Cooking for One
If you're living along, cooking for yourself can seem to be a time-consuming chore. Not being obligated to feed anyone but yourself can make it very easy to just settle for whatever you can find or have delivered. Calling for take-out or substituting snack food for a meal can be tempting, but snacking instead of actually eating a well-balanced meal may eventually cause health problems.
Cooking for one person begins with planning meals for one. Start by thinking about what you enjoy eating and how much food you use in a week. One way to tell what you enjoy eating and how much of it you need is to notice what's left in the refrigerator, freezer, or cupboard at the end of the week—and what you throw away. Buying food you truly enjoy will motivate you to actually eat it. Buying food in smaller portions and shopping weekly can save you money, time in the store, and cooking time. Most recipes can be halved or quartered.
Once you plan what to buy, cooking for one person means shopping for one. It may be difficult to resist the temptation to buy more food or frozen, ready-made dinners. Larger items may be cheaper per unit size, but the money you save is wasted if most of the leftovers are thrown away. Frozen vegetables are equal in nutritional value to fresh and can be cooked in the same variety of ways as those you find in the produce department. Already purchased fruits that have grown too ripe, such as bananas and strawberries, can be frozen for later use to make fruit smoothies or daiquiris.
After all the time and effort you've put into preparing a meal, don't forget your table. Many cooks know that the presentation of food can make the meal, even when eating alone. Vary the color of your foods or accompaniments. Choose multicolored food and use your best plates. Try music or flowers on the table. Make it fun to cook and eat for one.
Helpful hints when cooking for one:
- Buy fruits by the piece, not by the package.
- Ask the produce manager to halve heads of lettuce, cabbage, or other produce to meet your needs.
- Buy smaller cuts of meat or ask the butcher to cut roasts or chicken into pieces big enough for one meal.
- Divide leftovers into meal-sized portions and freeze for convenient meals later.
- Save leftovers and create new meals by adding different vegetables, or cheese.
- Casseroles, stew, and lasagna are all recipes that freeze well and can come in handy when you have unexpected guests.
Workplace Options. (Reviewed 2017). Cooking for one. Raleigh, NC: Author.