Cooking and eating alone doesn't have to be something awful that must be endured.The key is to learn how to shop and cook for a small group of people-yourself and someone else (or maybe just you). Make dining alone a simple and more enjoyable experience in a snap!
To Start
A good start for cooking for one person is to learn how to think solo and plan meals accordingly. How much food you need to buy depends on how much food you eat. Take a look at how much food is left in your refrigerator, freezer and cupboards at the end of a week. Or consider how much food you toss out in the trash. Buying less food and purchasing food on a weekly basis can save you money, and valuable time when it comes to both shopping and cooking.
The Next Step
Once you have decided what meals you wish to prepare for yourself it’s time to make a trip to the grocery store. Look for foods that can be portioned with ease into smaller serving sizes such as pasta, rice, potatoes or frozen vegetables. With these kinds of foods, the single person can use just enough for one meal and not have to cook an entire package of food. It’s also cost effective because there is no waste.
Some Tips to Keep in Mind
Buy fruits and vegetables by the piece, not by the package.
Ask the manager of the produce department to halve heads of lettuce, cabbage and other produce to meet your own individual needs. That way you use the vegetables up quicker and nothing goes bad.
Buy smaller cuts of meat and individual portions of fish. Many stores are finally beginning to realize that there are single people out there so they are adjusting their portions to suit single needs. When it comes to roasts or chickens consider asking your butcher to cut the meat into pieces so you can prepare only the amount you want and freeze the rest for a future meal.
So the food is bought, you take it home. Now what? There are many different things you can do when you are cooking for only yourself (or perhaps yourself and a guest). Read on for some ideas.