In collaboration with Love Food Hate Waste.
Hand’s up, who else is terrible at gauging how much pasta to cook, how many potatoes will feed the family and how much rice is needed? Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been cooking regularly since I was 12, and I am still rubbish at measuring out these ingredients by eye! I either make way too much or far too little. There’s no in between.
It’s a good thing we love leftovers in our house! I rely on my digital scales to weigh out nearly everything. This helps prevent food waste, and it also helps me keep track of what I’m eating so that I don’t pile on the pounds!
Korean Beef Bibimbap – uses up leftover rice and vegetables
This week, for the 40-day Give Up Binning Food challenge for Lent with Love Food Hate Waste, we’re sharing our top tips to working out correct portions because enough is enough. Bigger is not always better. In fact, it’s very much the opposite when it comes to food. Food waste is heavily impacted by the lure of ‘bigger’. It starts with overbuying as we fall for the endless, seemingly good value supermarket deals; continues in the kitchen with portioning errors during cooking; and ends with oversized meals that we just can’t finish. I’m reminded of my grandfather’s observation that ‘my eyes were bigger than my belly’ at the dinner table. As a result, we throw out lots of perfectly good food which could have been avoided with just a bit more thought. The key is understanding when enough is… enough.
Table of Contents
10 TIPS FOR PERFECT PORTIONING
- An average single portion of spaghetti should easily be able to fill up the space of a one penny coin. This weighs between 70-80 grams for dried (100-110 grams for fresh pasta) per person. Have you cooked too much pasta? No worries, simply rinse with cold water and freeze! Or, why not use it up in a Spaghetti Carbonara Frittata.
- An average single portion of rice is measured by filling a small yogurt pot with uncooked rice. Alternatively, weigh out between 60-90 grams, depending on how hungry you are. Alternatively, if you’re pressed for time, pre-packaged rice portions are very convenient. Leftover rice is incredibly versatile, I like mine in a Korean Beef Bibimbap (the perfect recipe for using up fridge leftovers!).
- A single portion of protein, like chicken breast or bolognese sauce, is about the size of your palm. Use up leftover chicken in a Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake, or freeze for later. Leftover bolognese freezes well for a quick midweek meal.
- Dinner parties are often over-catered. Ask your friends to help themselves in a buffet style party instead of serving platefuls as they can decide what they want to eat, and in what quantities. Offer guests little take-home portions from the leftover food. It’s both generous and practical too.
- The Potato Council recommends 175g of potatoes per person, or 2 – 4 egg-sized new potatoes. Leftover cold boiled potatoes make a wicked Leftover Roast Beef & Potato Hash or Spanish Omelette, while mashed potatoes can be used up in Herbed Potato Picnic Bannocks, Wild Garlic Tattie Scones or even in a Chocolate Cake! Don’t throw those potato peelings away either, roast them instead for a delicious snack!
- Smaller plates mean smaller eating portions. It’s better to go for seconds than to throw out food from your plate that you couldn’t finish. This helps with the waistline too, as a smaller plate gives the illusion of a larger meal.
Check out the latest Love Food Hate Waste video below on portioning with Liberty London Girl for some more fantastic tips! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Love Food Hate Waste newsletter too to have food waste prevention tips and tricks delivered straight to your inbox every week!
The six-week long food waste prevention #GiveUpBinningFood campaign running throughout Lent is broken down into weekly themes to help make reducing food waste at home a more attainable goal. These themes are:
1st March (week 1) Meal planning: Tip for Weekly Meal Planning
8th March (week 2) Storage: Food Storage Tips
15th March (week 3) Fridge focus: How to Make the Most Out of My Fridge
22nd March (week 4) Portioning – how much should I use?
29th March (week 5) Food labels – what does this mean?
5th – 13th April (week 6) Leftovers – what can I do with my ingredients?
JOIN US WITH THE NO WASTE FOOD CHALLENGE!
I challenge you, dear reader, to share your own recipes and tips to help prevent food waste! You don’t have to have a blog to enter, simply let me know your recipe or suggestion in the comments below and fill out the Rafflecopter form. You can share an image of your dish, if you like, on Twitter as an extra entry option. Tag me @tangoraindrop and use the hashtag #nowastefoodchallenge to help spread the word! I will include a selection of my favourites in next month’s round-up, where we’ll get to do the challenge all over again! Bloggers – link up with the linky tool, as usual, to be included in the roundup – click here for the full No Waste Food Challenge rules. If you want to enter the giveaway, leave a comment and enter via the Rafflecopter form.
HOW TO ENTER
For your chance to win a £25 Amazon Gift Voucher enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Share your recipe, meal planning or food waste prevention tip in the blog comments. Come back and tweet about the giveaway every day for more chances to win!
TERMS & CONDITIONS
This giveaway is open to UK entries only. Entrants must be age 18 or over. The winner will need to respond within 30 days of being contacted; failure to do this may result in another winner being selected.
The prize is offered and provided by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. The prize is to win a £25 Amazon Gift Voucher. There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.
There is no entry fee and no purchase is necessary to enter this giveaway.
The promoter (Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary) reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice.
Entry into our giveaways will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
If you need some help using Rafflecopter, here’s a quick clip to show you how. Rafflecopter will pick the winner at random from all the entries received. I will be verifying entries. Any automated entries or those who have claimed they have made the mandatory blog post comment and really haven’t will be disqualified. It’s mandatory! Please make sure your comment is eight words or longer or Google views it as spam and this negatively affects my spam score. All entries with comments fewer than the mandatory 8 words will be disqualified and deleted.
Closing date is midnight (that’s 00:00 hours, 12 am on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning) on Wednesday 29 March 2017 (GMT). The winner will be announced afterwards.
This is a paid post in collaboration with Love Food Hate Waste, although all thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.
Spaghetti image source: Shutterstock.
Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home, for now. One eye is always on the horizon.
Diana says
I have with rice. Half of the cup is a perfect amount for our family! 🙂
Emma Davison says
Weigh the ingredients if you want to ensure portion size
Phil Boyle says
The best way to ease up on overeating is to use smaller dinner plates.
Paula Gwynne says
Ensure you always wash your hands after handling meat. Never use the same chopping board for cutting different meats and disinfect afterwards.
Lisa Rhodes says
measure out what u need
Milly Youngman says
If I make too much, I freeze what’s left!
Janet Dring says
Make sure your plates aren’t too big or you tend to much too much on them
Jennifer Roberts says
Don’t use massive plates and i find you rarely need more than a fist sized portion of one food 🙂
Ian Campbell says
Treat the weighing scales as lord and master, with no disobedience! 🙂
Rebecca Miller says
I hate throwing stuff away and as a result I used to massively over eat… I’d rather eat it than bin it! Obviously that isn’t a good solution either… so now I plan my meals and weigh out the correct portions of rice pasta potato etc. I throw out far less… and now I weigh far less too!
Lorraine Crawford says
Plan meals in advance, and shop with a list and stick to it.
On line shopping helps avoid straying from the list.
Wherever possible I use left overs for next days lunches.
Jorgelina says
I like making recipes that will have leftovers for an extra meal for two.
Jamie C Millard says
It’s tough. There’s only 2 of us. Most recipes and meals you buy are designed for more. I’ve started ‘cooking for 4’ if that’s what recipes call for. That way we can eat half and freeze the other half for another meal.
I’m busy so a 1 meal a day sort of person so big meal works for me. S isn’t, she has her breakfast and lunch so i have to be careful not to go too large with her portion.
Cooking from scratch helps if you can tailor recipes, that way you can measure effectively.
We visit a pan asian place and you take a ramekin, fill it with veg, then do the same with protein, then do the same with rice. That has drifted into our kitchen when cooking that type of meal.
Angela Wilcox says
I have a mug which is just the right size for measuring rice.
Heather Haigh says
Whatever dish I’m making I simply imagine all the ingredients indivicually on a person’s plate and I find it reasonably easy to get the portions right, remembering that pasta approximately doubles when cooked and rice triples in volume.
Lillian Fisher says
I’ve always made too much rice for meals but now have a child’s plastic cup that is the perfect single portion size.
Jodie Cook says
I must admit I just do it by eye, getting used to what’s right.
Kristy L Brown says
I find it easier to dish up with a serving spoon – 3 spoons of this is enough mash for instance
Sirley Young says
I portion my food in plastic containers 🙂 I tend to only portion my own food as my family is not too bothered about it.
Amanda tanner says
Use smaller plates to eat your food from you dat not pile,on the positions too big
Sarah Ann says
I’m not sure how useful my tips are because it’s just guesswork for me but for portioning things like pasta, cereal, rice etc I use a handful or half/full mug depending on the item. I also try and make my plates as colourful as possible with plenty of veg!
Emily Hutchinson says
I don’t stop myself having any of my favourite foods, I just make sure that the proportions are in favor of the healthier stuff, for example having one less sausage and extra carrots to make up for it.
Christine Dodd says
I keep a cup inside my rice container which is exactly the right size for two portions.
Sian Budgen says
I always weigh food, especially pastas and rice
Em S says
I agree with your tip regarding using a smaller plate. It definitely saves wating food.
Solange says
Dish up your own food with a small utensil onto a small bowl or plate, and chances are you’ll eat less.
mary chez says
I’m not very good at getting pasta and rice portions right so I always weigh them .
Keshia Esgate says
have 2/3 of your plate as vegetables and try not to overload your plate
Margaret Gaskell says
Planning meals ahead is vital. I only shop once a week with a lit and stick to it. But then half way through the week, sometimes plans change as to who is in / out for meals, and so I can recalculate what’s needed and freeze any surplus to requirements.
purpleshoes says
dont use big plates. I find that I will automatically put more on a bigger plate (which I feel obliged to eat!)
Katherine L says
I always take the suggested portion size on a packet (rice, noodles etc) and up it a little. I always weigh portions, knowing if we only need portions for dinner,or if I need extra portions for next day’s packed lunch. This ensures aren’t over-eating and not wasting either!
njs says
Very useful tips, thank you! I will be sharing the rice tips with my housemate especially as he ALWAYS throws some away after cooking which makes me sad/angry every time
Mel Turner says
Use a smaller plate and make sure you fill it up with lots of veg
Hannah Smith says
I try have at least one day a week where I don’t plan dinner and instead I just see what’s left in the fridge and come up with a concoction to use it all up.
Ellen Sheppard says
I’m not very good at portioning, my hubby has an incredibly large appetite so it’s difficult to gauge how much to make sometimes. We rarely have leftovers though 🙂
Maggie Coates says
Weigh things as you put them on your plate. With the right scales, it is easy to put the plate on and reset the tare each time you are going to add something else.
Iris W says
I have to admit I’m not very good at it,I often end up with to much but there are some good tips on here
Caroline O'Keeffe says
Weigh out portions of cereal and dry pasta and rice, it’s so easy to cook far too much x
Sheila Reeves says
I use a small ramekin for portioning out porridge oats, then use that to double up on the liquid – I am guilty of cooking too much pasta so love the tip about how to freeze it, thanks!
justine meyer says
I threw out my big dinner plates and replaced them with smaller ones
leanne weir says
My suggestion is to use smaller dinner plates. They automatically make the portions bigger
Katie Skeoch says
A smaller plate can help! You can’t overload it at mealtimes
Peter Bulley says
For porridge use 1/3 cup per person of oats
Susan Ellins says
Use smaller plates makes each portion look bigger
Katy Malkin says
When feeding toddlers, only give them a little bit at a time. If they refuse a particular item, at least you can pop it in the fridge or freezer. Other wise it ends up as mush on the floor!
Sam Rhodes says
We only ever use cups to measure out our pasta! it always makes the perfect portion size though!
lyn burgess says
Add an extra veg to the plate and you will not notice if you have cut down on the carbs
Tee Simpson says
I try to portion iut each persons portion before cooking. I use my hands and cups to measure
Sophie Foulds says
Always weigh our portions before eating!
sarah birkett says
something I always find difficult, as I regularly serve equal portions to myself and my husband. try to give more veg to myself and less carbs and meat etc
Emma Gibson says
Using smaller plates to make it look more.
Jade Adams says
I have a special teacup for measuring out rice and use the trick of the hole in the middle of the spaghetti spatula to measure out spaghetti. Most other things I’ve gotten used to doing by sight and we rarely have any leftovers.
Kate Milton says
The best thing is measure out your portion on a small plate before cooking then you won’t overcook the amount.
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
Guilty! I often don’t get the quantities right but I am very good at using leftovers – though occasionally there are tubs that just don’t make it anyway but the bin of shame.
Susan Hoggett says
I tend to use my cup measures so that I know if I’m pasta or rice I know whether I need hald a cup or a full cup depending on how many people I’m cooking for
Liam Bishop says
Weigh out foods beforehand. Have an amount and stick to it so you don’t cook too much and then eat it all/throw it away.
Michelle Carlin says
I use plastic takeaway containers to freeze single size portions of leftover meals.
clair downham says
i batch cook and use those measurers for rice and pasta and freeze any leftovers
Emma says
left over pasta – put in fridge when cold and rather than leave, add peppers, cucumber etc. in small chopped pieces and stir through mayo and grated cheese. A great little salad to have the following day 🙂
LINDSEY CLARK says
As I work shifts, I often go to Boots and buy their meal deals. the calorie content is on there, its the right portion size for a healthy diet and it helps me eat well and carefully without overdoing it. its so easy to binge when you are on the go!
Stuart Allen says
always make enough food for the people who are eating. it is tempting to cook the whole 4-pack of pies but if there is only two of you you may not always feel like eating two!
Sarah says
I am on the journey to health, thanks for your recipes!
Karl Borowy says
enjoy the food you eat ,,,read and learn portion control
Tracey Peach says
I always buy bigger packs of food because they are cheaper & then I split them up into containers or food bags depending on what I need to freeze. After finding some UFO’s (Unidentified Frozen Objects) I now always label what they are 🙂 x
Bob Clark says
The best way is to way all the ingredients of a meal and then amend them subsequently if they are too big or small
Carole E says
I use smaller plates
Caroline H says
Love the tip about the penny coin and spaghetti. I always cook a little less pasta, rice, etc per person than a packet suggests. The portions stipulated seem really quite large. I also quite often serve meals (like tagines or casseroles) in my stripey Cornishware bowls – the portions are smaller than on my dinner plates but no one seems to notice!
Victoria N says
Freeze food in portion sizes so you aren’t tempted to over eat
Soph H says
Best advice is to measure and weigh out foods for a few weeks until you get used to seeing what the recommended portions look like
Emma Rawlinson says
I weigh out dry pasta and spaghetti before cooking to ensure a reasonable amount. If I guess I always end up with loads let over!
Jo Carroll says
I tend to start at the beginning…not so much smaller serving plated but smaller cooking dishes 😉
Diane Cawood says
Always good to see an interesting food blog post
Dave says
Always use a small handful of ingredients. If you feel hungry afterwards you can always snack!
Robyn S says
Always plan meals for the week in advance, saves money, wasted food, and time
Marc Chivers says
Make sure it’s a big portion – hate small ready meals and small portions in restaurants
Heather T says
I always weigh my rice & pasta so I am sure we aren’t eating too many carbs
laura banks says
my hubby measures things out using ramikins as they seem to be the perfect size
Anthony Harrington says
we try to divide a dinner plate into 4 quarters, 1/4 main ingredient 1\4 potato/pasta etc and the rest of the plate vegetables.
Katherine says
I’m a fan of freezing portions of food to mix up my options later
Laura Jeffs says
Like yourself, I always weigh my food to make sure the portions are the right size 😉
Emily Knight says
We add extra vegetables to our meals – so if we have pasta, we have less of it and a big salad on the side – we do the same with almost every meal we have!
Kelly Glen says
I find a good way to get a portion size right is to go by the size of a ready meal you buy and that seems to be about the right amount.
Zoe C says
I measure by cups or handfuls, I used to use way too much but started measuring per person when cooking and I am using less now
Rosalind Sargent says
Hi firstly I found your video very interesting never knew how to portion a serving of spaghetti and Rice as a lady that loves my food and trying to loose weight this is a very handy tip that will be used from now on, as for me giving you a tip I Use a smaller plates a standard-sized portion will look small on a larger plate, making you feel dissatisfied as a lady that has had gastric surgery I find this ideal but I also use this system for all of my family helping them to loose weight to and having less waste no complaints as yet
Eleanor Beavan says
Use a smaller plate and measure rice, pasta etc in the palm of your hand
Helen W says
Plan meals/portions in advance and only buy what you need. Measure everything out exactly.
Kerry Manners says
i actually find using a plain white plate makes me more aware of how much food i am putting on my/my families plates
Barbara Knight says
My tip is boring but effective – I weigh out all dried food like rice and pasta.
Sarah Rees says
I always cook smaller potions now so I dont have left overs – can’t get tempted by seconds then
Janice says
I always try to cook chicken really well as I’m paranoid about getting poisoning
Becky John says
Use a smaller plate so portion sizes look bigger
Louis Perera says
use smaller plates so that you end up less food overall
Sarah Lewis says
I struggle with portion sizes so any tips are very much appreciated!!
MM says
if struggling to judge how much to cook, put some of the uncooked food on a plate first. Hopefully this will help you to correctly judge portion control
sam macaree says
use a smaller plate so portions look bigger. also use myfitnesspal to track everything
Jen Schofield says
Use packet suggestions and don’t use a large plate
Marc H says
Don’t go to my mums for dinner, i feel like i’ve gained several stone when i leave. I’m terrible when it comes to portioning, appreciate the tips.
Ani says
I wasn’t very good at portioning food, but I now use smaller plates as the food doesn’t look “lost” as it did on a bigger plate.
Gabby Evans says
measure out portions for cooking then bulk cook and freeeze
Kate Knight says
use a sensible size plate and weigh your carbs like pasta or potato
Ritchie says
My best portioning tip is to try using a smaller plate. Just try it. It works.
Pamela Gossage says
Add extra veggies to all stews, especially onions
Lorraine Stone says
i USED TO COOK SO MUCH PASTA AND RICE! Now I weigh it , just stops it from ending up in the bin.
Fiona K says
Smaller portions, bulked out with extra vegetables and I use smallish plates
Sharon Worsley says
we use a cup to measure out a portion of ric – half a normal sized cup is enough for 2 people
Amy Wright says
A good tip for spaghetti is to use the hole in the middle of the pasta spoon – that’s actually what it’s meant for! I only recently found that out.
Louise Cochran-Mason says
Spaghetti Pasta Measure are good for portion control. They are cheap, and sometimes free (I got a free one at a demo about cooking with minimal waste.
Rennene Hartland says
I always use smaller plates this way you trick your brain into thinking you’ve had a big meal
Elizabeth Hinds says
Honestly…no!! I’m terrible at sensible portioning – I’ll be keeping an eye out for other people’s tips though!
Tracy Nixon says
Add vegetables. Eat a cup of low-calorie vegetable soup prior to eating a meal, or add vegetables to casseroles and sandwiches to add volume without a lot of calories.
Fiona says
This is really useful! I find it hard to portion up food at times, particularly as my daughter’s appetite can vary a lot! I generally try and give her a small portion to start with and then there is more if she wants it, and if not it is saved for lunch the next day. Hopefully it means a little less waste!
Simon LC says
Using single portion Tupperware that I put in the freezer