Potato calories

sarajohanssoon
sarajohanssoon Posts: 5 Member
edited December 22 in Food and Nutrition
Okay so when I google calories in potatos most sites say a small potato contains about 100 calories. But when I weigh my medium size potatoes they weigh about 60 grams, and 100g of boiled potato contains about 85 calories according to what I find, which would make them half the calories. Am I missing something, or do people just eat really large potatoes? I'm low key freaking out and I don't understand

Replies

  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    that's one reason I don't use entries for "1 small" or "1 medium" anything. I find a reliable entry for 100g of the food in question, weight the item, and log it precisely. I mean, what is a "small" anything? It's all relative.
  • sarajohanssoon
    sarajohanssoon Posts: 5 Member
    Yeah that's what I do too, but it just seems really strange that it differs so much. What I would say is a medium potato weighs 60 grams. Is it possible I'm missing something crucial?
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,140 Member
    edited July 2019
    This is where the USDA website comes in quite handy https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

    The potatoes I buy are usually closer to 180g (Rooster Baking Potatoes) for a Medium-Sized one, larger ones can be as much as 300g
    This is the entry for white potatoes, raw with skin
    f2lgudfwf14t.png


  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    A 60 gram potato would be a ridiculously small potato, in my opinion. We all have our own idea of what constitutes small, medium, or large items, which is why using weight is so much more accurate. To me, a medium potato would be about 150 grams, which is more than 100 calories. :)
  • sarajohanssoon
    sarajohanssoon Posts: 5 Member
    9wxp44m6ipr4.jpeg
    6kz8yxwoc09p.jpeg

    Here's reference images. This one weighs 65 grams according to my scale. Do you think it's broken? I tried weighing 100ml of water, which weighs 100g as it should
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,140 Member
    No that's just a teeny tiny potato, your scale is most likely fine.
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    No that's just a teeny tiny potato, your scale is most likely fine.

    This! Veeeery small, adorable potato. :D
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    also, there are hundreds of varieties of potato, which vary in size, texture, and colour. Depending on what you want to make can determine the best potato for the job. The one pictured looks like it needs a friend on your plate, too lonely! :D
  • sarajohanssoon
    sarajohanssoon Posts: 5 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    No that's just a teeny tiny potato, your scale is most likely fine.

    [quote="This! Veeeery small, adorable potato. :D [/quote]

    Oh is it really? I'd call it medium, it's about the size of an egg (which of course can also be different sizes). Maybe it's different here in Sweden than other countries. Anyways, thanks for the answer. I feel a bit calmer haha
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    sarajohanssoon wrote: »
    Maybe it's different here in Sweden than other countries.

    very likely - it will depend on what potato varieties are normally grown and sold there. Here in the UK we get new potatoes much smaller than that one, several served on the plate. We also get massive ones sold as Baking Potatoes which are cooked for quite a long time and served in their skin. Some of the ones I've had were so big they could easily be cut in two and serve both me and the husband.

  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    Don't forget to account for the factr that you may be eating your potatoes peeled. :D My usualy potato serving is 140-150 grams raw weight (I don't peel or fry mine)
  • Lark13
    Lark13 Posts: 21 Member
    Try using “fingerling potato” - you are likely to find that label more accurately reflects your potatoes of choice.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,140 Member
    sarajohanssoon wrote: »

    Oh is it really? I'd call it medium, it's about the size of an egg (which of course can also be different sizes). Maybe it's different here in Sweden than other countries. Anyways, thanks for the answer. I feel a bit calmer haha

    I live in Ireland and am from the UK, we do have smaller potatoes but they would be "New" or "Baby" potatoes (around 20-60g), when I say potato, I am normally talking about the kinds used for chips, roasting or baking which are the larger kinds.

    New Potatoes
    vjjspaugf9eu.png

    Normal Potatoes
    u9vz7x6bnv7a.png
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    I can't even read this stuff above. My head would explode. Get a scale for crying our loud. They cost $15.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    weigh raw and use an entry for raw weight calories

    Now cook however and it doesn't matter how the water weight changes.

    If only eating a portion of the finished dish - weigh when finished for total weight (which has no bearing on the entry used) and then weigh your portion.
    Now you have % eaten.

    Apply that to the # of servings you are using for the raw weight entry.
  • sarajohanssoon
    sarajohanssoon Posts: 5 Member
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    I can't even read this stuff above. My head would explode. Get a scale for crying our loud. They cost $15.

    I do have a scale? I was just thinking it might not be accurate
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited July 2019
    sytchequeen wrote: »
    sarajohanssoon wrote: »
    Maybe it's different here in Sweden than other countries.

    very likely - it will depend on what potato varieties are normally grown and sold there. Here in the UK we get new potatoes much smaller than that one, several served on the plate. We also get massive ones sold as Baking Potatoes which are cooked for quite a long time and served in their skin. Some of the ones I've had were so big they could easily be cut in two and serve both me and the husband.

    Yeah -- when people talk about "medium potato," I tend to assume they mean something like a Yukon Gold.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon_Gold_potato

    Those are common here and I'd normally chop up (with skin on), roast, and then eat, but I'd eat just one potato.

    The one pictured is a smaller variety, which are common here too (there are so many different kinds of potatoes of various sizes), but I don't think they are what is meant since more than one are typically eaten, at least here.

    Estimates for "medium" for a food that comes in so many different sizes are useless.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    sarajohanssoon wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    No that's just a teeny tiny potato, your scale is most likely fine.

    [quote="This! Veeeery small, adorable potato. :D

    Oh is it really? I'd call it medium, it's about the size of an egg (which of course can also be different sizes). Maybe it's different here in Sweden than other countries. Anyways, thanks for the answer. I feel a bit calmer haha
    [/quote]

    Also in Europe and for me that would seem roughly "medium" too. I don't take a baking potato as the standard potato size.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Do you all not have larger non baking potatoes too?

    I think medium refers to a non baking potato, but something like the Yukon Gold I mentioned above.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    That's one cute little spud. 😚
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited July 2019
    sarajohanssoon wrote: »
    Susieq_1994 wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    No that's just a teeny tiny potato, your scale is most likely fine.

    This! Veeeery small, adorable potato. :D

    Oh is it really? I'd call it medium, it's about the size of an egg (which of course can also be different sizes). Maybe it's different here in Sweden than other countries. Anyways, thanks for the answer. I feel a bit calmer haha

    A chicken egg size potato would definitely a small here in the US :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Along these lines, the recipes on allrecipes.com that call for things like "4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves" drive me crazy. Give me a weight! Chicken breast sizes can vary like crazy.
  • Kalex1975
    Kalex1975 Posts: 427 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Along these lines, the recipes on allrecipes.com that call for things like "4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves" drive me crazy. Give me a weight! Chicken breast sizes can vary like crazy.

    Yes, such a huge range!

    I usually purchase one boneless, skinless, chicken breast a week from the meat counter at my grocery store. It is always a game of chance. Sometimes they are less than 1/2 pound and sometimes they can be over a pound (they usually are close to about 2/3 pound). The employees probably roll their eyes when they see me coming because they usually need to select and weigh several before they find one that is close to what I wanted.
  • Powerclean2deadlift
    Powerclean2deadlift Posts: 35 Member
    I love this conversation so much haha!

    I usually eat new potatoes and have 100g which I weigh out. Usually ends up being between 2 and 2.5 potatoes. I would weigh it and stick the amount of grams in and use the same entry each time.
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