Either raw or cooked weight can work. The food description and the weight must describe the same state. A cooked portion entered against a raw-food value is a different quantity from the one that value represents.
Check the package instructions or database entry before weighing. Look for the cooking method, whether skin or bones are included, and any added fat. USDA publishes cooking-yield data for meat and poultry; its varying yields show why one raw-to-cooked multiplier is not suitable for every food and preparation.
Pick one of two recording paths
| When you weigh it | Nutrition basis to use | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Before cooking | The matching raw or as-packaged ingredient | Edible weight, added ingredients and discarded material. |
| After cooking | The matching cooked food and method | Roasted versus fried, drained versus undrained, and any included oil. |
Do not count the same ingredient once raw and again cooked. These are alternative ways to describe it.
Your own rice batch is more useful than a universal ratio
Here is a hypothetical batch: 200 g of dry rice has a label total of 720 calories. After cooking with water, the finished rice weighs 600 g. You serve 150 g, one quarter of the batch.
150 ÷ 600 × 720 = 180 calories. This example assumes the batch is evenly mixed, only water was added, and none of the food was discarded. The measured yield is 600 ÷ 200 = 3. Another batch could have a different finished weight.
If you add oil, add its nutrition to the batch before dividing. If you use a cooked-rice database entry instead, weigh the cooked portion and use that entry consistently. Do not apply both approaches.
Weight change is not the whole nutrition story
For meat, a change in weight is not proof that all of the original nutrients remain: cooking juices or rendered fat may be discarded. A measured raw-to-cooked weight ratio alone cannot determine those losses. A matching cooked entry is often the clearer choice when that is what you have weighed.
For a mixed dish, record the ingredient totals and finished batch weight, then note the assumptions. Divide unequal portions by weight rather than calling every container one identical serving.
Sources and scope
These sources support the factual explanations above. Worked label examples are illustrative where stated. Restaurant comparisons use the listed U.S. portions; availability and local recipes may differ.