Measuring/Weighing Salad Dressing Problems

aubreyjordan
aubreyjordan Posts: 276 Member
edited November 11 in Food and Nutrition
I just bought a digital food scale the other day! It has been pretty accurate between grams and serving size quantity except with salad dressing. I measured out 1 TBS of Light Ranch into little cups before I had the scale. The serving size on the bottle says 2 TBS or 30 g. When I weighed the 1 TBS, it was 30 grams (I weighed an empty cup separate and it didn't register it).

Where did I go wrong? And what amount should I log (the grams or the TBS)? Thank you!

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Weigh the grams, since that's what your scale told you.
  • MaryCS62
    MaryCS62 Posts: 266 Member
    Yeah, it's kind of annoying. I use grams unless there is no measurement at all for that. I even weigh my egg beaters instead of using a measuring cup.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    For a lot of food, the serving size in volume is really not accurate at all. The other day I spooned out one tablespoon of almond butter, and it weighed as much as a full serving of two tablespoons. Lesson learned = weigh everything.
  • MusicalSharon52
    MusicalSharon52 Posts: 31 Member
    Scale is not for volume. Measure the TABLESPOON (or whatever) and go by that amount. Example: label reads 60 calories per serving, and 1 serving = 1 TABLESPOON. No weight measurement needed. Use the scale for weight like amount of meat. Would you put the cooked meat in a cup of water to measure displacement? Some foods measure with the scale. Others with measuring cups. That's the difference between an ounce:1/16th of a POUND or a FLUID OUNCE: 2 Tbsp.
    Old Betty Crocker cookbooks usually have a section explaining measuring foods.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    MusicalSharon52 wrote: »
    Scale is not for volume. Measure the TABLESPOON (or whatever) and go by that amount. Example: label reads 60 calories per serving, and 1 serving = 1 TABLESPOON. No weight measurement needed. Use the scale for weight like amount of meat. Would you put the cooked meat in a cup of water to measure displacement? Some foods measure with the scale. Others with measuring cups. That's the difference between an ounce:1/16th of a POUND or a FLUID OUNCE: 2 Tbsp.
    Old Betty Crocker cookbooks usually have a section explaining measuring foods.

    Salad dressing usually has a grams serving option.
    I tare off my entire salad, and weigh out the serving size on my scale in grams as I pour it on my salad.
    OP has shown that the scale weight was more accurate than her tablespoon.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    MusicalSharon52 wrote: »
    Scale is not for volume. Measure the TABLESPOON (or whatever) and go by that amount. Example: label reads 60 calories per serving, and 1 serving = 1 TABLESPOON. No weight measurement needed. Use the scale for weight like amount of meat. Would you put the cooked meat in a cup of water to measure displacement? Some foods measure with the scale. Others with measuring cups. That's the difference between an ounce:1/16th of a POUND or a FLUID OUNCE: 2 Tbsp.
    Old Betty Crocker cookbooks usually have a section explaining measuring foods.

    Totally depends how chunky the dressing is, IMO. But yes, it's a good point, who knows if we're supposed to go by volume or weight for those things... For salsa, for example, I totally go by weight.
  • aubreyjordan
    aubreyjordan Posts: 276 Member
    Thanks for the input guys. It is Publix Lite Ranch dressing and it does have a weight in parenthesis next to the tablespoon serving size.
  • cocates
    cocates Posts: 360 Member
    Interesting views. I always thought for liquids (which I would consider salad dressing), go with the measurement (1tsp, 1tbsp). For solids, go with food scale.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    I just weighed 1 Tbsp of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. It was 15g. I would venture to guess that the "little cups" you are using hold 2 Tbsp.
  • aubreyjordan
    aubreyjordan Posts: 276 Member
    I used a tablespoon and then poured it into the cup to place in my lunch bag. I'll have to try again, maybe it wasn't levelled. Thanks for your input!
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    aubreyjordan wrote: »
    I used a tablespoon and then poured it into the cup to place in my lunch bag. I'll have to try again, maybe it wasn't levelled. Thanks for your input!
    It is best to put the plastic cup on the scale, tare the scale, then pour the liquid into the cup until you get the desired number of grams.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    Not all measuring cups and spoons are accurate even if you level them off (or scoops included in packages). I watched a show once where they tested different sets of measuring cups and spoons by weighing how much liquid or solids they held and most were wildly different from each other and, of course, wrong.



  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Always go by weight for anything that has a weight measurement listed.
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    aubreyjordan wrote: »
    I just bought a digital food scale the other day! It has been pretty accurate between grams and serving size quantity except with salad dressing. I measured out 1 TBS of Light Ranch into little cups before I had the scale. The serving size on the bottle says 2 TBS or 30 g. When I weighed the 1 TBS, it was 30 grams (I weighed an empty cup separate and it didn't register it).

    Where did I go wrong? And what amount should I log (the grams or the TBS)? Thank you!

    Weigh the cup, zero out, and then weigh the product. Use grams. It will make sense. Everything has mass, so u must account for it.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    When I started 2 yrs ago this question was asked. Someone had a great answer--weigh the container before and after using your salad dressing etc. It really works. Weighing is always more accurate for me---even though I love my old Betty Crocker Cookbook (my mom gave it to me when I moved to Italy almost 30 yrs ago). Best. :)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    aubreyjordan wrote: »
    I used a tablespoon and then poured it into the cup to place in my lunch bag. I'll have to try again, maybe it wasn't levelled. Thanks for your input!
    Your tablespoon might be larger than a tablespoon. There are no regulations that they be what they say they are. It sounds large to me. If I poured a creamy dressing into a tablespoon and into a cup and onto my salad, I think I'd end up with about a teaspoon on my salad, unless you're somehow scraping each container out. A tablespoon is a small amount of dressing. My bottled dressings show a serving size as 2 tablespoons, and that's pretty scant even for runny dressings, unless your salad is small.

  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    I go by grams if that info is available on the package. Much MUCH more accurate.

    And fwiw, if you have a scale that you can tare out, you can put your salad plate right on the scale, set it to zero, then drip 30 grams of dressing on the salad. It's quicker and easier. In fact, when I make my lunch for today in about a half an hour, I'll be using that exact method.
  • aubreyjordan
    aubreyjordan Posts: 276 Member
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    aubreyjordan wrote: »
    I used a tablespoon and then poured it into the cup to place in my lunch bag. I'll have to try again, maybe it wasn't levelled. Thanks for your input!
    Your tablespoon might be larger than a tablespoon. There are no regulations that they be what they say they are. It sounds large to me. If I poured a creamy dressing into a tablespoon and into a cup and onto my salad, I think I'd end up with about a teaspoon on my salad, unless you're somehow scraping each container out. A tablespoon is a small amount of dressing. My bottled dressings show a serving size as 2 tablespoons, and that's pretty scant even for runny dressings, unless your salad is small.

    I use the tablespoon serving of dressing for carrot sticks, not a salad. That's why I only needed half a serving.

    Thanks everyone for your input. I've been weighing it recently. Love my food scale :)
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
    Yes, I started weighing my food a few weeks ago, and measuring things like salad dressing. When people post, "I am not losing weight", the first thing I think is that they are not measuring their food.

    I had an apple the other day that was very big, by weight it was TWO small apples in calories. A big difference in carbs and sugar.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Interesting. I have never experimented with this before. If the volume and weight measurements do not match I think I would go by the weight. Besides it's easier and you don't have to dirty a measuring spoon. I just stick my bowl or Tupperware or whatever on the scale, zero it out, then add the food.
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    Kraft has a grams option on their bottles.

    For their Honey Mustard & Lite Thousand Island dressing it's 34 grams for two servings.
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