Eyeballing spaghetti serving sizes.

goshnames
goshnames Posts: 359 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Unfortunately, I don't have a scale and can't invest in one right now. Making spaghetti always annoys me because I don't really know what the size of a serving looks like.

This package says that 85g (dry) is 310 calories.

I don't want to waste the spaghetti by making it early just to determine what the cooked serving size looks like.

I am not incredibly concerned about being a bit over or under as a result of eyeballing it. I'd just like to get a general idea of what the 85g serving looks like when cooked.

Anyone have any pictures or comparisons? :)
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Replies

  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    I'm going to lunch in an hour with 2 oz of pasta cooked. I'll take a pic for you and post it here. But you should really buy a food scale I got a digital one for 14 bucks on amazon...


    Edited: You measure your pasta dry, So it was 2oz when I weighed it and now its a little over 4 oz now that I've cooked it and added pasta sauce...
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    85g of pasta will not look like much I'm afraid.

    It really is worth investing in a scale. I'd say it's almost essential to your success.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Do you serve your spaghetti in a bowl and what kind, or on a plate? Comparisons are tough on foods like spaghetti if you're not using the same container.

    FWIW, in my usual 2-cup cereal bowl, that serving of spaghetti would take up approximately the bottom third of the bowl.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    One serving of spaghetti is about 1/4 of a plate...eye-balling it. It won't be dead on, but close.

    I would invest in a digital scale once you get the chance.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 809 Member
    1/2 cup of cooked pasta is a serving. About the size of a tennis ball.
  • goshnames
    goshnames Posts: 359 Member
    Firecat - That would be amazing, thank you! :)

    Stealthq - I also eat cereal from a two cup bowl. That is really surprising about how small the serving size would be in there! Ah, the joys of pasta.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    here ya go: http://blog.photocalorie.com/portion-sizes/#Pasta
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • qwicherbytchin
    qwicherbytchin Posts: 42
    According to the National Pasta Association, 8 ounces of uncooked long pasta, such as spaghetti will yield 4 cups of cooked pasta. Thus, a "serving" of 2 oz. uncooked spaghetti will be the nutritional equivalent of 1 cup of cooked spaghetti.
  • Steff46
    Steff46 Posts: 516 Member
    Next time you are at a grocery store or even Wal-Mart go into the kitchen utensils section and get a spaghetti measurer. They run about .99 up to $5. It's a plastic utensil with premeasured holes indicating the different serving sizes. They have them on Amazon too!
  • goshnames
    goshnames Posts: 359 Member
    Kirkor - Thank you for the photo comparisons! That's awesome!

    Thanks also to everyone else! I just don't eat pasta that often, so measuring it accurately has never really been that important. But at .99 cents, who can complain? I'll definitely be grabbing one of those. :)
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,706 Member
    IMO it is much more important for you to know what 85 grs of dry spaghetti look like, because you know that that is 310 calories. Once you cook spaghetti they look different ( and the portion looks smaller or bigger ) according to how long you cook the pasta and how much water it absorbs.
    I got overweight on pasta, rice, cous cous and similar starchy foods and I discovered that what I thought was a " decent " helping often were actually three or four portions.
    If you google you will find somewhere how to measure dry pasta by using the size of coins and have heard that it is fairly reliable.
    However the best advise I can give is getting a food scale. I bought mine on a trip to the US at either Target or K-mart for about US 7.50. It only weighs at 5 grm increments, but that is ok, because I think I have never eaten anything that weighed less than 5 grs.
    Good Luck !
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Guys - don't give the OP comparisons for 2oz.

    The serving he/she is asking for is "85g (dry) is 310 calories", which is slightly over 3oz dry pasta.

    OP, about the small amount of pasta - I know it. The serving on my pasta is 2oz, so it takes up a little over 1/4 of my cereal bowl. Very depressing. At least, until I add meat and veg and a little cheese. Makes it look SO much better.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    here ya go: http://blog.photocalorie.com/portion-sizes/#Pasta

    Huh 197 calories for 3oz of chicken breast? I don't think so.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    here ya go: http://blog.photocalorie.com/portion-sizes/#Pasta

    Huh 197 calories for 3oz of chicken breast? I don't think so.

    I grabbed a random chicken breast entry one time- I think for 5 oz it gave me 637 calories.

    I was like what in the fug are you people putting on your chicken!! LMAO
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    Unfortunately, I don't have a scale and can't invest in one right now. Making spaghetti always annoys me because I don't really know what the size of a serving looks like.

    This package says that 85g (dry) is 310 calories.

    I don't want to waste the spaghetti by making it early just to determine what the cooked serving size looks like.

    I am not incredibly concerned about being a bit over or under as a result of eyeballing it. I'd just like to get a general idea of what the 85g serving looks like when cooked.

    Anyone have any pictures or comparisons? :)

    This is the first time I've posted a pic. Hope this works

    2JORqHF.jpg
  • rhispect
    rhispect Posts: 9 Member
    I just look for where it says how many servings total are in the box, then divide the entire thing equally into tupperware containers, after I cook it. So, if the box says 5 servings are inside, I grab 5 containers. Eat one today, save the others for the rest of the week. Hope that helps!
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
    According to the National Pasta Association...

    There's a national pasta association? Mind = blown.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    I still cant post pics even after trying to read up on it uhghhghghg

    pasta1_zps1e55d137.jpg
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Unfortunately, I don't have a scale and can't invest in one right now. Making spaghetti always annoys me because I don't really know what the size of a serving looks like.

    This package says that 85g (dry) is 310 calories.

    I don't want to waste the spaghetti by making it early just to determine what the cooked serving size looks like.

    I am not incredibly concerned about being a bit over or under as a result of eyeballing it. I'd just like to get a general idea of what the 85g serving looks like when cooked.

    Anyone have any pictures or comparisons? :)

    This is the first time I've posted a pic. Hope this works

    2JORqHF.jpg

    make the IMG portion of the brackets img.

    on both ends of link- should work then... yeah.. like that LOL see I fixed the one in my quote- works great now.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    I did it yay!! after resizing anyway lol. There you go. That is 2oz dry and almost 5oz cooked. It's a nice portion, I like to add protein to it.
  • katematt313
    katematt313 Posts: 624 Member
    1/3 cup in a measuring cup. not much.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    1/3 cup in a measuring cup. not much.

    You measure before you cook not after. You're missing out if you measure after its cooked... and it's better to weight the dry on a food scale.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    If the package says 2 oz is the serving size and there are 7 servings in the package, just take 1/7th of the package and cook that. That's what I do when I'm being too lazy to weigh it. But I'm usually pretty accurate compared to the scale at doing it now.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Okay, don't know if this will help but 85g of dry spaghetti - all the ends, held together are the size of a penny. I know you guys have a coin about the same size but i can't remember what it's called (a wee bronze one)
  • BradWI
    BradWI Posts: 20 Member
    WOW. Scrolling down to the "1, 2, or 3 cups of pasta" section on that photocalorie website I see that growing up my "normal" spaghetti dinner was 2-3 CUPS of spaghetti + sauce with meat + cheesy garlic bread. And sometimes 1.5 helpings - holy crap that was always 1500+ calories.
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    From what I know a portion should be about the size of your fist. yup...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    WOW. Scrolling down to the "1, 2, or 3 cups of pasta" section on that photocalorie website I see that growing up my "normal" spaghetti dinner was 2-3 CUPS of spaghetti + sauce with meat + cheesy garlic bread. And sometimes 1.5 helpings - holy crap that was always 1500+ calories.

    and that's why i do not eat pasta any more.

    I am wildly unsatisfied with it. It tastes good- but I always want more- and I'm never full.
  • peejaygee1
    peejaygee1 Posts: 3,588 Member
    If the package says 2 oz is the serving size and there are 7 servings in the package, just take 1/7th of the package and cook that. That's what I do when I'm being too lazy to weigh it. But I'm usually pretty accurate compared to the scale at doing it now.

    That's what I do - the package says it's 10 servings for the whole pack, I'm serving a family of 5 and want it to last for 2 meals (mostly because of calories), I cook half the pack and divide it evenly amongst the plates.
  • goshnames
    goshnames Posts: 359 Member
    Thanks for the picture, Firecat! :)

    Well, I made the approximate serving size, ate the approximate serving size, and then decided that pasta is evil. It is so delicious and never filling.

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