Measuring out spaghetti noodles...

Jamiemielke
Jamiemielke Posts: 40 Member
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
I am wondering if anyone out there has measured out spaghetti noodles?? Is there a easy way to do this? Or a trick you use?

Thanks!! Jamie

sw:252
cw:227
gw:160

Replies

  • mamareese
    mamareese Posts: 1,573 Member
    I bought this great little gadget at my local Walmart. You measure it out dry. It's this white oval shaped with various holes for different amounts. I've seen them at those kitchen gadget stores in malls too.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Measure dry you can't be sure that your cooking time matched someone elses for prepared pasta, some like the al dente some like em so soaked that they're about to lose form.

    That said I do have a spaghetti tube that has a top with 2 slots, 1 for 1 serving, the other for 2 servings. I think the 1 serving slot is about the same diameter as the lid of a pop bottle (2L) while the 2 serving is about the size of my gallon milk container lids around.
  • mmelaragno
    mmelaragno Posts: 162
    I bought this great little gadget at my local Walmart. You measure it out dry. It's this white oval shaped with various holes for different amounts. I've seen them at those kitchen gadget stores in malls too.

    This is great!!
  • melischemitz
    melischemitz Posts: 46 Member
    While the measuring "gadget" makes it easy when it's dry, you should weigh when it's cooked. Pasta expands.
  • emrogers
    emrogers Posts: 328 Member
    This an aspargus I have no clue how to measure. However, I have been using the hand technique. If you make a fist or cup one of your hands this is what you'res supposed to be having in carbs/starches. I freaked when I heard this!!!! WHAT!!! I've been eating like 2-3 servings. :smile:
  • beahawk
    beahawk Posts: 34 Member
    I have a flat digital scale and you just put your food on it and measure!
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    A serving of pasta is 2 oz dry which usually equals 1 cup of cooked pasta by VOLUME and 4 oz by weight. Approximately.
  • Katcatters
    Katcatters Posts: 90 Member
    a yard stick? :laugh:
  • countrymom75
    countrymom75 Posts: 32 Member
    I JUST COOKED SPAGETTI OVER THE WEEKEND. MY BOX HAD DRY OR COOKED SERVING SIZE. I HAVE A OLDER PLASTIC FOOD SCALE THAT HAD CAME WITH A 1 CUP CONTAINER TO WEIGH FOOD WITH. I SINCE LOST IT BUT FOUND ANOTHER BOWL CALCULATED IT TO ZERO AND THE SPAGETTI PER SERVING IS 2oz. LET ME TELLYOU WHAT, 2 oz DOES NOT LOOK LIKE MUCH COMPARED TO WHEN I DIDN'T BOTHER MEASURING ANYTHING OR COUNTING CALORIES. I LOVE PASTA, THIS IS A HARD ONE FOR ME. (WHICH IS LIKE A 1/4 CUP? IF 8oz IS 1 CUP?
    HOPE THAT HELPS.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Pasta expands is exactly the reason to measure when dry. Pasta cooked lightly so it's still got a bit of crisp to it (hey we don't always have home-made pasta on hand) hasn't absorbed as much water as some that is falling apart as it's been cooked so long and absorbed more water so if you like it crisp you're going to end up with more pasta on your plate by weight.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I slap the dry noodles on a scale. 2 oz = 1 serving.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    While the measuring "gadget" makes it easy when it's dry, you should weigh when it's cooked. Pasta expands.

    Actually pasta is supposed to be measured dry unless the package specifically indicates a cooked weight. But even then that is a completely variable number based in how the pasta is cooked. Al dente pasta will weigh less than fully or overcooked pasta because they all absorb different amounts of water. The only true measurement is the dry weight.
  • countrymom75
    countrymom75 Posts: 32 Member
    MY BOX SAYS 2 OZ. COOKED, SO THAT WOULD BE DIFFERNT THEN 2 OZ DRY? SO I SHOULD WEIGH IT BEFORE I COOK IT. BUT WHY DOES THE BOX SAY 2 OZ COOKED IS A SERVING OR 5/8"IN DIAMETER. AHHHHHH, I AM GLAD I LOOKED THIS POST UP. I THINK I NEED HELP TOO !
  • SunLove8
    SunLove8 Posts: 693 Member
    A serving of pasta is 2 oz dry which usually equals 1 cup of cooked pasta by VOLUME and 4 oz by weight. Approximately.

    Really? I always weighed 2 oz of dry pasta as 2 oz in weight on my scale...
  • justscrappy
    justscrappy Posts: 11 Member
    For the first little while I weighed it on my kitchen scale and cooked it in a separate pot so I could get a true idea of what 1 serving looked like cooked. :laugh: After doing this a couple times, I was able to pull out a correct serving size from the pot of spaghetti noodles I cooked for the rest of my family. It might sound like a lot of extra work, but it was the only way I could be 100% sure I was getting an accurate amount.:smile:
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    MY BOX SAYS 2 OZ. COOKED, SO THAT WOULD BE DIFFERNT THEN 2 OZ DRY? SO I SHOULD WEIGH IT BEFORE I COOK IT. BUT WHY DOES THE BOX SAY 2 OZ COOKED IS A SERVING OR 5/8"IN DIAMETER. AHHHHHH, I AM GLAD I LOOKED THIS POST UP. I THINK I NEED HELP TOO !

    What brand are you using? Does it give a dry and a cooked weight?
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
    I think they were saying it measures 2oz by weight dry and 4oz by weight cooked or 1 cup by volume cooked. So, you are doing it right.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    85g is 1 serving as per boxes/bags of pasta (dry). I weigh 75g out b/c that's a big serving, 85g is huge, cook and enjoy.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    A serving of pasta is 2 oz dry which usually equals 1 cup of cooked pasta by VOLUME and 4 oz by weight. Approximately.

    Really? I always weighed 2 oz of dry pasta as 2 oz in weight on my scale...

    Yes, you are right. I was just giving another reference in case someone was looking for a ROUGH measurement after cooking. Like, when I cook pasta I don't cook one serving at a time. I cook the whole box, so I need to know how much cooked pasta will equal a 2oz dry serving size. As others have said it also depend on how cooked your pasta is and how much water is absorbed.

    This is where I got the info, National Pasta Association, (whoever they are).
    http://www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html#Q10
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
    A serving of pasta is 2 oz dry which usually equals 1 cup of cooked pasta by VOLUME and 4 oz by weight. Approximately.

    Really? I always weighed 2 oz of dry pasta as 2 oz in weight on my scale...

    Try this again...

    I think they were saying it measures 2oz by weight dry and 4oz by weight cooked or 1 cup by volume cooked. So, you are doing it right.
  • countrymom75
    countrymom75 Posts: 32 Member
    IN REFERENCE TO WOLFCHILD59 :THE BOX SAYS 56g/ 5/8" circle IN DIAMETER DRY OR 2 OZ. COOKED AS A SERVING.
    IT IS A GENERIC THIN SPAGETTI.
  • kvns83
    kvns83 Posts: 29
    A serving of pasta is 2 oz dry which usually equals 1 cup of cooked pasta by VOLUME and 4 oz by weight. Approximately.

    Yes it does and that's what it use to measure also...Simple to remember, Universal for all pasta!!!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    I have a flat digital scale and you just put your food on it and measure!

    I do the same thing. Much more accurate IMHO :smile:
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
    While the measuring "gadget" makes it easy when it's dry, you should weigh when it's cooked. Pasta expands.

    This is incorrect. The nurtitional information given on the side of the spaghetti box is for dry weight. So, if it says 2 oz. is 210 calories, you want 2 oz. *dry* to get that many calories. To verify this, notice that the box will say it has 8 servings in it, and the box is 16 ounces/1 pound.

    If you want to measure it out after cooking it, use a measuring cup -- 2 oz. dry usually comes out to about 2/3 to 1 cup cooked, depending on the shape of the noodles (spaghetti versus rigatoni versus shells etc).

    As for me, I weigh mine using a kitchen scale. But after a while you will just be able to eye it.
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