What is the default measurement for 'serving size' while creating recipes?

Options
BecomeBetterThanMyYesterMe
BecomeBetterThanMyYesterMe Posts: 114 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The recipe has 16 servings (Tbsp). How will I go about that?
Thank you.

Replies

  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    Options
    Since I weigh everything...

    I weigh all the individual ingredients before cooking. Then at the end of cooking my recipe, I weigh the whole thing. So, say my finished recipe weighs 123 grams, then I'll put 123 servings. This way, when I weigh it on my plate, if I serve myself 25 grams, then I'll put 25 servings.

    If your recipe says 16 tbsp total, then put 16 servings. If you eat 3 tbsp, then it'll be 3 servings.

  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Options
    There is no default serving size for recipes. The serving size is whatever you want to make it.

    Some people weigh the final product in grams or ounces, other people divide the final product into volume measurements, such as cups, tablespoons, 1/6th of a cake, 24 brownies per pan, 6 slices per pan of lasagna. Put the serving size information in the name text field of the recipe you create since there is no other place to put it.

    Let's say the final product weighs 45g.

    - Some will make the serving size 1g, In this case, set the number of servings as 45, i.e. divide 45g by 1g serving size to get 45 servings. When you log 16g of the recipe, you log 16 servings of the 1g serving size.

    - Other people choose to divide the recipe into a reasonable serving size based on weight or volume measurement. In this case 45g divided by a 16g serving size is 2.8 servings. MFP currently does not allow for the input of a decimal when entering number of servings (they used to - MFP please bring back that capability). If possible, add water to the final product to bring the total weight of the final product up to a multiple of the serving size (3 times 16g would be 48g, so add 3g of water) and set the number of servings as 3, i.e. divide 48g by 16g serving size to get 3 servings. When you log 16g of the recipe, you log 1 serving of the 16g serving size.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    Options
    There isn't one...
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,012 Member
    Options
    Lasmartchika wrote: »
    Since I weigh everything...

    I weigh all the individual ingredients before cooking. Then at the end of cooking my recipe, I weigh the whole thing. So, say my finished recipe weighs 123 grams, then I'll put 123 servings. This way, when I weigh it on my plate, if I serve myself 25 grams, then I'll put 25 servings.

    If your recipe says 16 tbsp total, then put 16 servings. If you eat 3 tbsp, then it'll be 3 servings.

    I do this except I put the whole dish as 1 serving. Then when I weigh it I divide my portion by the total weight and log that. If the total weight is 500 grams and I eat 130 grams I log .26 as my serving. I don't usually try to weigh out one serving of anything. I just weigh the amount I eat, divide it by the portion size, and log it.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    Options
    The first post is somewhat unclear. Yes, I agree that the recipe claims that there are 16 servings. You said that. After you said that, you don't make sense. Maybe you add the ingredients the recipe calls for and stir them together. Maybe you toss them into the air and let God stir them together. Maybe, after you have the recipe all fixed up and ready to consume you want to get exactly one tablespoon. If the recipe is liquid and you have a digital scale, you can put the whole container with the food on the scale, set the scale to zero, and spoon out the product until the weight registers -15 grams. At that point, stop and eat the product. What are you making?
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited October 2016
    Options
    If I cook or bake something and it doesn't have an obvious serving (like one muffin) I weigh everything that goes into the recipe and calculate the total number of calories. Then, for me personally, I weigh the finished product and subdivide the large batch into 500 calorie portions and to me THAT is a serving. So if the whole batch has 3000 calories and weighs 3000 grams I'll subdivide it into 6 500 portions that each have 500 calories.

    But there is no default or right answer to this question, that is just one example. I picked 500 calories for myself so I'd have roughly three 500 calorie meals in the day then add snacks for my total.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,423 Member
    Options
    It's so confusing to weigh to get the servings, hope some times i can figure it out. I just list all the ingredients & figure out how many cups i want to be a serving then measure how many of the serving size cups there are in the whole thing. I hope i'm doing it right
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Options
    I do the weigh everything in and log it in the recipe then weigh the finished product thing. It's the simplest and most sensible way to me.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Options
    Evamutt wrote: »
    It's so confusing to weigh to get the servings, hope some times i can figure it out. I just list all the ingredients & figure out how many cups i want to be a serving then measure how many of the serving size cups there are in the whole thing. I hope i'm doing it right

    Won't be as accurate as actually weighing it because the volume will change between the uncooked ingredients and the cooked. At the least you should measure the number of cups of the final product then subdivide.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    Options
    I equally divide the meal into containers when I'm finished preparing it...by cups, spoons, etc. Usually cups, because that's how I purchased my container sizes.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Options
    For me it's 100g of cooked product so that I can log variable amounts e.g. 3.5 servings = 350g

    If it makes too small an amount I will put serving size in title e.g. Roast Chickpeas 10g per serving

    I know all my recipes unless things like fish cakes are logged by 100g servings
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    Options
    My default number of servings for cooking dinner, etc. is 6. Then, if that's one night's dinner, I get 2 servings (i.e. one third of what was cooked), my husband gets half of what was cooked and the kids split the remaining sixth (they're still a toddler and a baby). But I just pick that number because it's what happens to work for my family, and dividing a pan of food into sixths is relatively straightforward.
  • BecomeBetterThanMyYesterMe
    BecomeBetterThanMyYesterMe Posts: 114 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone for replying.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Options
    MotherOfSharpei wrote: »
    I equally divide the meal into containers when I'm finished preparing it...by cups, spoons, etc. Usually cups, because that's how I purchased my container sizes.

    Do you calculate the meal's calories per cup/spoon based on the gram weights of the ingredients?

    Just in case you don't:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

Categories