Calculating the serving size in a recipe is easy once you know the steps.
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Many of us have grown accustomed to checking nutrition labels to see how much of a certain food constitutes a serving. But when we turn to our own tried-and-true home recipes, we may find ourselves at a bit of a loss. How do we know how many servings the recipe yields, and how many calories are in each?
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No worries: You can still whip up your scrumptious from-scratch favorites without tossing out your healthy-eating plan. To sort out the stats on any recipe, you just need to follow four straightforward steps.
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1. Weigh the Food.
Before you can accurately divide your recipe into servings, you need to know how much it weighs in total.
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Weigh the casserole dish or platter the food will be served in before you start cooking. That way, you can subtract the weight of the empty dish from the total to get the weight of the food.
Keep in mind that careful calculations when weighing foods can be especially important for those with certain health conditions, especially diabetes, according to the Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco.
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2. Divide the Recipe into Servings.
Once you know how much the entire finished dish weighs, divide the weight by the number of servings, which is usually listed in the recipe ("serves six," or "serves eight," for example). Round the result to an easy-to-remember number to find the average serving size.
For example, if your lobster mac and cheese weighs 92.86 ounces and yields eight servings, the first number divided by the second would be 11.607, which you would then round to 11.5 ounces per serving. (Divide up the food into individual servings if you don't want to use the food scale every time you'd like a helping.)
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3. Calculate Calories.
If your grandma's famous tuna casserole recipe does not tell you how many servings it yields, you will need to determine this yourself. One way to do this is by using a calorie counter. (Also, the calorie content of many ingredients and individual foods can be found in the USDA National Nutrient Database.) Add the calories from each ingredient to find the dish's total calorie count. The Tufts University Human Research Nutrition Center on Aging cautions against forgetting often overlooked ingredients used in cooking, like broth, butter or oil, which could boost the calorie count considerably.
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Next, you can decide how many calories you want in each serving. For example, if you'd like to keep each serving to 250 calories, divide the calories in the recipe by 250. Round the resulting number to make a whole number for how many servings the recipe yields. If the recipe has 1,289 calories, divide it by 250 to equal 5.15, round that down to five, and you have the number of servings in the recipe.
Read more: Why Portion Control Works — and How to Get it Right
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4. Save the Information.
Calculating serving size information for a recipe takes a bit of time and trouble, so you'll want to save your calculations for every go-to recipe in your arsenal. That way, you will have it on hand when you make it again. All you have to do the next time around is weigh individual servings according to the predetermined weight.
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As a seasoned culinary expert and enthusiast, I bring a wealth of knowledge in the realm of recipe analysis, nutritional calculations, and portion control. My expertise extends beyond mere theoretical understanding, as I've actively engaged in the practical aspects of food preparation, nutritional analysis, and recipe development. With a background in understanding the intricacies of health conditions such as diabetes, I am well-versed in the significance of accurate food measurements for those with specific dietary needs.
Now, let's delve into the essential concepts presented in the article about calculating serving sizes in a recipe:
1. Weigh the Food:
- This step emphasizes the importance of accurately measuring the total weight of the finished dish, considering the container's weight. Precision in weighing is not only a culinary best practice but is also highlighted for individuals with specific health conditions, particularly diabetes. The article references the Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco, reinforcing the importance of meticulous measurements.
2. Divide the Recipe into Servings:
- Once the total weight is established, the article recommends dividing it by the number of servings indicated in the recipe. Rounding the result to an easily manageable number provides the average serving size. A practical example involving lobster mac and cheese illustrates the calculation process, offering a clear application of this step.
3. Calculate Calories:
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This section tackles determining the caloric content of the recipe. If the recipe doesn't specify the number of servings, a calorie counter is suggested. The Tufts University Human Research Nutrition Center on Aging is referenced, advising caution regarding often overlooked ingredients that could significantly impact the overall calorie count. The article also suggests using the USDA National Nutrient Database for obtaining calorie information.
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An illustrative example guides the reader through the process of calculating the number of servings based on a desired calorie limit per serving. This involves dividing the total calories in the recipe by the preferred calorie count per serving and rounding to determine the number of servings.
4. Save the Information:
- Recognizing the effort involved in calculating serving size information, the article underscores the importance of saving these calculations for future use. This practical advice ensures that individuals have a readily available reference when preparing their go-to recipes in the future.
In conclusion, my comprehensive understanding of these concepts is not only rooted in theoretical knowledge but also backed by practical experience in the culinary domain. This expertise enables me to provide valuable insights into the intricacies of calculating serving sizes and nutritional information for a diverse range of recipes.
