Food waste portion planner
Enter who is eating and get a starting amount, so there is enough and less goes in the bin.
Your details
Rice for 2 adults and 2 children
225 g
uncooked weight
- Per adult75 g
- Per child38 g
- You usually cook300 g: 75 g more than the guide (33%)
- Extra over a week225 g at 3 times a week, 11.7 kg a year
- What the extra costs£17.55 a year at £1.50 a kg
- Leftoverscool, then fridge within 2 hours
Leftovers you plan for are not waste: cooked extra and frozen for another day is batch cooking. Appetites vary, so treat this as a starting point. Cooked rice needs to be in the fridge within an hour and eaten within a day.
The working
Uncooked portions
| Food (uncooked) | Per adult | Per child |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 75 g | about 38 g |
| Pasta | 75 g | about 38 g |
| Potatoes | 200 g | 100 g |
| Couscous | 60 g | 30 g |
| Porridge oats | 40 g | 20 g |
| Dried noodles | 75 g | about 38 g |
Two adults and two children having rice need 75 × 2 + 37.5 × 2 = 225 g uncooked. Children's portions are roughly half, though teenagers often eat more than adults.
Add what you usually cook to see the gap. 300 g against the 225 g guide is 75 g extra (33%); three times a week that is 225 g a week, about 11.7 kg of dry rice a year, or £17.55 at £1.50 a kg. Planned leftovers that you chill and eat are fine: the point is to cook what you mean to.
Waste less
Easy wins
- Use a mug: a standard mug holds roughly 175 g of uncooked rice
- Freeze leftover cooked pasta in portions
- Turn leftover potatoes into hash, fish cakes or soup
- Plan a "use it up" meal once a week
UK households throw away millions of tonnes of food a year, and much of it is cooked or served in too large amounts. WRAP's Love Food Hate Waste has a handy portion planner.
Safety
Rice needs extra care
Cooked rice can carry bacteria spores that survive cooking. Cool it quickly, get it in the fridge within an hour, eat it within a day and reheat only once, until steaming hot.
Read with care
What this cannot tell you
- AppetitesHungry teenagers and toddlers vary a lot.
- RecipesSome recipes use more or less as part of a dish.
- SidesIf there is bread or a big salad, you may need less.
Questions
Common questions
How much rice per person?
About 75 g uncooked for an adult, which makes around 200 to 225 g cooked.
How much pasta per person UK?
About 75 g dried for an adult main, a little more if it is the whole meal.
How long can cooked rice stay in the fridge?
Up to one day. Cool it within an hour and reheat it only once.
Sources
- Love Food Hate Waste (WRAP): portion planner and storage tips
- Food Standards Agency: how to chill, freeze and defrost food safely
- Food Standards Agency: home food fact checker
Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
If food feels hard
If eating, weight or food is on your mind a lot, you are not alone. Your GP can help, and Beat has a free helpline on 0808 801 0677 (England, weekdays 3pm to 8pm).
Related