Custom Package & Cooking Tool424+ Foods + USDA Release 6 Retention

Cooking Nutrition Calculator: Raw Package Label to Cooked

Select any food item from our 424+ food database or enter the exact nutrition facts from your grocery package label. Choose your cooking method, serving weight, and cooking oil to see how moisture loss/gain and heat transform your calories, macros, and vitamins.

Quick-Load Example Package Labels:

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USDA Profile: Lean Fish Fillet

Food Item (Click to Search or Browse All 424 Foods)

Type / Variety (Select Raw or Unprepared Baseline)

Standard Portions:

Select Cooking Method, Weight & Cooking Parameters

Showing 9 cooking methods tailored for Lean Fish Fillet

Cooking / Heating Method

Cooking Oil / Butter / Ghee Added

Number of Servings

Raw / Starting Weight (g)

Weighed Cooked Weight (Optional g)

Nutrition Info per 113g (Edit Any Value to Match Your Package)

Calories

kcal

Protein

Total Fat

Saturated Fat

Total Carbs

Dietary Fiber

Sodium

Cooked Nutrition ReportProfile: Lean Fish Fillet

Barramundi (The Better Fish 4 oz Fillet) — Before vs. After Baked / Roasted

Dry oven heat concentrates nutrients per gram as moisture evaporates while retaining 90-98% of minerals and protein.

How Do You Measure Your Portion?

1. Weight Change (Cooking Yield)

113g → 88g cooked

Loses 22% water weight as steam & drip

2. Whole Portion Calories

100 kcal → 97 kcal

Total calories in the portion stay nearly identical (water has 0 kcal)

3. Per-100g Calorie Density

88 kcal → 110 kcal / 100g

Per-100g density rises because nutrients concentrate into less weight

Nutrient	Starting Input (113g)	Cooked Whole Portion (88g)	Per 100g Raw → Per 100g Cooked	USDA Nutrient Retention
Calories	100 kcal	97 kcal	88 → 110 kcal	97%
Protein	20 g	19.6 g	17.7 → 22.2 g	98%
Total Fat	2 g	1.9 g	1.8 → 2.1 g	94%
Saturated Fat	0.5 g	0.5 g	0.4 → 0.5 g	94%
Total Carbs	0 g	0 g	0 → 0 g	98%
Dietary Fiber	0 g	0 g	0 → 0 g	98%
Sodium	65 mg	62 mg	58 → 70 mg	95%
Cholesterol	55 mg	52 mg	49 → 59 mg	95%
Calcium	15 mg	14 mg	13 → 16 mg	95%
Iron	0 mg	0 mg	0 → 0 mg	95%
Potassium	380 mg	342 mg	336 → 388 mg	90%
Selenium	36 mcg	33.1 mcg	31.9 → 37.6 mcg	92%

Barramundi (The Better Fish 4 oz Fillet) — Final Cooked Nutrition Breakdown

Baked / Roasted · Whole Cooked Portion (88g cooked from 113g)

Total Calories

kcal in 88g of Barramundi (The Better Fish 4 oz Fillet)

Calorie Breakdown

Protein 82%Carbs 0%Fat 18%

Carbohydrates

19.6

Protein

1.9

Total Fat

Fiber

0.4

Iron

Magnesium

342

Potassium

Zinc

mcg

Folate

61.8

Sodium

14.3

Calcium

Phosphorus

33.1

mcg

Selenium

How Cooking Changes Package Nutrition Labels

Almost all packaged raw proteins, seafood fillets, poultry cuts, and dry grains list nutrition facts for the raw, unprepared product. When you cook that food at home, two completely separate physical processes happen at the same time:

1. Moisture Yield Shift (Weight Change): Fish, poultry, beef, and pork release 18% to 30% of their water weight as steam and pan drip when heated. Conversely, dry rice, pasta, and legumes absorb water and triple in weight.
2. True Nutrient Retention (Heat & Drip Loss): While protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber are remarkably stable under heat (retaining 95% to 100% of their original weight), some fat renders out on a grill or broiler, and water-soluble B vitamins, Vitamin C, and potassium partially leach into cooking liquids.

Real Example: Baking a 4 oz Barramundi Fillet

Suppose you buy a bag of frozen Barramundi fillets (such as The Better Fish brand). Your package label states that one 4 oz (113g) raw fillet provides 100 calories, 20g protein, 2g total fat, and 65mg sodium.

When you bake that 113g raw fillet in the oven without oil, here is what happens according to USDA Release 6 retention and yield tables:

Measurement	Raw Package Fillet	Baked Whole Fillet	Per 100g Baked Weight
Scale Weight	113g (4.0 oz)	~88g (3.1 oz)	100g (3.5 oz)
Calories	100 kcal	96 kcal	109 kcal
Protein	20.0g	19.6g (98% retained)	22.2g
Total Fat	2.0g	1.9g (95% retained)	2.2g

Looking for dedicated Barramundi data? Check out our Barramundi Nutrition Calculator.

USDA Nutrient Retention by Cooking Method

Different cooking methods affect moisture and micronutrients in distinct ways:

Baking, Air Frying & Steaming

Retains 96–99% of protein and 85–95% of minerals. Because food is not submerged in boiling water, B-vitamin and potassium leaching is minimized.

Grilling & Broiling Over Open Rack

High radiant heat causes 22–28% moisture evaporation and renders out 10–25% of surface fat in fattier cuts of meat and ground beef.

Boiling, Simmering & Poaching

Unless you consume the cooking broth, boiling leaches 25–45% of water-soluble Vitamin C, Folate, and Thiamine into the water.

Pan-Seared or Sautéed with Oil/Butter

Retains nearly all protein and minerals inside the pan, while absorbing calories and fat from any added cooking oil or butter.

Frequently Asked Questions — Cooking Nutrition & Retention

Does a raw piece of fish or chicken lose protein or calories when baked or grilled?

Almost none. When you bake or grill a single 4 oz (113g) raw fillet of fish or chicken breast without added oil, the piece shrinks to around 3.1 oz (88g) because roughly 22% of its water evaporates as steam. Because water has 0 calories and 0g protein, the cooked fillet still contains 96-98% of the original protein and calories listed on your raw package label.

Why does my package label not match generic USDA database values?

Brand-specific farming practices, feed formulas, trim thickness, and moisture glazing cause real-world grocery packages to differ from generic USDA averages. For example, aquaculture-raised Barramundi ('The Better Fish' brand) has 100 calories, 20g protein, and 2g fat per 4 oz (113g) raw fillet, whereas wild-caught USDA sea bass entries have different fat and calorie profiles. Selecting your food and editing the numbers to match your package label solves that mismatch.

Should I log the 'Whole Cooked Piece' or 'Per 100g Cooked' in my food tracker?

It depends on when you weighed your food. If you weighed or portioned the food raw (or ate one whole pre-portioned 4 oz raw fillet from the bag), use the 'I Ate the Whole Piece' column. If you cooked a large batch and weighed your portion on a kitchen scale after cooking, switch the toggle to 'Per 100g Cooked' or 'Custom Cooked Weight' so your log accounts for moisture concentration.

Which nutrients actually decrease during cooking?

According to the USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors (Release 6), macronutrients (protein, carbs, fiber) and minerals (iron, calcium, zinc, selenium) retain 90-100% of their value during dry-heat cooking. Water-soluble and heat-sensitive vitamins—especially Vitamin C, Folate, and Thiamine (Vitamin B1)—experience the largest drops (15-45% loss), particularly when boiled or simmered in water that is later drained.

What happens if I weigh my food before AND after cooking on my kitchen scale?

You can enter your exact after-cooking scale weight in Step 2 ('Cooked Weight If You Weighed It'). The calculator will override the standard USDA cooking yield estimate with your exact kitchen scale ratio while still applying USDA nutrient retention factors for your chosen cooking method.