Why weigh meat raw?

I weigh mine raw, because how long you cook it will change the final weight, along with any added juices. I feel it's more accurate, since there should be less variability in raw meat. However, if you are going to weight and log it cooked, make sure you choose the cooked entry. The calories per gram changes between the two states.

nutmegoreo wrote: »

I weigh mine raw, because how long you cook it will change the final weight, along with any added juices. I feel it's more accurate, since there should be less variability in raw meat. However, if you are going to weight and log it cooked, make sure you choose the cooked entry. The calories per gram changes between the two states.

Pretty much this. The decrease in the weight of meat is mainly water cooking out with a small amount of fat. Thus, that 4 ounces uncooked has pretty much the same calories as whatever it cooks down to since the water weight lost doesn't change the calories in the meat. Add to that the fact that depending on cooking time the amount of weight lost will vary, weighing raw makes much more sense.

rileysowner wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

I weigh mine raw, because how long you cook it will change the final weight, along with any added juices. I feel it's more accurate, since there should be less variability in raw meat. However, if you are going to weight and log it cooked, make sure you choose the cooked entry. The calories per gram changes between the two states.

Pretty much this. The decrease in the weight of meat is mainly water cooking out with a small amount of fat. Thus, that 4 ounces uncooked has pretty much the same calories as whatever it cooks down to since the water weight lost doesn't change the calories in the meat. Add to that the fact that depending on cooking time the amount of weight lost will vary, weighing raw makes much more sense.

Exactly, and better explained than what I said!

Another advantage to weighing raw is if you are making a mixed ingredient dish. Say a stir fry with beef. It's much easier to weigh each ingredient as it goes in.

Because the nutrition facts on the package are for the meat "as is" which is raw. If you weigh your foods after cooking, at least in the case of meats, 4 oz of cooked meat is MORE calories than 4oz of raw meat. You end up over eating despite counting calories. So many people don't understand this

darlswife wrote: »

atjays wrote: »

Because the nutrition facts on the package are for the meat "as is" which is raw. If you weigh your foods after cooking, at least in the case of meats, 4 oz of cooked meat is MORE calories than 4oz of raw meat. You end up over eating despite counting calories. So many people don't understand this

Why is cooked meat more calories than raw if I haven't seasoned in any way?

Because if you eat 4oz of cooked meat it was heavier before you cooked it. Therefore, you actually ate a bigger serving if you used an entry that was originally for 4oz of raw meat. Which the majority are.

darlswife wrote: »

atjays wrote: »

Because the nutrition facts on the package are for the meat "as is" which is raw. If you weigh your foods after cooking, at least in the case of meats, 4 oz of cooked meat is MORE calories than 4oz of raw meat. You end up over eating despite counting calories. So many people don't understand this

Why is cooked meat more calories than raw if I haven't seasoned in any way?

Cooked meat is more calories per oz or gram.

Let's say you have a 3 oz chicken thigh. According to the USDA, raw chicken thigh has 67 cals per oz, so your 3 oz raw is 201 calories. No matter how much you cook it, it will still have pretty much 201 calories.

But as you cook it, it gets smaller. So if you cook it till it's just barely done and weigh it, you'll only log 2.5 oz. If you cook it a bit longer, it's 2 oz. If you cook it till it's dry, you'll log 1.75 oz. So it's the same 201 calories, but less ounces.

If you choose a "cooked" entry, how do you know they cooked it to the same degree you did? In addition to that, if you're cooking the meat in a sauce, it may or may not have absorbed some of the liquid. How do you know how much of the final weight of your cooked chicken is actually the sauce, which has a totally different profile?

You don't have to worry about all those variations if you weigh it raw. Raw is pretty much raw.

There are obviously times when you don't have a choice and you weigh meat cooked. Then just make sure you pick a "cooked" entry. And I'm sure there are plenty of people who always log cooked and it works fine for them. But raw weight is the most likely to be accurate.

I almost always weigh cooked and use cooked entries. It is simpler since I am cooking for a family. It more of a pain to cut off 5 oz of the 2 lb salmon filet and cook it separately from the rest.

I use raw entries when I make a recipe.

AigreDoux wrote: »

I almost always weigh cooked and use cooked entries. It is simpler since I am cooking for a family. It more of a pain to cut off 5 oz of the 2 lb salmon filet and cook it separately from the rest.

I use raw entries when I make a recipe.

Yep. Only time I weigh it raw as well

Packergal27 wrote: »

OK, I've read through all of these, and I'm still confused! I had a homemade cheeseburger for dinner. It was made with 80/20 ground beef, grilled on a charcoal grill, cooked to medium. The exact weight of the raw patty (I weighed it on my food scale) was 3.8 oz. So how many ounces would it be cooked? I watched a video of a guy who pan-browned a pound of beef, and the pound lost 25% of its weight after cooking. Should I just figure a 25% weight loss? Thanks for any help you can give me?

If you weigh it raw, and then take off 25% for weight lost, it won't be accurate as much of the weight lost is water weight, so the calories are still there, it's just more dehydrated. Either log the raw weight, or weigh it cooked and find an entry that's specifically for cooked.

Packergal27 wrote: »

OK, I've read through all of these, and I'm still confused! I had a homemade cheeseburger for dinner. It was made with 80/20 ground beef, grilled on a charcoal grill, cooked to medium. The exact weight of the raw patty (I weighed it on my food scale) was 3.8 oz. So how many ounces would it be cooked? I watched a video of a guy who pan-browned a pound of beef, and the pound lost 25% of its weight after cooking. Should I just figure a 25% weight loss? Thanks for any help you can give me?

It makes no difference what it weighs at the end. The calories for the raw patty is what you would log and use as the calories consumed.