How to measure items like Croutons?

How do you deal with measuring things like Croutons? My Texas Toast croutons Butter & Garlic flavor says 2 tablespoons for 35 calories. These are very large croutons. I think 1 crouton might fit in my tablespoon but not be a full tablespoon.

How do I measure 2 tablespoons of croutons? Shoulld I grind them up in my food processor to see how much one tablespoon would be?
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Replies

  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    I would consider them to be 35 calories per crouton.
  • aslteacher5
    aslteacher5 Posts: 14 Member
    Look and see how many servings are in the bag. If there are 15 servings in the bag, then count how many are in there and divide by 15. I usually look at how many servings and then eyeball it.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    I guess I could weigh the croutons, then divide how many servings are in the bag! That's a pretty good idea! Thanks!

    I hope it's not 35 calories per crouton.. that would be really really bad for my diary :( I assumed it was 2-3 croutons for 1 tablespoon, but they are large croutons.. hm.
  • I was just wondering about this today. What a random unit of measurement to use. It's like measuring out 2 tablespoons of legos. I will have to weigh the next bag, thanks for the tip!
  • Ultragirl2374
    Ultragirl2374 Posts: 390 Member
    Holy moly!!! 1 crouton is 35 cals! That is insanity!! :sad:
  • here2bme
    here2bme Posts: 63 Member
    Thank you for doing that! I was just wondering the same thing yesterday! Even though it is almost a year later I appreciate it
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    if i want croutons i weigh them.. then crumble them up into smaller bits to put on my salad. they are usually too big anyway.

    Luckily my bag says 7 croutons = X calories.. but I still weigh them. just to check.
  • taters22
    taters22 Posts: 8 Member
    I eat the Texas Croutons also, I have a 2 tablespoon measuring spoon and I just crumble them to measure them.
  • MelWilB137
    MelWilB137 Posts: 20 Member
    Weigh them once, and you'll have a great idea of how many are in a serving for all your future croutoning :-)
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
    Thanks OP, good to know.
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
    I would just weigh them every time i eat them and go by how many grams. I love those texas croutons but you can't figure out how many calories would be in each crouton because they aren't all the same size. Look through that bag again, you have some that seem to be broken, end pieces, giant ones, small ones... Not consistent enough.

    The great thing about weighing is being able to swap out some bigger ones for more small ones. Your eyes see more so you feel like you are eating more.
  • lousoulbody
    lousoulbody Posts: 663 Member
    Try making pita chips, bake a piece of pita till its crisp, then break into pieces, it has a nice flavour by itself or you could spray light with oil and season to taste. A lot less calories and more crunch for your sald.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I like Chatham Valley croutons; not sure if your area will carry them (they're a MA based company), but their serving sizes are very generous for the calories! They also carry several different varieties.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Protein and carbohydrates both contain 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9 calories per gram. Calculating your calorie needs can help you determine how many grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat you should consume each day. 1 ounce is 28 grams.
  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
    Glad you realized it now! don't worry! better late than never!
  • aregamboa
    aregamboa Posts: 1 Member
    This is an old thread but I got a good way to "eyeball" your crouton intake. If the bag says that there are 20 servings total and the calorie count is 30 per serving, then we're looking at 600 cal total for the entire bag...so how many parts of the bag did you have???
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    aregamboa wrote: »
    This is an old thread but I got a good way to "eyeball" your crouton intake. If the bag says that there are 20 servings total and the calorie count is 30 per serving, then we're looking at 600 cal total for the entire bag...so how many parts of the bag did you have???

    But bag weights and serving quantities are usually not accurate.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    mine have a serving size in grams, it says 6g per serving. Ends up being 6 croutons most of the time. The most accurate way is to weigh :)
  • shoofluff
    shoofluff Posts: 1 Member
    I know I am super late to this convo but I have to say THANK YOU for asking this! I had the exact same question!
  • MystikPixie
    MystikPixie Posts: 342 Member
    I've always assumed per crouton with those because of the size and the fact they are soaked in fat before cooking. But if you crush them up and sprinkle them on it helps them go a long way and adds flavor to the salad.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Yeah, Texas toast will get ya every time. It's FULL of butter/oil. SO tasty, though.
    I'd be willing to bet that the generic/Caesar salad croutons are a little lighter on the calories.
  • There has to be a log in the database where you can just count the croutons and log how many you have eaten.