When to weigh food

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smiles4jo
smiles4jo Posts: 202 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This might be obvious to some, but I just want to double-check.

When I'm weighing something, at what point in the 'process' should I be weighing? For instance, chicken. If I take one boneless chicken breast out of the freezer, I assume I don't weigh it frozen? Should I defrost it and then weigh it before cooking it? Or do I weigh it cooked? To be honest, I've never really checked whether there's a huge difference in weight between the three weights.

If it's supposed to be in it's defrosted, uncooked state, how does this work for something (like chicken) that I would often cook from frozen? Or frozen veggies - Do I weigh those frozen or once they're cooked?

Thanks!

Replies

  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
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    I dont personally know since I dont weigh my food, but there is another thread on this subject just a couple threads up! Hope you find some good answers :)
  • d_creasman
    d_creasman Posts: 17 Member
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    We usually weigh ours after it is cooked so that we get the correct portion size.
  • smiles4jo
    smiles4jo Posts: 202 Member
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    d_creasman wrote: »
    We usually weigh ours after it is cooked so that we get the correct portion size.

    That's what I've been doing too, but I was just reading that other thread and they all seem to say that it should be weighed in its raw state. I don't understand how this works for something that's frozen.

    Weighing something in its cooked state makes sense to me as that is the final state before you eat it, but I'm open to suggestions if I'm doing it wrong! :)
  • vvento
    vvento Posts: 28 Member
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    Are you eating the chicken cooked as a breast plain or using it in a recipe. If I eat it separate in a dish (seasoned of course) then I weigh the cooked weight in grams.

    If you are however using it in a recipe, then yes weigh it defrosted.

    Make use of MFP recipe builder, add the defrosted weight of the chicken, any veggies (in grams if possible), sauces, etc. When finished cooking weigh the entire recipe in grams(minus the container of course), then type in the weight in grams as the amount of serving you have. This way you can serve from the entire recipe and lets say for dinner you eat 345 grams, but for leftovers the next day you only eat 182 grams. This will be more accurate and more freeing in how you measure your food.
  • smiles4jo
    smiles4jo Posts: 202 Member
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    vvento wrote: »
    Are you eating the chicken cooked as a breast plain or using it in a recipe. If I eat it separate in a dish (seasoned of course) then I weigh the cooked weight in grams.

    If you are however using it in a recipe, then yes weigh it defrosted.

    Make use of MFP recipe builder, add the defrosted weight of the chicken, any veggies (in grams if possible), sauces, etc. When finished cooking weigh the entire recipe in grams(minus the container of course), then type in the weight in grams as the amount of serving you have. This way you can serve from the entire recipe and lets say for dinner you eat 345 grams, but for leftovers the next day you only eat 182 grams. This will be more accurate and more freeing in how you measure your food.

    That makes sense! And is pretty close to what I've been doing, so I'll just carry on :)

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