Many recipes are designed for a family of four. It's fairly easy to multiply recipe yields for larger families, but it can be trickier to decrease those amounts and make dinner for two or less. If you're eating solo here are a few tricks you can use to keep yourself cooking smart, healthy meals, and stay on budget too.
• 1. Cook ahead: If you can afford it the easiest way to cook for one is to cook for more than one and freeze your leftovers. The food doesn't lurk in your fridge for an entire week and you don't have to feel committed to it day after day. Plus, pasta bake is amazing in the dead of winter when you have to un-bury your car from 6 feet of snow to go to the store.
• 2. Trust your instincts in adapting recipes: If you're not into spending that much cash all at once, and cooking ahead, look for recipes that are easily divisible and put some real effort into learning to cook by feel. Instead of fretting how to divide 1/4 teaspoon of something into three, just trust your gut and know a small pinch will work out.
• 3. Invite friends over: Even if you're cooking for one on a regular basis, it can help to invite friends over once a week or more to test out your skills. Learning to cook a new recipe can be easier when you're making it in its full amount, and then you can better trust your gut later when splitting it and reducing tricky measurements down for fewer servings.
• 4. Ask for smaller cuts of meat: Most recipes are easy to scale down, but some call for a specific cut of meat. Never be afraid to ask your butcher to cut a piece of meat in half and even package some separately for freezing. No one has ever complained about having leftover steak for impromptu breakfast tacos or salad topping. It's when you throw in pasta and rice that your refrigerator can suddenly feel overwhelming.
Do you have a trick to eating solo? Share your thoughts in the comments below and lend a hand to readers having a rough time.
Related: Cooking for One? 5 Unexpectedly Affordable Dinner Ideas
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Don't get me wrong, I love dining with my husband... but it's fun to cook just for me once in a while. How about handy, quick, healthy, single-serving tortilla pizzas? They can even be gourmet: Arugula and Zucchini Tortilla Pizzas with Chevre
I never really understand the point of these articles about cooking for one. Am I the only one who likes having leftovers? If the recipe says it serves 4, that's what I make and then I have lunch and dinner for the next couple of days.
Akay, I'm with you. Although part of this may be because I rarely use recipes and am adept at "cooking by feel" as is suggested in point number two. I just throw stuff into a pan, make it taste good, and package up any leftovers. And if I can, sometimes I package things separately (like roasted meats and veggies, free from strong or limiting seasonings) to allow more freedom to change the flavor or presentation for a "new" meal made of those leftovers.
When baking for one or two (or however much less than the recipe calls for), I turn to this recipe conversion calculator: http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/scale/recipeconversions.php
Typing it all in may take a few minutes longer than just doing the math, but it rounds to the nearest reasonable measurement (for volume measurements, at least), which is extra helpful when you're, say, 1/7-ing a recipe.
I cook for one all the time, not by choice. It's incredibly inefficient and costly. It takes me just as much time to cook for two or four than it does for one. I hate leftovers.
I'm a huge fan of making entrees that I can freeze. Not only is it nice knowing I have a variety of tasty meals on-hand, but it saves a ton of money. I've gotten so good at it that friends are now asking for advice on the subject. I might one or two evenings making a few dishes but then I have food for weeks and I don't feel obligated to eat only leftovers.
I also love leftovers, and in fact I usually aim for recipes that will make some leftovers so that I can have an easy meal (or two or three) later in the week.
If I'm not in the mood for leftovers, many proteins are already single-serving-size...fillets of fish, a couple of chicken thighs or a breast, sausages, small steaks, 1/3 pound of shrimp, etc. These can all be prepared simply with varying spices, perhaps make a pan sauce. Can serve over polenta, pasta, or mashed veg, and serve a simple salad on the side.
I find that by purchasing protein (meat, fish, poultry...) in bulk and freezing it saves a lot of dollars. When buying more expensive cuts and cutting them back to proportions for one, then freezing the rest still makes sense. Some people will argue with that because it's still the same price per pound. But for those that are used to feeding more than three and are now on there own, think about it. You may be spending the same amount for the lot but are actually making more meals for one. Cooking for one should not be any different than cooking for two... You just adjust the recipe. You can cook pasta dishes in bulk and freeze portions for later use. You can purchase veggies at the farmers market and if you find that you can't use them up right away...preserve them.
Yes I have no problem cooking for one--except for baking and dessert. I'm keeping careful watch on my eating after being overweight for a long time & losing a lot of weight over the last couple of years. No more pans of brownies or bundt cakes, alas, at home. I enjoy those in single portions once in a while when I go out, but I do miss it. I'm always volunteering to bring cake or dessert to potlucks & parties so I get the fun of baking!
I've been cooking for myself now for many years. I'll usually cook a third of a steak, a half chicken breast or a thigh, a fillet of fish (or half if it's large). Served with a small potato, and a veggie, maybe with some grated cheese on top. Or some form of rice. Cooking for one is just a matter of scaling down the recipe. If you're used to making large batches of soups, chili, or stews, all the better. Just freeze them in small portions and enjoy later. Also, a poached egg on veggies or potatoes can be a delightful dinner. The Kitchn has many good suggestions for cooking for one. Let loose and enjoy the easiness of cooking what you really desire and enjoy the cost of cooking for just yourself :P
The best advice is to just experiment - with time you start to get the hang of portion control and you stock up your kitchen with foods that help you out. e.g. tinned beans will keep for a few days is chilled immediately - the next recipe you use them for can be completely different (perfect for people who don't fancy leftovers all that much). Storage space is sometimes a problem when it comes to freezing. If you're living alone you're likely to have a small freezer like I do, and that limits you somewhat. But once you get the ball rolling all sorts of ideas emerge and websites like this will help you out too :)
some of my recipes, including ideas for work snacks for one, are here: http://muchadoaboutnoting.com
I cook for two and save it for lunch the next day. But, I always divvy it up before I eat. I know I could easily eat for 2 (or 3 or 4) and not realize it.
Another leftovers hater here. And freezer space isn't sufficient to stock up on leftovers from several days a week. I'd rather make it fresh daily.
We cook for two, but cook regular size recipes and just freeze the remainders for lunches or dinners later. I always freeze in one serving containers so they can be packed out easily; at any given time we have around 10-12 choiecs fo home frozen meals floating around--makes it much easier to eat in even after a really crazy day. I almost always cut the amount of meat in any recipe in half and bulk things out with veggies; for us at least, most recipes are waaaaay too meat heavy.
There are two things that I can eat for days that you cook only once like pizza or pulled pork or beef sandwiches in the slow cooker. Cooking with portioned soba and vermicelli noodles in the international isle makes enough pasta for one dish since the noodles are conveniently wrapped into one serving, and depending on how many veggies you cook, it could be a meal for one or a meal for two. Things like baking a half of a half of fish in parchment with green beans with sliced lemons and spices is quick, quick to clean up, super filling and refreshing and light. Some days you just have to make the full recipe and eat leftovers, which is fine when you're life has a busy schedule and choosing something home cooked over picking something up is so much healthier.