Does a food scale measure oil?..

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evildead01
evildead01 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
If I have a bowl of raw chicken... reset the scale and I pour avocado oil into the bowl.

Mine says 14 grams per tablespoon. So I’m pouring the oil in and it’s like.. it looks like a lot before I hit that 14 grams! I’m sure I’m not supposed to do this.
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Replies

  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
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    I use a teaspoon for oil , and if I were using the scale instead, I would weigh only the oil because it is so little compared to the weight of the chicken that the scale has trouble to recognize the addition.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
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    evildead01 wrote: »
    If I have a bowl of raw chicken... reset the scale and I pour avocado oil into the bowl.

    Mine says 14 grams per tablespoon. So I’m pouring the oil in and it’s like.. it looks like a lot before I hit that 14 grams! I’m sure I’m not supposed to do this.

    Are you certain the nutrition label specifies the oil in grams? For example, my oil says that a tablespoon equals 15 mL - not grams. This could be your issue. You could be weighing both your chicken and the oil in grams, and 15 grams of oil is quite a bit more than a tablespoon worth. ;)

    No. It is about right in fact. 100gr oil is about 110ml.

    The reason your scale does that is because it is not as sensitive when you start adding stuff at increments of the order of 1 gram. I would use a measuring spoon.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited December 2018
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    My oil comes with grams on the label. Been weighing it for years. One serving is 14 grams.
    evildead01 wrote: »
    If I have a bowl of raw chicken... reset the scale and I pour avocado oil into the bowl.

    Mine says 14 grams per tablespoon. So I’m pouring the oil in and it’s like.. it looks like a lot before I hit that 14 grams! I’m sure I’m not supposed to do this.

    Are you certain the nutrition label specifies the oil in grams? For example, my oil says that a tablespoon equals 15 mL - not grams. This could be your issue. You could be weighing both your chicken and the oil in grams, and 15 grams of oil is quite a bit more than a tablespoon worth. ;)

    Pretty much all of the liquids I buy here in the US have grams on the label.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,518 Member
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    I weigh my oil. It works fine. And it messes up less dishes. I also weigh salad dressing and other liquids. Heck, I pour my half in half in my coffee while it sits on the scale and use the gram measurement available for it.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    kami3006 wrote: »
    My oil comes with grams on the label. Been weighing it for years. One serving is 14 grams.
    evildead01 wrote: »
    If I have a bowl of raw chicken... reset the scale and I pour avocado oil into the bowl.

    Mine says 14 grams per tablespoon. So I’m pouring the oil in and it’s like.. it looks like a lot before I hit that 14 grams! I’m sure I’m not supposed to do this.

    Are you certain the nutrition label specifies the oil in grams? For example, my oil says that a tablespoon equals 15 mL - not grams. This could be your issue. You could be weighing both your chicken and the oil in grams, and 15 grams of oil is quite a bit more than a tablespoon worth. ;)

    Pretty much all of the liquids I buy here in the US have grams on the label.

    Interesting. Most here in Canada use teaspoons/tablespoons and their equivalent in mL.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    kami3006 wrote: »
    My oil comes with grams on the label. Been weighing it for years. One serving is 14 grams.
    evildead01 wrote: »
    If I have a bowl of raw chicken... reset the scale and I pour avocado oil into the bowl.

    Mine says 14 grams per tablespoon. So I’m pouring the oil in and it’s like.. it looks like a lot before I hit that 14 grams! I’m sure I’m not supposed to do this.

    Are you certain the nutrition label specifies the oil in grams? For example, my oil says that a tablespoon equals 15 mL - not grams. This could be your issue. You could be weighing both your chicken and the oil in grams, and 15 grams of oil is quite a bit more than a tablespoon worth. ;)

    Pretty much all of the liquids I buy here in the US have grams on the label.

    Interesting. Most here in Canada use teaspoons/tablespoons and their equivalent in mL.

    Yeah I noticed that when I was visiting family in Canada.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Oil is 14 grams per tablespoon (or at least, it rounds up to that...most scales don't do fractions of grams). Here is an extensive volume to weight conversion chart: http://www.moderndomestic.com/2011/01/baking-math-common-baking-ingredient-weights/

    If you really want to, you could put a little cup on your scale, tare, measure a tablespoon of oil, and pour it in the cup to see how much it weighs. It will probably not be exactly 14 grams, depending on things like how full your spoon was and how much oil residue is left on the spoon, but it should be close.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Here is a typical label. It shows a serving size as 1 Tbl (15ml). The only weight listed is for the number of grams of fat, but since olive oil is 100% fat it is still accurate to weigh instead of measure.

    51yWggPpfnL.jpg

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    Here is a typical label. It shows a serving size as 1 Tbl (15ml). The only weight listed is for the number of grams of fat, but since olive oil is 100% fat it is still accurate to weigh instead of measure.

    The label will differ by location. Mine specifically has grams as the serving size. Nonetheless, being all fat it's accurate to weigh as you stated.

    bky93k7ta0fh.jpg
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    Seffell wrote: »
    evildead01 wrote: »
    If I have a bowl of raw chicken... reset the scale and I pour avocado oil into the bowl.

    Mine says 14 grams per tablespoon. So I’m pouring the oil in and it’s like.. it looks like a lot before I hit that 14 grams! I’m sure I’m not supposed to do this.

    Are you certain the nutrition label specifies the oil in grams? For example, my oil says that a tablespoon equals 15 mL - not grams. This could be your issue. You could be weighing both your chicken and the oil in grams, and 15 grams of oil is quite a bit more than a tablespoon worth. ;)

    No. It is about right in fact. 100gr oil is about 110ml.

    The reason your scale does that is because it is not as sensitive when you start adding stuff at increments of the order of 1 gram. I would use a measuring spoon.

    I get around this by putting the bottle of oil on the scale, taring it, removing the bottle of oil and pouring out whatever amount I'm going to use (whether that's "by eye" into a pan or skillet for cooking something, or a measured volume* where I'm following a recipe), then putting the bottle back on the scale. That way the difference in the bottle's weight is at least several grams and my scale doesn't assume an error and ignore the difference. My scale is sensitive enough to notice a 1 gram difference -- I can see the number on the readout change momentarily -- but apparently it's programmed to assume that such a small change is an error and reverts to the previous reading.

    *I do use a tablespoon, teaspoon, or cup measure if the recipe calls for it, in part because it's easier to get close to the right amount that way than by slowly pouring oil into a bowl and trying to stop before it hits the number I want, because there's always a slight delay on the scale readout registering additional mass. It also helps avoid an accidental significant overpour. But I still prefer to weigh the amount used by weighing the bottle of oil before and after, because that's more exact than a measured volume, which depends on my eyes, how careful I am, how risk-averse I'm feeling about overfilling the container and making a mess, how much the surface tension effect of the liquid I'm measuring differs from the liquid that the container was calibrated for ...
  • Nery_Tay
    Nery_Tay Posts: 81 Member
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    I tare a small bowl and measure the amount of oil
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
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    Seffell wrote: »
    evildead01 wrote: »
    If I have a bowl of raw chicken... reset the scale and I pour avocado oil into the bowl.

    Mine says 14 grams per tablespoon. So I’m pouring the oil in and it’s like.. it looks like a lot before I hit that 14 grams! I’m sure I’m not supposed to do this.

    Are you certain the nutrition label specifies the oil in grams? For example, my oil says that a tablespoon equals 15 mL - not grams. This could be your issue. You could be weighing both your chicken and the oil in grams, and 15 grams of oil is quite a bit more than a tablespoon worth. ;)

    No. It is about right in fact. 100gr oil is about 110ml.

    The reason your scale does that is because it is not as sensitive when you start adding stuff at increments of the order of 1 gram. I would use a measuring spoon.

    I get around this by putting the bottle of oil on the scale, taring it, removing the bottle of oil and pouring out whatever amount I'm going to use (whether that's "by eye" into a pan or skillet for cooking something, or a measured volume* where I'm following a recipe), then putting the bottle back on the scale. That way the difference in the bottle's weight is at least several grams and my scale doesn't assume an error and ignore the difference. My scale is sensitive enough to notice a 1 gram difference -- I can see the number on the readout change momentarily -- but apparently it's programmed to assume that such a small change is an error and reverts to the previous reading.

    Yes, me too.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I use coconut oil. Since it's solid, it's really easy to weigh. Just out the jar in the scale, zero it out, and use a fork or spoon to scrape out my 7 grams.
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
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    amy19355 wrote: »
    I use a teaspoon for oil , and if I were using the scale instead, I would weigh only the oil because it is so little compared to the weight of the chicken that the scale has trouble to recognize the addition.

    What? No. The scale will recognize the 14g.


    I usually use the TARE function between ingredients, but that's only because it's easier for me. I don't use tablespoons or teaspoons because that would mean dirtying another thing I have to wash, but I've found they are pretty close to a 14 gram measure with oils. 14g and 14 ml are so close weight wise that it's close enough.
    My point was lost in translation.
    When the scale has a heavy item already on it, it is more difficult for the scale to register an additional tiny amount.

    Better to weigh the oil and chicken separately , IMO.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    amy19355 wrote: »
    amy19355 wrote: »
    I use a teaspoon for oil , and if I were using the scale instead, I would weigh only the oil because it is so little compared to the weight of the chicken that the scale has trouble to recognize the addition.

    What? No. The scale will recognize the 14g.


    I usually use the TARE function between ingredients, but that's only because it's easier for me. I don't use tablespoons or teaspoons because that would mean dirtying another thing I have to wash, but I've found they are pretty close to a 14 gram measure with oils. 14g and 14 ml are so close weight wise that it's close enough.
    My point was lost in translation.
    When the scale has a heavy item already on it, it is more difficult for the scale to register an additional tiny amount.

    Better to weigh the oil and chicken separately , IMO.
    amy19355 wrote: »
    amy19355 wrote: »
    I use a teaspoon for oil , and if I were using the scale instead, I would weigh only the oil because it is so little compared to the weight of the chicken that the scale has trouble to recognize the addition.

    What? No. The scale will recognize the 14g.


    I usually use the TARE function between ingredients, but that's only because it's easier for me. I don't use tablespoons or teaspoons because that would mean dirtying another thing I have to wash, but I've found they are pretty close to a 14 gram measure with oils. 14g and 14 ml are so close weight wise that it's close enough.
    My point was lost in translation.
    When the scale has a heavy item already on it, it is more difficult for the scale to register an additional tiny amount.

    Better to weigh the oil and chicken separately , IMO.

    A decent quality digital scale shouldn't have the problem. I frequently add small amounts of food to heavier items that are already in the bowl and the scale registers it fine.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    amy19355 wrote: »
    amy19355 wrote: »
    I use a teaspoon for oil , and if I were using the scale instead, I would weigh only the oil because it is so little compared to the weight of the chicken that the scale has trouble to recognize the addition.

    What? No. The scale will recognize the 14g.


    I usually use the TARE function between ingredients, but that's only because it's easier for me. I don't use tablespoons or teaspoons because that would mean dirtying another thing I have to wash, but I've found they are pretty close to a 14 gram measure with oils. 14g and 14 ml are so close weight wise that it's close enough.
    My point was lost in translation.
    When the scale has a heavy item already on it, it is more difficult for the scale to register an additional tiny amount.

    Better to weigh the oil and chicken separately , IMO.
    amy19355 wrote: »
    amy19355 wrote: »
    I use a teaspoon for oil , and if I were using the scale instead, I would weigh only the oil because it is so little compared to the weight of the chicken that the scale has trouble to recognize the addition.

    What? No. The scale will recognize the 14g.


    I usually use the TARE function between ingredients, but that's only because it's easier for me. I don't use tablespoons or teaspoons because that would mean dirtying another thing I have to wash, but I've found they are pretty close to a 14 gram measure with oils. 14g and 14 ml are so close weight wise that it's close enough.
    My point was lost in translation.
    When the scale has a heavy item already on it, it is more difficult for the scale to register an additional tiny amount.

    Better to weigh the oil and chicken separately , IMO.

    A decent quality digital scale shouldn't have the problem. I frequently add small amounts of food to heavier items that are already in the bowl and the scale registers it fine.

    I can add salt and/or cinnamon to my 60 grams of oatmeal and my scale will pick it up.