Help: I want created recipes to output in grams not servings

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tpbaehr
tpbaehr Posts: 12 Member
in Getting Started
I like to weigh my food rather than rely on serving size. If I generate a recipe myself, it doesn’t let me input grams, but offers a fixed serving size. Is there a good work around to be able to weigh in grams.

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  • KrissFlavored
    KrissFlavored Posts: 327 Member
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    I just create foods, not recipes.

    I add each individual item to my diary and then once I get the grand total I create a new food and create the servings in grams based on how many servings I want out of the recipe
  • tpbaehr
    tpbaehr Posts: 12 Member
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    That’s amazing! Thank you!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,603 Member
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    When initially creating the recipe just accept any which portion size... for example 1.

    Then edit the recipe portions, for example 3591 portions for one that yielded 3591 grams.

    Depending on the type of food I might call this a 359 portion recipe, going with 10g per "portion)

    You can also save named meals like Kriss suggests. You could also create a new recipe using the "old recipe calculator" and use as your single ingredient the named meal you already created...
  • sugaraddict4321
    sugaraddict4321 Posts: 15,717 MFP Moderator
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    My method is very similar to PAV8888, except I use 100 g per portion. :)

    When you enter every ingredient in grams, you'll have a total number of grams for the entire dish. You might have to add them up on a calculator as you go. Divide the total grams of the ingredients by 100 and that's how many servings the recipe has.

    Example:
    The total of all ingredients in one of my recipes is 3851 grams. Divide by 100 (for a 100 g portion) and I get 38.51 servings. I round down to 38 servings to allow for error. Fewer servings = slightly more calories per serving. ;)

    I include my serving size as part of the dish name - e.g. "My lasagna, per 100 g"

    I know I use roughly the same proportions each time, so I don't fuss with modifying or making multiple recipes. For me the idea is to be fairly accurate while not driving myself crazy with the details. :smiley:

  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,355 Member
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    Like everyone else here, but slightly different:

    I wait to make the recipe until the end, when I know how many grams total my thing weighs.

    I weigh all ingredients as I go, and keep notes on a napkin or what have you. When I have the made thing, I weigh it in grams, and put that number in as the number of servings. Then, I go through and add the recipe that I wrote on the napkin. That way, all my recipes are 1g= 1 "serving." It looks weird when I have 80 servings of bread in my food diary, but I know what's up.

    So if there were a thing I would change about the MFP recipe input system, it would be to have # of servings input to be last.
  • tpbaehr
    tpbaehr Posts: 12 Member
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    Thanks tonnes for the tips. I really appreciate it.
  • tpbaehr
    tpbaehr Posts: 12 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    You can also save named meals like Kriss suggests. You could also create a new recipe using the "old recipe calculator" and use as your single ingredient the named meal you already created...
    How do you access the "old recipe calculator?" Is it available from the apple app?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    i do what @PAV8888 does - set it to 1 serving intially and then go back and adjust - i also use 10g as my base (and annotate that in the recipe title, so i remember).

    so a final product of 300g would be 30 servings
  • sianlr87
    sianlr87 Posts: 72 Member
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    I just create the recipe according to the guidance, 4 portions for example - then weigh the whole lot, take the weight of the pot / pan off (I have written down the weights of most of my pans etc), take this off the total weight and split equally based on the number of portions. Found this was easier for me when creating the recipe.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,603 Member
    edited May 2020
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    tpbaehr wrote: »
    How do you access the "old recipe calculator?" Is it available from the apple app?

    Whot's a fruity op? Hasn't the Al guy** invented some pixel bucket in the sky techno-babbly thingy yet?

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator


    **https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/internet-of-lies/

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,986 Member
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    sianlr87 wrote: »
    I just create the recipe according to the guidance, 4 portions for example - then weigh the whole lot, take the weight of the pot / pan off (I have written down the weights of most of my pans etc), take this off the total weight and split equally based on the number of portions. Found this was easier for me when creating the recipe.

    Yes I do this for things like chilli con carne - the size of the ingredients doesnt change - mince comes in 500g packs, a tin of crushed tomatoes and kidney beans comes in same size etc so I know the amounts I use always ends up with 3 serves, so I just made the recipe and call it 3 serves.

    I dont even weigh it any more - I just know what I make does 3 serves.

    However the weight it and divide by 100 - so a total weight of, say, 2700, gets 27 x 100g serves, is good for home made soup and things where the amount I have varies - one day it might be a bowl at home, next day might be different amount in a mini thermos to take to work, sometimes I make a bigger or smaller batch.



  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,603 Member
    edited May 2020
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    sugaraddict4321 wrote: »
    My method is very similar to PAV8888, except I use 100 g per portion. :)

    Me too sometimes! Depends on the food! And I usually include the info in the title!
    sugaraddict4321 wrote: »
    When you enter every ingredient in grams, you'll have a total number of grams for the entire dish. You might have to add them up on a calculator as you go. Divide the total grams of the ingredients by 100 and that's how many servings the recipe has.

    Example:
    The total of all ingredients in one of my recipes is 3851 grams. Divide by 100 (for a 100 g portion) and I get 38.51 servings. I round down to 38 servings to allow for error. Fewer servings = slightly more calories per serving. ;)

    I include my serving size as part of the dish name - e.g. "My lasagna, per 100 g"

    I know I use roughly the same proportions each time, so I don't fuss with modifying or making multiple recipes. For me the idea is to be fairly accurate while not driving myself crazy with the details. :smiley:

    How do you account for shrinkage during cooking vs the size of portion you serve yourself unless you go by final, as opposed to starting weight?

    Do you include water you may add, if for example you're making soup or something?

    How do you account for evaporation of water after the food cools down?!?!?!

    <ok, ok, I get the last one probably falls under the "not driving myself crazy with details bit!" :wink: >

    I tend to use the rounding to 10g or 100g to grossly account for "cooldown" shrinkage. But my starting point is definitely the "after cooking has finished" weight!
  • sugaraddict4321
    sugaraddict4321 Posts: 15,717 MFP Moderator
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    @PAV8888 I weigh raw ingredients for the recipe as I go and set my servings in MFP based on that. I weigh the cooked, final result for my serving that gets logged in the diary. So yes, there's a bit of variation with water evaporation but not enough for me to bother. I figure the food doesn't gain calories by cooking so I'm allowing a margin of error. :smiley:

    I do include water if I'm making a soup, as that contributes to the total weight. 1 ml of water weighs about a gram. I also include things people sometimes skip, such as a teaspoon of olive oil (5 g), of salt (6 g) or sugar (4 g).
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,603 Member
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    WHAT? You mean there exist people who don't log their oil by weight?!?!?!?! (because it does still remain more accurate than eyeballing unless you have lab beakers and some training in their use!) :lol:

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