How much dry macaroni per person, what's everyone actually using?

[Thomas Martinez]

Saw a writeup about portioning dried macaroni. Thought this would be a good topic for a thread as not everyone portion the same way. The writeup said 100g of dried macaroni per person will expands to ~240g cooked (1.4x expansion rate).
1.4x seem low for pasta expansion to me. I know the general rule of thumb is 2x or 2.5x but that’s for spaghetti and other long pasta shapes. The shorter the pasta the less expansion due to the surface area. 100g per person seems high for a side dish like mac and cheese but could be suitable for a pasta main course.

 

[We Love Mounta]

100g is way too much if its mac and cheese. When you make mac and cheese with a heavy cheese sauce, I'll go with 70-75g per person. Add some bacon or breadcrumbs on top and you barely need any pasta at all.

 

[European Met]

wait why does the hollow center matter for expansion? doesnt water still just soak into the pasta walls the same way

 

[Escape from the Scooter J]

I weigh nothing. Handful per person, two if they look hungry. Been doing it for 30 years and nobody have starved.

 

[The Hunt For t]

The 1.4x ratio I find suspect. Last weekend I cooked up 200g of penne which expanded to ~460g (2.3x ratio). Either the ratio you found was for cooked pasta barely boiled or it was weighed while it had a ton of surface water on it. Drain time makes a lot of difference in the weight. I've lost 1/3 of the pasta in the colander just by letting it sit for a minute. Salt content of water also plays a role. Take any ratio with a grain of salt.

 

[Mysteri]

80g of dry macaroni per person for a main course. That's the standard I was taught in restaurants years ago. 100g is generous.

 

[Henry S.]

why is this on a repair forum lol

 

[European Met]

80g of dry macaroni per person for a main course. That's the standard I was taught in restaurants years ago. 100g is generous.

is the restaurant standard for adults or does it include kids portions averaged in? curious where that 80g number come from originally

 

[We Love Mounta]

The 1.4x ratio I find suspect. Last weekend I cooked up 200g of penne which expanded to ~460g (2.3x ratio). Either the ratio you found was for cooked pasta barely boiled or it was weighed while it had a ton of surface water on it. Drain time makes a lot of difference in the weigh…

2.3x sounds right for penne actually, penne has more surface area than elbow macaroni because of the ridges. Macaroni being short with smooth sides probably has less expansion which backs up what the original poster read about the ratio

 

[Tired Teira]

definately depends on the sauce.
heavy cream sauce I go lower, like 75g, oil based or just butter and herbs I bump it to 110g cause people eat more when its less rich

 

[The Hunt For t]

2.3x sounds right for penne actually, penne has more surface area than elbow macaroni because of the ridges. Macaroni being short with smooth sides probably has less expansion which backs up what the original poster read about the ratio

Could be, but ridges add maybe 5-10% surface area not 60%. I think the real difference is cook time and water temp. Penne typically cooks 11-12 min, elbows can be done in 6-7. Longer cook time means more absorption by the sauce.

 

[Escape from the Scooter J]

y'all are measuring pasta in grams. Just cook the whole box.

 

[Alert Ant]

ngl I just fill the pot till it looks right and pray. Works out fine 9 times out of 10, the 10th time we eat leftovers for 3 days

 

[European Met]

does anyone know if whole wheat macaroni has a different expansion ratio? I switched to it last year and the pot always looks like less food than I expected

 

[Mysteri]

does anyone know if whole wheat macaroni has a different expansion ratio? I switched to it last year and the pot always looks like less food than I expected

whole wheat absorbs less water, you're not crazy. It also gets mushy faster so people undercook it which keeps the weight down further

 

[Impossible Ibex]

For mac and cheese specifically I do 90g dry per adult plus an extra 50g 'for the pan' because there's always someone who wants seconds. For a pasta salad with macaroni I drop it to 70g per person because mayo and veggies add bulk. For plain macaroni with red sauce 100g per person is fine but for teenagers or those who do physical jobs I use 110-115g per person. 1.4x sounds low to me though, I typically use 2x the amount of macaroni by weight.

 

[Henry S.]

why is this on a repair forum lol

oh wait its tools AND appliances. Pasta pot counts I guess

 

[Dull Dragonfly]

100g dry is alot for one person if your serving it with anything else. Like a salad and bread on the side, half the table leaves food behind every time.

 

[European Met]

what about the difference between boiling vigorously vs a gentle simmer, does that change the final weight?

 

[The Hunt For t]

what about the difference between boiling vigorously vs a gentle simmer, does that change the final weight?

Rolling boil helps with even cooking and to prevent sticking. Simmering will cook the pasta slower which may cause it to absorb more sauce. The water temperature and time the pasta is in the boiling water dictates the absorption rate. Water can't go above 100C at sea level no matter how hard you boil it.