before cooking. If I'm wrong then I apologize for the misinformation.

    I guess it's simply a question of what people are comfortable with and can expect to remember. I realize it's easier to list it based on the beginning ingredients. But the calorie count will be off for anyone else using it because of what was listed above. My suggestion would be put the cooked amount in, then put the pre-cooking weight in parenthesis just so you know what to buy. It's a valid point though.
    I.E.
    7.2 oz lean ground beef (8 oz raw)
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