Food Shrinkage Chart

Have you ever wondered why food shrinks when you cook it? First, not every product shrinks. Some foods absorb moisture while cooking and others, such as meat and vegetables, on the contrary, give away the moisture or fat under heat processing. In this article, we will give you a list of the product weight yield after cooking, a simple list with shrink percentages that are easy to navigate.

So, next time you will be looking for how much some certain raw product shrinks when cooked, you will have our food shrinkage chart to check. The indicator is shown as a percentage; also, there is a difference in data for boiling, stir-frying, stewing, etc.

Note that the given data is rough. It depends on the following factors: what temperature you cook at, the time you cook the product, what shape (whole, sliced, chopped, the size of slices), etc. And, of course, the main reason can be the moisture and fat content of the product.

How much do vegetables and fruits shrink when you cook them?

• Apples, baked shrinkage – 20%.
• Artichoke shrinkage after boiling – 15%.
• Asparagus shrinkage after blanching – 12%.
• Aubergine/egg-plant shrinkage after frying – 25%.
• Aubergine/egg-plant shrinkage, roasted in the oven – 27%.
• Bananas shrinkage after pan-frying – 31%.
• Bean pods shrinkage after boiling – 12%.
• Beets shrinkage after boiling – 5%.
• Beets shrinkage after stewing – 17%.
• Bell pepper shrinkage after stewing – 22%.
• Broccoli shrinkage after boiling – 10%.
• Brussels sprouts shrinkage after boiling – 15%.
• Brussels sprouts shrinkage after stir-frying – 30%.
• Cabbage shrinkage after boiling – 8%.
• Cabbage shrinkage after stewing – 21%.
• Carrot shrinkage after boiling, whole and skinned – 0.5%.
• Carrot shrinkage after stewing – 17%.
• Celery shrinkage after stewing – 37%.
• Leek shrinkage after boiling – 5%.
• Leek shrinkage after stewing – 40%.
• Mushrooms, white shrinkage after stewing – 50-60%.
• Mushrooms, white shrinkage after boiling – 30%.
• Nuts shrinkage after frying – 6%.
• Onion shrinkage after boiling – 3%.
• Onion shrinkage after stewing – 26%.
• Peapods shrinkage after boiling – 12%.
• Peas, sweet shrinkage after boiling – 8%.
• Pears shrinkage, poached – 20%.
• Potatoes shrinkage after boiling, whole and unskinned – 1%.
• Potatoes shrinkage after boiling, whole and skinned – 3%.
• Potatoes shrinkage after boiling, chopped – 10%.
• Potatoes shrinkage after frying, chopped and boiled – 17%.
• Potatoes shrinkage after frying, raw, and chopped – 31%.
• Spinach shrinkage after blanching/boiling – 50%.
• Summer squash shrinkage after boiling – 10%.
• Summer squash shrinkage after stewing – 35%.
• Summer squash shrinkage after stir-frying – 22%.
• Tomatoes shrinkage after stewing – 37%.
• Turnip shrinkage after boiling – 10%.
• Turnip shrinkage after stewing – 20%.

How much does fish shrink when cooked?

• Fish shrinkage after boiling – an average of 20%.
• Fish shrinkage after frying – 20%.
• Minced fish shrinkage after frying – 15%.
• Squid shrinkage after boiling – 40%.

How much does meat shrink when you cook it?

• Meat shrinkage after boiling – an average of 40% for any type of meat.
• Beef meat loses 37% of its mass when you barbecue it.
• Beef shrinkage after frying – 35-45%.
• Beef tongue shrinkage after frying – 35%.
• Beef liver shrinkage after frying – 22%.
• Chicken meat shrinkage after frying – 30%.
• Chicken, whole shrinkage after boiling – 28%.
• Duck meat shrinkage after frying – 30%.
• Lamb shrinkage after frying – 45%.
• Minced meat shrinkage after stir-frying – 18-20%.
• Minced meat shrinkage, steamed – 12%.
• Pork shrinkage after frying – 40%.
• Pork liver shrinkage after stewing – 22%.
• Pork meat loses 32% barbecued.
• Rabbit meat shrinkage after frying – 25-30%.
• Sausages shrinkage after boiling – 8-10%.
• Turkey meat shrinkage after frying – 30%.

If you found our article helpful, please, share it with your friends. This food shrinkage chart can be helpful not only for professional chefs but also if you have a big party to cook for and need to calculate whether the food you cook is enough or not. Even a simple weekly meal plan will be easier to navigate with this information. Feel free to live comments if you have any information on the matter.