Weighing Meat: Before or After Cooking?

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davidjordo
davidjordo Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just wondering which method is the correct way to weigh your meat. I know after its cooked, the meat loses a little bit of weight because of water cooking out of it but I have heard that the correct nutritional information is for uncooked meat. Can someone explain? Thanks.

Replies

  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    When I'm cooking, I weigh the meat raw.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Depends on which nutritional entry you're using. There's usually one for either. I used the cooked one because I make about 15 chicken breasts at once and don't want to label them all.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Depends on which nutritional entry you're using. There's usually one for either. I used the cooked one because I make about 15 chicken breasts at once and don't want to label them all.

    This is what I do since my hubs does most of the cooking for me.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    I weigh raw whenever possible.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Either is okay. I use raw when I can--you can't if using bone-in cuts or for various other reasons--but either works fine assuming you don't cook it way beyond what the average person would.

    What is important for accuracy, though, is that you choose an entry that specifies raw or cooked and if cooked the cooking method (dry heat/roasted/broiled vs. wet/braised, etc.) and that the entry be consistent with the state of the meat when you weighed it.

    If you use an entry for raw meat and weigh it after cooking you will understate calories.

    And also the good entries (format something like: chicken-breast, broiler and fryer, meat and skin, cooked, roasted) will include the information you need and also lots of serving size options (I like 100 grams, as it's easy to put in 1.32 if you are eating 132 g). These entries are accurate; they were put in by MFP from the USDA information. There are tons of inaccurate meat (especially chicken, for some reason) entries that were user input.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    When I can, I weigh it cooked. If it's getting mixed up with other stuff, I'll use the raw weight.

    Cooked gets me more accurate numbers, but it's just impossible to weigh it independently after cooking sometimes. Can't let the tail wag the dog, KWIM?
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    Weigh raw meat, use the entry for raw meat. (More accurate)

    Weigh cooked meat, use the entry for cooked meat. (less accurate, but still close enough)
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Weigh it raw and use the entry for raw meat. It is more accurate. If you are out to dinner use the entry for cooked meat.
  • pooks1976
    pooks1976 Posts: 22 Member
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    I weigh it raw, then weigh the whole amount cooked, then weigh out my portion, adjust it to what that would have been raw, and use the raw entry.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Raw whenever possible.

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