[Chunkyhoney]

I have been attempting to calorie count and I was just wondering when am I suppose to weight my meats? Do you weight it raw or after you cook it in order to get a accurate calorie count?

[amber961]

I weigh mine after it is cooked, on the advice of my doctor. My body doesn't process protein in an efficient way and he wants a very accurate count of my actual intake.

[tinycities]

Personally, I weigh mine before I cook with it, because the nutritional information on the meat packaging relates to the raw, uncooked product. Obviously, I then make sure that I count in any calories that my cooking method adds in (e.g., the addition of any fats, etc.).

I believe weighing after will give you a more accurate calorie count, because fat, water and other things may run out of the meat whilst you are cooking it. With that said, I find it much more convenient to weigh it before cooking (particularly if it's something that's being cooked in a sauce!), and I'd sooner over-estimate my calories (e.g., if fat drains away during the cooking process) than under-estimate.

[Rosinante]

I weigh it raw: often I'm making a stew or casserole, and it would be impossible to weigh the meat after it was cooked.

[LockItUp]

I weigh it after cooking in almost any circumstance.

[hpnodat]

Generally I weigh it before but there are times when I don't. I like to grill up a bunch of chicken breast, slice it and freeze into pre portioned packages. In that case I weigh it after when I'm packaging it up.

4 oz cooked chicken vs. 4 oz raw chicken is a pretty good difference in calories.

[LiliK]

Most calorie charts will show both raw and cooked (and cooked in multiple ways). I think the trick is to pick which listing works for you, depending on how you're eating the meat, and use that. If there's no way to weigh the meat after cooking, look for the raw listing. If you're weighing cooked leftover turkey, use that listing. I typically find what I need for calorie count by googling the food name and the word "calories," which usually leads me to some good nutritional information.

:-) At any rate, worst-case scenario, use the higher count, and you will be sure not to go over. Best wishes to you!

[love2b150]

I weigh after it's cooked.

[Alana in Canada]

I think it really depends on what works for you with respect to looking up your calorie counts. I weigh mine cooked: because that's the way it's figured into my plan.

As for meat that needs to be diced, I do that after it is cooked.

But again, if your source of information is basing the amount of calories in a piece of raw meat, then weigh it raw. Just be sure to thoroughly wash your weighing basket.

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by hpnodat

4 oz cooked chicken vs. 4 oz raw chicken is a pretty good difference in calories.

True, but when you look up the calorie counts, whether online or in a calorie counting book - the calorie counts for both raw and cooked are usually available. You just need to make sure you're using the right one. Often it doesn't matter which you use, but sometimes it will.

If for example, you cook a lean hamburger in a skillet, and there's no fat or juices left in the pan, it won't matter whether you weigh it before or afterward - the calorie counts are going to be virtually identical (except that 6 ounces of raw burger, will become about 4 ounces of cooked burger - but if there's no grease in the pan, the only thing you've lost is water).

If there's a lot of grease and liquid that's going to be cooked out of the meat, and not eaten, or if you're going to trim the fat after cooking - then weighing after cooking makes the most sense.

And as Rosinante has already mentioned, if it's going to be used in a stew, soup or casserole (where you're going to be eating, what would have cooked out of the meat), then weighing before makes sense.

For example while 6 ounces of ground beef will cook down into a 4 ounces hamburger - the calorie counts for a cooked 4 ounce burger has already subtracted the fat that would have cooked out of that burger. However, if you're using that hamburger in a stew or casserole, that uses that fat (calls for undrained hamburger), then you need to use the raw measurement, because it will be more accurate.

A great example is bacon. If you cook it crisply, a slice has about 40 to 50 calories, but if you dice that same slice to saute vegetables in, you would use the raw calorie count (about 100 - 120 calories), because you're eating the bacon fat you otherwise would have left behind..