Calorie Counting for Homemade Soup

TMW2119
TMW2119 Posts: 178 Member
edited November 15 in Food and Nutrition
What is the best method for determining calories for homemade soup? I put all of the ingredients into the recipe, but I never know what to do about the serving size. I've tried emptying the entire pot equally into bowls, but I don't always have room for all of the individual containers in the fridge. Sometimes, I divide it up after we've eaten dinner so there are less containers. At that point, if I'm wrong about my calorie count, I could be over for the day. We eat a lot of soup so I thought I would ask in case someone has a better method.

Replies

  • TMW2119
    TMW2119 Posts: 178 Member
    Thank you! I will give your method a try. I like the idea that I can make the servings different sizes this way. :)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,351 Member
    TMW2119 wrote: »
    Thank you! I will give your method a try. I like the idea that I can make the servings different sizes this way. :)

    It's definitely the best way, I read it here a while ago and it made making recipes SOOO much easier.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    edited January 2017
    Great ideas! So what about if I'm using a Crock Pot to make soup? I have a digital scale but it doesn't have a pull out deal so if I use a plate or larger bowl I have to push it to the back and then I can view the weight. Putting a crock on it, not really possible, although I've not actually tried it.

    Anything bigger than a plate I'm not able to view the weight though.

    Any tricks for me? I may check scales out next week or so to see what else is out there. Hate to buy a new one since mine is working but might be time to get one that works for all things.

    Any scale recommendations? :wink: @TMW2119 @Alatariel75
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Hearts_2015 wrote: »
    Great ideas! So what about if I'm using a Crock Pot to make soup? I have a digital scale but it doesn't have a pull out deal so if I use a plate or larger bowl I have to push it to the back and then I can view the weight. Putting a crock on it, not really possible, although I've not actually tried it.

    Anything bigger than a plate I'm not able to view the weight though.

    Any tricks for me? I may check scales out next week or so to see what else is out there. Hate to buy a new one since mine is working but might be time to get one that works for all things.

    Any scale recommendations? :wink: @TMW2119 @Alatariel75

    I've had the same Oxo 11 lb scale for going on 9 years now. The pullout display is indispensable, I must say. The thing's built like a tank and I don't see it dying on me any time soon (knock wood).
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Hearts_2015 wrote: »
    Great ideas! So what about if I'm using a Crock Pot to make soup? I have a digital scale but it doesn't have a pull out deal so if I use a plate or larger bowl I have to push it to the back and then I can view the weight. Putting a crock on it, not really possible, although I've not actually tried it.

    Anything bigger than a plate I'm not able to view the weight though.

    Any tricks for me? I may check scales out next week or so to see what else is out there. Hate to buy a new one since mine is working but might be time to get one that works for all things.

    Any scale recommendations? :wink: @TMW2119 @Alatariel75

    Hmmm - I don't know for something as big as a crockpot but for a plate or a bowl I put a soup can or similar on the scale then my plate or bowl on top - then tare it and add the food. The can gets your plate/bowl high enough to read the scale.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    Hearts_2015 wrote: »
    Great ideas! So what about if I'm using a Crock Pot to make soup? I have a digital scale but it doesn't have a pull out deal so if I use a plate or larger bowl I have to push it to the back and then I can view the weight. Putting a crock on it, not really possible, although I've not actually tried it.

    Anything bigger than a plate I'm not able to view the weight though.

    Any tricks for me? I may check scales out next week or so to see what else is out there. Hate to buy a new one since mine is working but might be time to get one that works for all things.

    Any scale recommendations? :wink: @TMW2119 @Alatariel75

    Hmmm - I don't know for something as big as a crockpot but for a plate or a bowl I put a soup can or similar on the scale then my plate or bowl on top - then tare it and add the food. The can gets your plate/bowl high enough to read the scale.

    Similar idea would be to invert a deep bowl with a flat bottom on the scale, then place your crock on top of it (I'm assuming the crock lifts out or detaches from the electric base -- if it's all one piece, you may have to move the cooked food to a large bowl or pot that will fit on your scale.)
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
    Weigh the total,weigh the portion you're eating,use a calculator to work out the percentage/amount. Eg if the total is 500 grams and your portion is 100,that's .2 of a portion
  • barracudamuscle
    barracudamuscle Posts: 313 Member
    hit the tare/zero button on the scale with the crockpot on it if you can wiggle your finger in there, then pull the crockpot off and read the weight. the - number will be your weight.
  • sparks9777
    sparks9777 Posts: 1,010 Member
    use the create a recipe measure all the ingredients. Before you serve it measure it. Use a large measuring cup and pour it into a large Container. Then you will know the total cups. Then break it down to one or two cup servings. It is time consuming but it works.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    for my crockpot...I use my bathroom scale...I made like 8lbs of soup - with my insert it was like 16lbs - didn't weigh on my little kitchen scale
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    sparks9777 wrote: »
    use the create a recipe measure all the ingredients. Before you serve it measure it. Use a large measuring cup and pour it into a large Container. Then you will know the total cups. Then break it down to one or two cup servings. It is time consuming but it works.

    cup measurements can be notoriously inaccurate depending on your ability to fill them to the same point each time
  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
    Never thought to weigh it before. I just count the calories individually of everything that goes into it and calculate how much total for an entire pot, then divide by how many people were served per ladle full, including left overs which I ladle into storage bags. Weighing sounds easier than counting ladles.
  • SkinnyGirlCarrie
    SkinnyGirlCarrie Posts: 259 Member
    weighing is the easiest way as stated above

    i've started a memo list on my phone notepad of what all my pots weigh so i don't have to remember to weigh the pot before i start cooking!
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    edited January 2017
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    for my crockpot...I use my bathroom scale...I made like 8lbs of soup - with my insert it was like 16lbs - didn't weigh on my little kitchen scale

    Yea... I was looking at my 6qt oval crock earlier and my food scale and thinking to myself no way is that crock going to sit on that scale in any fashion, it's way too big! I'll give the bathroom scale a try, thanks!! :wink:

    SkinnyGirlCarrie wrote: »
    weighing is the easiest way as stated above

    i've started a memo list on my phone notepad of what all my pots weigh so i don't have to remember to weigh the pot before i start cooking!
    Brilliant!! :+1:

    sparks9777 wrote: »
    use the create a recipe measure all the ingredients. Before you serve it measure it. Use a large measuring cup and pour it into a large Container. Then you will know the total cups. Then break it down to one or two cup servings. It is time consuming but it works.

    I thought about that this morning but with cooking in a crock pot wouldn't that change everything up a bit because of the moisture content when cooking in it? Seems it might change it up a bit, or not enough to worry about? Thoughts?
  • eok902
    eok902 Posts: 56 Member
    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    Weigh the pot before you start. Make the soup (be sure to weigh all the ingredients as you add them). When you're done weigh the entire thing. Subtract the weight of the pot. Log that as your number of servings.

    So for example your soup weighs 1500 grams. That's 1500 servings for your entire recipe. When you scoop up your serving and as an example it weighs 236 grams you log it as 236 servings.

    Smart idea! Wish I'd thought of that myself!

  • TMW2119
    TMW2119 Posts: 178 Member
    I used this thread in my homeschool vocabulary lesson today. One of the words my son wrote was "angle" as in different perspectives. We went through and read all of the different angles in this thread. So, thanks for the advice and thanks for the vocab lesson!
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    sparks9777 wrote: »
    use the create a recipe measure all the ingredients. Before you serve it measure it. Use a large measuring cup and pour it into a large Container. Then you will know the total cups. Then break it down to one or two cup servings. It is time consuming but it works.

    I also do it by cups (my pressure cooker has cup markings up the inside, awesome) BUT generally only on things I am eventually going to eat all of myself over the next day or two. If one serving is off it'll average out by the time I've eaten it all.
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