Proteins (meat, fish, chicken...)

donjtomasco
donjtomasco Posts: 790 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Logic says the cooked portion is what should be weighed. Is this correct? Seems like ANY food that will be cooked should be weighed 'post cooking' since that is what is going in our mouth. But does MFP food selector count calories for pre-cooked or cooked foods?

Replies

  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    edited January 2017
    You weigh raw unless the entry/package states its nutritional info is for the cooked weight.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Most of the entries are for raw food, so weigh it raw.

    Bacon is the tough one as it really changes the calories through cooking.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Yep, what @Maxematics said. Raw weight is always more accurate than cooked weight. If you must weigh something after it's cooked, be sure to select the appropriate database entry (the one that says "cooked" and specifies the way your portion was cooked -- baked, steamed, etc.) and be aware that your entry is likely to be at least a little inexact, even so.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I weigh everything raw, except for rice where i use the cooked entry as I always make way too much so there's always leftovers.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Since it loses moisture (weight), but not calories, during cooking, the more accurate way to weigh it is raw.
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    weigh it either way but look for a specific entry saying "cooked" - it is assumed measurements in the database are "raw". I weigh most stuff cooked as I serve.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,179 Member
    Wait.. I am confused, why is 4 oz of raw chicken thigh, different from 4 oz cooked chicken thigh?
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
    raw. but if you freeze raw, you can weigh it frozen, its about the same weight.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    You can weigh things raw or cooked. Just be sure that you pick the right entry for your choice. The USDA nutrient database has entries for both raw and cooked.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    Wait.. I am confused, why is 4 oz of raw chicken thigh, different from 4 oz cooked chicken thigh?

    It loses water and juices (and possibly some fat) as it is cooked.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    Wait.. I am confused, why is 4 oz of raw chicken thigh, different from 4 oz cooked chicken thigh?

    Raw chicken will have more water. It gets cooked out during, well, cooking. So a 4 oz raw chicken thigh will be less than 4 oz cooked, but still have the same calories. A 4 oz cooked thigh probably started around 5 oz raw (as a guess).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited January 2017
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    Wait.. I am confused, why is 4 oz of raw chicken thigh, different from 4 oz cooked chicken thigh?

    Because the nutritional information and calories are going to be for the raw weight...4 ounces of cooked chicken thighs would have weighed more raw because when you cook it you lose moisture...so you log 160 calories or whatever for 4 ounces but really you're getting more calories then that because it would have been heavier in it's raw state.

    IMO, it doesn't really matter all that much so long as you selecting a "cooked" entry if you're weighing it cooked or a "raw" entry if you're weighing it raw.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I use the USDA entries. That or the package information (if yours has package information, mine usually does not) is the best bet. The package is likely raw (it will say otherwise), and the USDA can be either raw or cooked. Make sure to choose the right cooking method if using that kind of entry.

    Either raw or cooked can be fine, just make sure you choose the one that corresponds to how it was when you weighed it.

    I use raw more often (easier to weigh then, less variability), but also cooked if necessary (cooking a bunch at a time and not all for me, cooking bones in). Doesn't really matter.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    For me it is usually easier to used the cooked USDA entry. I would weigh the meat beforehand and declare a specific piece to be mine but then lose track of it once everything was cooked and put on a serving platter or in a dish. So now I just weigh cooked. Most of my meat is cooked pretty plain (no sauces or anything) so that works. I do use raw entries for things like meatballs, where the meat is being mixed with other ingredients.
  • donjtomasco
    donjtomasco Posts: 790 Member
    Thank you for your comments!
This discussion has been closed.

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