Cooking for one

[mjd]

[Mod.edit: posts moved to form new topic (MG)]

This was my breakfast ...

View attachment 57534

Sunnyside up bacon and eggs with German dark rye bread, grilled potatoes, onions and peppers, sprinkled with my Berbere spice mixture, instead of cayenne pepper sauce.

I've been meaning to ask you and forget. You are cooking for one, right? I ask because I had to learn how to cook in smaller portions after my divorce. It was difficult at first but I find it most challenging to buy in smaller quantities because that's not how most of the grocery store is set up. I have seen some that have "Cooking for One" or "Cooking for Two" sections but those are usually just for frozen meals. An "adult" size meal is usually 2 (sometimes 3) meals for me.

How do you adjust for making smaller meals in a world designed for cooking for families?

 

[flyinglentris]

I've been meaning to ask you and forget. You are cooking for one, right? I ask because I had to learn how to cook in smaller portions after my divorce. It was difficult at first but I find it most challenging to buy in smaller quantities because that's not how most of the grocery store is set up. I have seen some that have "Cooking for One" or "Cooking for Two" sections but those are usually just for frozen meals. An "adult" size meal is usually 2 (sometimes 3) meals for me.

How do you adjust for making smaller meals in a world designed for cooking for families?

Yes, I cook for one. To compensate for large meals I prepare, I either spread them out over the day, eating the same thing mid-day and then later, in the evening - or I store as left overs and do them the next day.

But I like to eat large meals some times. And I can regulate at times when the ingredients in a recipe can be split down to a one or two serving level. However, things like eggs, cannot be split that way. So if your recipe calls for 1 egg and the ingredients in the recipe will produce multiple servings, you need to compensate your intake, if you need to.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

mjd: Even though I have other people in my house, I find that most of what I make is something that others don't like, so effectively I am also cooking for one.

I still end up making large pot items (my recipes always show the quantity I'm making), but then I freeze half of it. In some cases, that doesn't work (not everything survives freezing and thawing). But, soups and stews always come out perfectly fine.

I also crank out sauces and pickled things that I know no one else wants: these work well for quick mix-and-match recipes, and the spices and pickling mean they usually keep for a long time.

 

[flyinglentris]

mjd,

I have also switched recently from using a full size dinner plate to a salad plate for some meals. You should notice the difference between the round red plate and the square white plate.

I originally though to get a white plate to enhance photography of food items, but at the same time, elected to go with the salad plate. It helps a lot to go with the smaller plate to regulate meal sizes.

 

[LissaC]

I usually cook for one but when my boyfriend stays here, I struggle to make enough food for two. When I'm working, I have too many meetings around lunchtime and no time to cook so I need to heat leftovers, but sometimes there's not enough food left for the two of us. My miscalculations meant we ordered Burger King twice in a 3 day period