Is the actual Serving Size too much to ask?

Posts: 35
1/30/12 3:57 P

It is hard to figure out. I basically measure everything out and figure oz/calories for each ingredient as I go. Once I get the total calories/oz then I divide into the portions that I am looking for. For instance, the rice mix I made last night was for 2 3/4 cup serving, but I changed it to 4 servings. If it is a recipe that I use often, the I write it in my notebook for the next time, so I don't have to refigure. It does dirty more dishes sometimes, but it is worth the piece of mind. As far as brownies, I have a 1/4 cup cookie scoop that I use and put it into a cupcake tin. Figure the calories for the whole batch then divide by the number of brownies you have. Gives you a sweet teat with a more controlled portion and extras freeze well for later snacks.

Posts: 12
1/21/12 8:05 A

Thank you That is my pet peeve. I hate to spend so much time trying to figure out a serving size.Eyeballing it isn't a good method. If I were any good at it I wouldn't need to lose weight..

Posts: 61
1/4/12 7:11 P

Yes I so agree...the unclear serving thing drives me crazy...esp. when we are to learn portion controll

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Posts: 15
1/3/12 3:27 P

I am only a couple of days into this, and I noticed the same thing.

So far when I find a recipe I like, I replicate it and then re-create it in the recipe catalog, except that I do not publish it. That way I can make changes that make sense to me what I actually did. Then I just store it in my recipe catalog and I keep that private as well.

That is the best advice I can provide right now. Good luck!

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Posts: 160
12/30/11 10:13 P

You all are saying exactly what I keep saying to myself. Its really difficult tracking calories when you have no idea what the serving size is. Sometimes I just laugh and just estimate the best I can. What else can you do?

Posts: 2,405
12/29/11 9:15 P

But some aren't that large. A brownie mix, which my wife makes, gives the portion and calories in uncooked weight. That's useless.

Liquids are easy. A quart makes 4 servings? That's a cup of soup. But a Stew, with an unknown total quantity? Hard to tell exactly what a serving is.

What's the point in a serving size if you can't measure it?

It's not really terribly important, but I am conscientious about portion control, and recipes without a clear idea of portion is difficult. Something that makes 2 servings is easy to figure out, but a large item that makes 24 becomes more difficult.

I figure it out, but when possible, it would be nice if recipe's had actual cooked serving sizes. IMHO

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Posts: 69
12/29/11 12:12 P

I bought a kitchen weight machine where you can set the plate you are using on it, zero it, put something on your plate to weigh, zero it again for your next food item.

Tammy

Posts: 605
12/29/11 9:53 A

It is difficult. Many of my recipes are more than 5 pounds and I'm afraid to set anything hot on my scale. Or by volume, I don't want to dirty my measuring containers or melt my storage containers, especially if there might not be anything left. Then there is the "food, eat now" problem that comes from not cooking until there is appetite.

I usually list my recipe as one serving and name a suggested fraction. I find that would also be helpful for a pan-shape that dictates fourths instead of thirds.

Posts: 7,183
12/28/11 7:20 A

It would be nice if sparkrecipes could automatically do that with recipes instead of the user doing it. I just don't think it is possible. You might ask the person who submitted the recipe what the serving size is. A 3-4 pound chicken and only four servings is not realistic since serving sizes for meat are usually 3 or 4 ounces, the size of your palm or a hockey puck.

Posts: 2,405
12/9/11 1:55 P

For instance, I have been looking at the "Sticky Chicken" recipe and it looks good.

It says to use a 3-4 lb chicken. It makes four servings.

Is that 1lb Chicken each, or 0.75 Chicken each?

Is there some way we can have a reasonable method, IE: Oz Weight) of measuring portions. I lb serving (Including bone I assume) is a bit more calories than 0.75 Lb. including bone.

With a chicken recipe, white meat and dark have different values, so a Lb. of Leg/Thigh is different than a Lb. of Breast meat.

My wife made Brownies. I weighed the whole batch, Baking tin and all, then weighed the tin, then calculated the total brownie weight and divided by the "number" of servings. The Recipes and info on prepared mixed are guilty of the same thing. they give you serving size in unmixed weight.

I guess I am just ranting, but I will put actual serving size and weight in any recipe I submit, and hopefully, maybe a trend will start.