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dreaming-in-colour OP t1_iw8g19v wrote

SOURCE: I bought chicken and baked it in the oven. I recorded weights using a kitchen scale at every step of the process, including weighing and saving grease from the pan, and weighing bones after eating. All percentages are [portion] ÷ [starting weight]

TOOLS: Microsoft Excel

Water in package - there is an absorbent pad (diaper?) in the bottom of the packing, which was 7% of the weight that was advertised.

Trimmed fat and Recovered fat - Removed and discarded some fat prior to cooking, left some in pan. I weighed the mass of the trimmed fat, and after cooking, the fat/grease in the pan was recovered into a mason jar and for future cooking and weighed. The total weight of trimmed and recovered fat was 12%.

Evaporated water - The difference of the raw weight + grease and cooked weight + grease. This ended up being 23% of the total weight.

Bones and inedible content - I ate the meat and weighed the bones and inedible content after. "Inedible content" includes tendon. This is 14% of the total weight.

Edible meat and skin - cooked weight (without grease) minus the bones. The weight of skin wasn't separated from the meat, but its was cooked well and crispy, so it didn't weigh much. Edible content was 45% of the total weight.

NOTES:

This experiment was done in 2 trials (different meals) from the same single package. The weights of evaporated water, meat, and bones varied by 10%-15% between the trials. This depends on the size of the quarters and how the bird is split.

The evaporated content will vary based on how you cook chicken. I used an oven, so there was plenty of evaporation. If you used a crock pot for soup/stew, you wouldn't lose much to evaporation, and it would become juices in the soup/stew.

Evaporation will also vary based on how long you cook the chicken, temperature, size of bird. In theory, you could evaporate all the water have very little mass of meat remaining. My result after cooking was a delicious piece of chicken, not too dry, so I will say that I cooked it "enough" and 20%-25% evaporated weight seems appropriate for nicely cooked chicken.

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lapsangsouchogn t1_iw8i3lx wrote

Nice! I've often wondered how much usable meat I get from packages like these.

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CalypsoTheKitty t1_iw8ilvm wrote

How did you account for the tendony pieces in the legs, was that part of the "bones"?

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indefinitelearning t1_iw8ooql wrote

I feel like there's alot of flaws in this methodology

−6

TheSn00pster t1_iw8qo32 wrote

Please do the same with Okja meat for us?

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CJs_goldfish t1_iw8rnqf wrote

Crazy coincidence: Yesterday I bought about 5 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts because they were on sale and we cooked them in an instant pot and shredded them for quick additions to salads, wraps, etc. My partner portioned out the finished product using a kitchen scale and was absolutely galled that it lost about half the weight in water.

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_mynd t1_iw8tq4f wrote

Replying to ben_db (#520,948)

Sounds about right. Noticed this one of my first trips to SAMs Club. Got a huge package of boneless skinless breasts, came home to separate into freezer bags, and used a kitchen scale to split up evenly. Think there was a good pound, iirc, of water in the package (diaper).

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ghostoutlaw t1_iw90gli wrote

Did I read a headline recently that said chicken producers were injecting water into the chicken parts to inflate their weight and get them to sell for more?

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adsfew t1_iw90iz6 wrote

Captain Holt, what comprised 13% of the weight?

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Guacanagariz t1_iw94ak1 wrote

Another reason why Costco $5.00 rotisserie chicken is great value

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OnionLegend t1_iw95g76 wrote

70% including meat, bones, and fat which can be used as ingredients. (45+2+10+13)

Almost 1/3 of the weight gone/evaporated as water :(

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dreaming-in-colour OP t1_iw95ubg wrote

Replying to CalypsoTheKitty (#520,848)

I've updated the notes but not the image to indicate "bones + inedible content". Yeah, the tendons and joints were included in the bone weight. I'd like to think I did a good job cleaning the bones but there's some gray areas on what is/isn't meat/edible.

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dreaming-in-colour OP t1_iw96nkl wrote

Replying to OnionLegend (#521,743)

The bones are a loss. I'm not going to make marrow or broth or soup, so I consider that mass to be wasted. I kept the fat and grease but I'm not really sure how best to use it in my other cooking. It certainly isn't healthy in regards to saturated fat.

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notwalkinghere t1_iw978g9 wrote

Replying to ghostoutlaw (#521,634)

The USDA says that the practice "add(s) flavor and moisture" and "The solutions are required by regulations and policies to be identified as part of the product names of the enhanced products" but you can be sure that the labels are made to be busy to obscure that solution has been added.

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dreaming-in-colour OP t1_iw97bdf wrote

Replying to OnionLegend (#521,793)

all weights are expressed as the fraction of the starting or "advertised" weight. the chart adds up to 100% of the starting weight. I thought about trying some other analysis but this seemed like it was the most straightforward

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EVEngineer t1_iw97xll wrote

Replying to ghostoutlaw (#521,634)

Yes actually. The cooling process after butchering either takes place in air or water, and is much faster and cheaper in water.

Where I live we can buy more expenses air chilled chicken.

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eulynn34 t1_iw99f2x wrote

Almost half edible meat is better than I thought.

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cannondave t1_iw99pj2 wrote

In Europe (Sweden), they inject water into chicken to inflate the weight and price. They aren't allowed to do it normally, so they put salt in the water and call it "marinade" - that way they sell it as tendered chicken, or marinated chicken. It's hard to find chicken which is not 80% chicken and 20% added water. If it's deep frozen, you need to thaw it and throw the water away - if you put the chicken parts frozen into a container and into the oven, it will become soup and boil instead of grilled.

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Paoloadami t1_iw9bdaz wrote

So they either inject water in the kitchen (it’s an old scam) or they use a lot of steroids to make the meat absorb water.

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HarryMcDowell t1_iw9bw88 wrote

Replying to dreaming-in-colour (#520,731)

>Water in package - there is an absorbent pad (diaper?) in the bottom ofthe packing, which was 7% of the weight that was advertised.

This sounds like a false, misleading, or deceptive trade practice. Any of which is a violation of the FTC Act and the consumer protection laws of every State and Territory in the United States.

You should report this to each of the following: a local consumer advocacy attorney, your jurisdicition's Attorney General's Office, and the FTC.

I am a lawyer, but I am not your lawyer. This post doesn't create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing I've written here should be relied upon as legal advice. Each of the organizations I've linked will be able to tell you if there is, in fact, a case here.

−9

visitprattville t1_iw9erd1 wrote

I could be worse. You could have been born a chicken.

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personofinterest18 t1_iw9khyg wrote

It bothers me the percentages aren’t in order from largest to smallest

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dreaming-in-colour OP t1_iw9ksii wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#522,161)

I'm not vegan but I rarely every buy meat. I believe in aggressive reduction in meat consumption for the planet. I also made a delicious vegan pumpkin sauce over pasta as a side for this. The pumpkin was the star of the meal.

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snakesoup88 t1_iw9mc3u wrote

One can put some liquid weight back with brine. In the end, it's the macro nutrients (eg. grams of protein) that matters. That said, I'm curious if brining the chicken before cooking will improve on both weight and juiciness of the chicken.

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Professional_Map_622 t1_iw9o6nw wrote

Pie charts aren't that useful for comparing data with more than like 3 parts. Your eyes don't distinguish and compare sizes very well.

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marfaxa t1_iw9st8f wrote

Replying to Nmaka (#522,513)

Every package I've seen has a tared weight on the label. My state has a Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. I'd alert them if I knew the store wasn't taring the container weight.

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Rogaar t1_iw9tpkf wrote

Try cooking the Sous Vide method. At the very least you will eliminate most of the water loss.

When it comes to breast meat, It's the best way to cook it if you want juicy breast meat, which is not a sentence you get to say often.

−1

Fun-Eagle-7947 t1_iw9zg9t wrote

Same here, chicken swimming in water. Do the inject it or what?!!!

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deanall t1_iwa1d60 wrote

Did you make schmaltz and gibbons?

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cmull123 t1_iwa2e7w wrote

When I buy chicken from my local supermarket, I get about these same results (estimated). But when I buy chicken from my local farm market (not exactly farmers market, they’re open every day, but not supermarket) and the chicken parts are far larger and retain way way way more of their size during cooking.

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adamh789 t1_iwa2t8x wrote

Replying to ghostoutlaw (#521,856)

As someone who works in the costco meat department, I honestly don't know the answer to your question BUT for what it's worth, costco raises their own chicken and ever since the shortages on meat started, we've had to bring in chicken from other suppliers just to keep up with demand.

Costco chicken breasts has 9 vacuum sealed packages in a single box whereas the other brand just has a bunch of chicken breasts in a bag in a box. We have to put this chicken in styrofoam trays and wrap it and whenever we do, it really grosses me out how there's dozens of breasts just sitting in the big bag of chicken brine. And even after letting it drain out, the trays will still get full of chicken brine and leak all over the place after sitting for a few hours. I genuinely don't understand how that much fluid can sit in just a few chicken breasts but always buy Kirkland brand whenever you can.

When it comes to meats, costco brand is gona be the best quality for the best price

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IrocDewclaw t1_iwa5e1m wrote

Replying to Atlas-Scrubbed (#522,985)

Agreed. At store I managed, chicken was weighed before packaging and the price reflected only the product wieght not the packaging.

If anything, the pad's weight equals the loss weight of the meat.

If they are packaging the chicken then setting the price by weight of the whole unit, they are committing fraud.

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Rip_in_Peppa_Pig t1_iwa78on wrote

Replying to dreaming-in-colour (#522,696)

You can replace the pie chart with a bar chart and it will be an improvement (might not be a good option but its pretty much always better than the pie chart).

Human eyes aren't that good at viewing certain stuff. They suck at comparing colours/shades/areas, lengths with different starting points, and a bunch of other stuff.

Pie charts basically use most of the aspects that we suck at viewing.

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danpaq t1_iwa8fox wrote

pie charts are not beautiful, but this data is.

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deanall t1_iwa9avi wrote

Replying to dreaming-in-colour (#523,383)

Take the raw fat, cut into small pieces, chop a small onion or apple, or not, and fry on low stirring constantly on the stove top until fat renders and remaining skin is crisp and golden brown. Strain fat for cooking, salt skin and eat on salad or just a snack. Kids love it, just tell them what it is after they taste it.

Like kosher bacon.

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AccidentallyUpvotes t1_iwadsu2 wrote

There's a few comments on here surprised by the amount of water in the chicken... Why is this shocking? Isn't the human body something like 70% water?

Don't overcook your chicken, people. You want the water!

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calciphus t1_iwai17o wrote

Replying to gingerofthenorth (#522,051)

I heard from a friend who works for a grocery store it's not actually a loss leader, it's loss prevention. When chicken is at the end of its sellable life you cook it and can sell it for several more days. Basically before that they were throwing away unsold chicken. It's less wasteful, people eat it, and the cost of production is negligible relative to paying to dispose of it.

Can't vouch for accuracy, but that's what I'd heard

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alwaysuseswrongyour t1_iwaj9cm wrote

Replying to calciphus (#523,964)

Costco sells way too many rotisserie chickens and way to little whole chicken for this to be true. It also costs a lot to be using those massive ovens all day to cook them. There is simply zero way they are making money on that chicken.

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APIPAMinusOneHundred t1_iwakq6z wrote

Replying to dreaming-in-colour (#520,731)

I regularly bake chicken thighs so that the kids and I have something that's both quick and relatively healthy. I'm annoyed to no end by how much of the weight is obviously water injected into the meat to plump it up and make it weigh more.

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Blueskys643 t1_iwaoln9 wrote

Replying to LunDeus (#524,148)

Costco uses diapers in their cut meat likes steaks and roasts. The chicken is prepackaged. Also its still the same amount of water in the package and one of those diapers dry weighs next to nothing.

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rosebudlightsaber t1_iwb0ij1 wrote

This is why I eat all of my chicken raw, with bone. The bone gives it texture. Ain’t NOBODY gonna rip me off!

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Jebusfreek666 t1_iwba148 wrote

I just like picturing yelling at my kids to make sure they finished all the meat, and not to throw away the bones until I have weighed them.

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Hoodstompa t1_iwbn4dh wrote

Replying to calciphus (#523,964)

Yeah that’s not the case for Costco whatsoever. We do harvest the chicken meat from cooked birds that don’t sell, but the chicken we get for rotisserie is ENTIRELY separate from what we offer to the member as raw product. We sell upwards of 300 a day, and I work at a fairly slow store. The vacuum sealed cooked packs come from our suppliers, and is never cooked or processed in house as well. That may be the case for other groceries, but not Costco.

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Craygor t1_iwc8p5n wrote

Almost 60% of the bird was available for calorie consumption (meat, cooked fat, trimmed fat). Not too bad, actually.

To get the most amount of calories per pound from a whole chicken, baked it in a covered dish/Dutch oven.

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cannondave t1_iwc95rw wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#526,105)

In Europe we have common laws for food regulation, and then we have national laws regulating food as well. Just like in the US you have federal and state. It's literally like writing "In the US (California) stuff works like this and that". A california resident might not know exactly what laws are federal and what are state, but they are applicable just the same. It's just like here in the EU (Sweden).

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RandomWave000 t1_iwc9ejk wrote

so you got 2.4 lbs of edible (actual) meat

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Craygor t1_iwca7z1 wrote

Replying to Guacanagariz (#521,689)

Rotisserie chicken are awesome, but if someone is struggling and is trying to get the most calories from their food, rotisserie is a poor substitute to cooking the bird in a covered dish. The fats that drip of a rotisserie chicken is going to waste and there's a lot calories in chicken fat.

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Rocky_Mountain_Way t1_iwcgezo wrote

Personally, I would also like to see chicken skin broken out as its own category in the chart too. I cut that off and fry it separately ... yeah, it's delish!

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sickmission t1_iwcl1bi wrote

The recovered fat is the real gold here. Same with saved and rendered fat trimmings from other cuts of meat. Go price that stuff for sale in a jar. That fat cap you trimmed down off your brisket just got you a $15 jar of beef tallow.

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sickmission t1_iwd8mj1 wrote

Replying to dreaming-in-colour (#528,850)

With regard to beef tallow, I've going to make this this week for a friendsgiving gettogether:

https://evanleroybbq.medium.com/recipe-smoked-and-confit-beef-cheeks-b1ff3565266

As for your chicken fat (schmaltz), you can do anything from make tortillas to fry eggs with it. I would think using it to oven roast veggies (potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, etc) would be amazing. Here's an article with some ideas:

https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/chicken-fat-cornbread-and-other-brilliant-ways-to-cook-with-schmaltz-article

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StringTheory31 t1_iwjzt5t wrote

Replying to dreaming-in-colour (#520,731)

So all of the individual weights added up to the advertised total weight, indicating the seller labels these according to what they weigh after they are packaged instead of weighing the meat by itself before packaging? I'd always assumed it was the other way around, based on how cooked meat purchased from the grocery store deli is weighed!

Thank you for data that is not only beautiful, but useful!

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