Measuring Food

cindy4mica
cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
When a recipe calls for a measurement of an ingredient, do you "pack" the ingredient in the cup, or put it in loosely? For instance, when I make a salad, 2 cups of the mix = 20 calories. Are these 2 cups packed? Same goes for shredded cheese. Am I supposed to put the cheese in, push it down and continue to fill the cup? Am I obsessing over nothing? LOL

Replies

  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I don't think it matters with Salad greens but things like cheese, I would not pack.
  • ShelbyBeck414
    ShelbyBeck414 Posts: 123
    when in doubt, I never pack the ingredient (sometimes it says 'packed')....I figure, why add MORE calories, etc..:D Also, instead of measuring cups, I started using a food scale and LOVE it.....now I can be sure I get the right amount!
  • nutandbutter
    nutandbutter Posts: 447
    I weigh pretty much everything except veggies. May sound anal but it's not that hard to put my plate on the scale while I serve myself.
  • cindy4mica
    cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
    I weigh pretty much everything except veggies. May sound anal but it's not that hard to put my plate on the scale while I serve myself.

    But aren't you then weighing your plate, too? ;)
  • nutandbutter
    nutandbutter Posts: 447
    I weigh pretty much everything except veggies. May sound anal but it's not that hard to put my plate on the scale while I serve myself.

    But aren't you then weighing your plate, too? ;)

    Most scales have a tare feature. :-)
  • cindy4mica
    cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
    I weigh pretty much everything except veggies. May sound anal but it's not that hard to put my plate on the scale while I serve myself.

    But aren't you then weighing your plate, too? ;)

    Most scales have a tare feature. :-)

    Nice:)
  • mfp_1
    mfp_1 Posts: 516 Member
    I agree. Food scales are a great.help for calorie counting and for making recipes more accurate.

    If you buy one, here are some things to think about:
    * Digital

    * Flat top
    If you buy one with a flat top, you can weigh almost anything. Some come with bowls or jugs but aren't as flexible.

    * Large digits

    * Must have capability to do grams.
    Even if you've never used grams before, you'd be surprised at how useful the function is once you have it.

    * Precision to 1 g

    * Maximum weight
    Allow for ingredients plus bowl or saucepan. Good scales go to 3 kg.Some go to 5 kg

    * Tare (add and weight) function.
    Allows you to set it to zero with an empty bowl sitting on it. You can even weigh several ingredients as you add them to a bowl, resetting to zero each time. Most scales have this function.

    * Batteries.
    Check that you're happy with the battery type it provides. Some have AA or AAA batteries. Some have button batteries. These are all fine but you need to be able to replace them at short notice from a local shop. Your personal devil will make them run out just when you need them most.
  • Aphreal
    Aphreal Posts: 103
    I am not that anal about the numbers. If I want a cup of potatoes, i pack that puppy LOL. This is why I generally keep within a range instead of die hard 1 number goal. I dont weigh or measure greens (like for salads) I only measure and or weigh toppings depending on what it is and how easy it is to measure.

    Oh and I have lost 10 dress sizes so evidently what I do works well for me personally/.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    When a recipe calls for a measurement of an ingredient, do you "pack" the ingredient in the cup, or put it in loosely? For instance, when I make a salad, 2 cups of the mix = 20 calories. Are these 2 cups packed? Same goes for shredded cheese. Am I supposed to put the cheese in, push it down and continue to fill the cup? Am I obsessing over nothing? LOL

    I only weigh on my scales and that will be in grams.

    Cups are not accurate enough for my liking.
  • kjpersich
    kjpersich Posts: 55 Member
    There was a link at one point on MFP about the discrepancies of weighing your food versus measuring your food. They used 2 examples in the video, oatmeal and peanut butter. Weighing your food is the most accurate. They showed the comparison of what oatmeal looked like in the measuring cup when it was weighed vs measures. BIG DIFFERENCE!!! Basically, you would not be filling it to the top and certainly not packing it down.
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
    Grams FTW!
  • cindy4mica
    cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
    I agree. Food scales are a great.help for calorie counting and for making recipes more accurate.

    If you buy one, here are some things to think about:
    * Digital

    * Flat top
    If you buy one with a flat top, you can weigh almost anything. Some come with bowls or jugs but aren't as flexible.

    * Large digits

    * Must have capability to do grams.
    Even if you've never used grams before, you'd be surprised at how useful the function is once you have it.

    * Precision to 1 g

    * Maximum weight
    Allow for ingredients plus bowl or saucepan. Good scales go to 3 kg.Some go to 5 kg

    * Tare (add and weight) function.
    Allows you to set it to zero with an empty bowl sitting on it. You can even weigh several ingredients as you add them to a bowl, resetting to zero each time. Most scales have this function.

    * Batteries.
    Check that you're happy with the battery type it provides. Some have AA or AAA batteries. Some have button batteries. These are all fine but you need to be able to replace them at short notice from a local shop. Your personal devil will make them run out just when you need them most.

    Lol, great advice! I'm going to grab one this weekend. Thanks:)
  • cindy4mica
    cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
    I am not that anal about the numbers. If I want a cup of potatoes, i pack that puppy LOL. This is why I generally keep within a range instead of die hard 1 number goal. I dont weigh or measure greens (like for salads) I only measure and or weigh toppings depending on what it is and how easy it is to measure.

    Oh and I have lost 10 dress sizes so evidently what I do works well for me personally/.

    GREAT job! I really think I'm overthinking this and it's becoming more of a burden than a "journey" to a better body:/
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