How to Use This Converter
Select your food type, enter the raw or cooked weight, choose the unit, and pick a direction (raw to cooked or cooked to raw). The converter applies the typical shrinkage or expansion percentage for that food and shows the result instantly.
Why Weight Changes When You Cook
Meat loses weight during cooking because heat causes moisture and some fat to escape — this is called cooking loss or shrinkage. The amount varies by fat content, cooking method, and temperature. Leaner cuts and higher heat generally cause more moisture loss. Grains and pasta work the opposite way: they absorb water as they cook, which is why a cup of dry rice becomes roughly three cups of cooked rice.
These conversion factors are estimates based on standard cooking methods (pan-searing, roasting, boiling). Actual results vary with cooking time, temperature, and whether the food is covered or marinated.
Why This Matters for Recipes and Macro Tracking
If a recipe lists "8oz raw chicken breast" but you only have cooked chicken on hand, this converter tells you the cooked weight to expect — useful for portioning and meal prep. For calorie and macro tracking, nutrition labels are almost always based on raw weight, so weighing food cooked and looking up raw nutrition values without converting first will overstate calorie density. Converting cooked weight back to its raw equivalent gives a more accurate macro count.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much weight does chicken lose when cooked?
Chicken breast loses approximately 25% of its weight when cooked, regardless of method (baked, grilled, or pan-seared). 100g raw chicken breast yields about 75g cooked. This is the most commonly cited shrinkage figure and is consistent across USDA nutrition data.
Why does rice weigh more after cooking?
Rice absorbs water as it cooks, roughly tripling in weight. 100g of dry white rice becomes approximately 300g cooked. The calories and nutrients stay the same — the rice just contains more water, making it less calorie-dense per gram than the dry version.
Should I weigh meat raw or cooked for tracking calories?
Weighing raw is more accurate because nutrition databases (including USDA data) are almost always based on raw weight. If you only have cooked meat, use this converter to estimate the raw equivalent before looking up nutrition information, or look specifically for "cooked" nutrition entries if your tracking app provides them.
Does cooking method affect how much weight is lost?
Yes, somewhat. Grilling and high-heat methods tend to cause slightly more moisture loss than slow, moist-heat methods like braising or poaching. The percentages in this tool reflect typical results for common methods (roasting, pan-searing, boiling) and are accurate enough for everyday cooking and meal planning, though not for laboratory-precise tracking.