Cooking for one
Cooking for yourself doesn't have to mean opening a can or a box. Solitary diners enjoy economical, nutritious meals too. Preparing your own meals at home saves money and lets you express your creativity in the kitchen. Whether you prefer exotic cuisine or your favorite comfort foods, cooking for one means every meal you make tastes the way you like it best. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Shopping
Buy smaller fruits and vegetables when these items are sold by weight. If they're sold by number, choose large items and divide them into single portions when you return home. Compare prices on packaged goods such as cereal and crackers; the "economy" size is economical only if it's consumed before it expires. Condiments, uncooked pasta and grains keep for months and divide easily into single servings, so buy them in bulk. Buy perishable goods in smaller units to ensure that you use them fully.
Menu Planning
Plan an entire week's menu at once. Choose foods that you can use in more than one dish. For example, roasting a chicken supplies you with a meal on the day it's cooked, chicken salad the next day and chicken soup on the third. Serve rice with Monday's beans and use the remainder to make Tuesday's fried rice. Make a soup or stir-fry at the end of the planned week to use remainders of earlier meals.
Food Preparation
Take a tip from restaurant chefs and prepare your ingredients before assembling them into a dish. As a solo chef, you can prepare for multiple meals at once. If you need a quarter of an onion for your dinner, dice the entire onion and store the rest for later meals. Familiarize yourself with which foods store well after preparation; some fruits and vegetables will discolor when sliced or peeled. Keeping prepared raw ingredients in your refrigerator encourages cooking creativity and reduces waste.
Cooking
Divide food into small units when cooking for one, even if you eat larger portions. Convert your favorite lasagna recipe into lasagna rolls and your cake into cupcakes. You can more easily store and heat individual meatballs or patties than a whole meatloaf. Make individual pizzas from smaller rounds of dough rather than a single large pizza to enjoy fresh food over leftovers. Freeze stock into individual portions in an ice cube tray, then defrost one or two as needed for cooking.
Serving
Take the time to make food attractive, even when dining alone. Chefs know that food tastes better when it looks appealing, so spend a few minutes preparing your plate. Adding restaurant flourishes to your meal can also enhance its nutritive value. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds, chocolate shavings or fresh herbs on a dish to improve its antioxidant profile. Grated cheese and toasted nuts are packed with both protein and flavor.
Storage
Invest in sturdy storage containers sized for individual portions. Think of leftovers as custom frozen dinners, ideally suited to your tastes and packaged for your convenience. Affix the date you stored the food to the package; food lasts only about four days in the refrigerator. Once you've gotten in the habit of regular solo cooking, you'll have a range of prepared meals from which to choose.
Tags: fruits vegetables, individual portions, into single, them into, your favorite