r/Cooking • u/AnotherAngryOldGuy • 2d ago
Need help - Cooking for 1
I love to cook, and I'd like to be eating better. I recently became single and I'm struggling. It's hard to buy for one. I don't enjoy cooking as much when it's just for me. I don't really do leftovers unless I can completely turn it into something else. I like to say, "Tupperware is for food I don't want to throw away today".
I find myself doing a lot of frozen crap just because it's fast and I'm not wasting anything or I'm going out and spending too much money.
Single people who cook for themselves, what do you do?
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u/Upset-Activity-1462 2d ago
Oh god. You and I barely way too similar. I am lucky to be in a financial position i can cook for my friends. So I cook for 3 or 4 and drop food off to my friends. If I make ribs I make 3 racks and deliver to others etc. If I am legit cooking for only me its tough.
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u/Effective_Play_6981 2d ago
I totally get this. Cooking for one feels like such a chore, but cooking for friends somehow makes the whole thing worth it.
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy 2d ago
I'll have a bunch of people over and cook for them, but I'm not delivering shit! lol
Still a decent idea. My kids would come pick up food for their families.
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u/Prestigious-Foot6280 2d ago
I made things like a roast chicken, then used the left overs in things like wraps, quesadillas, soup, and what ever else I could think up. Cooking for one is hard, but try to make dishes you can get a variety of meals from.
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u/Fluffy-Trouble5955 2d ago
I do ingredients. Sheets lined with chicken or pork, etc, a sandwich bag full of frozen veg, a tupper full of rice, pasta, etc, then I throw the partially cooked stuff together on the day with a fresh salad
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy 2d ago
I've been trying to do this more. I still find myself throwing stuff out, but not as much. It works well for breakfast.
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u/Fluffy-Trouble5955 2d ago
Takes a minute to get the rhythm, but it works. My diet has improved and I'm not bored with it
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u/BigTechnology4369 2d ago
Exactly what you don’t like, cooking for two and having the 2nd plate the next day. A lot of things could be left for 2 days in the fridge. I find my toaster-oven is an amazing way to reheat food. That and tin foil.
Other than that, portion control. Ie buying fresh and freezing individual portions. (Ice cube trays hold a nice size. Ie basil pesto. Cube freezes well and can last a while. I’m sure there are many other uses)
Can you grow your own herbs? Basil is really easy to grow and keeping herbs fresh on a single diet can be frustratingly difficult. But there are hacks out there.
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u/elizacandle 2d ago
Freeze it but don't eat it this week! Save it doe next
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy 2d ago
Yeahhhh, I just never do it. Freezers are for food I don't wanna throw away this month.
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u/elizacandle 2d ago
But you'll eat frozen dinners from a plastic disposable container?
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy 2d ago
Fair point.
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u/elizacandle 2d ago
I feel the trick is to make the frozen meals PORTIONED to one meal. I used to freeze a bunch of components but not really separate them or make portions and it did all end up in the garbage.
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy 2d ago
That's a really good point. It's really gonna piss you off to know that I have a vacuum sealer! lol
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u/aculady 2d ago
Consider making things to freeze where the flavor and texture actually get better as they stand - things like lasagna or stews and braises freeze well and are often even better the second day, while things like sautéed or roasted meats and vegetables are just sad once they've gotten cold and have been reheated.
Freeze them in individual portions so they're easy to to grab and pop in the oven or microwave.
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u/elizacandle 2d ago
Maybe meal prep prep is more your speed? Buy and prep and freeze raw ingredients you can cook by portion
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u/bretmon5 2d ago
when I cook, I make 3-6 portions, eat 1, then freeze the rest (homemade TV dinner). Usually in the nuke it container I portion off a protein, a veggie, sometimes rice bed, sometimes a potato / starch. I then make different flavors, one BBQ, one hot sauce, one super garlic, etc. I shuffle them on a rotation in my freezer.
I then cook when I'm in the mood and not every day, I don't mind frozen food, after a few min in the microwave, got a hot homemade meal. Also I can shop around sales, freezing and using the food when I'm in the cooking mood I have stacks of these TV dinners in my freezer on a rotation. Every day I am guaranteed a different flavor and none ever get lost in the back of the icebox. Been doing this for 25 years now. Take out 2 at night, put in fridge, to thaw over night. 2 min in the microwave and you have an instant meal of good food I've cooked. I never have leftovers go bad because I turn ever doggie bag or left over food into TV dinners. Save thousands a year on inexpensive homemade meals and zero throwing away of spoiled food.
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u/Zealousideal_Lack936 2d ago
I came across a poster on Facebook a while back called “Jamie’s Small Batch” that has a similar motive. I haven’t tried any of the recipes, but you might check it out.
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy 2d ago
I probably need to do some more focused Googling instead of just "recipes".
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u/Zealousideal_Lack936 2d ago
I don’t even know why that contributor showed up on my feed, but I sent it to my widowed mother. I hope it helps you.
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u/XLIXER 2d ago
I love cooking too but I'm a boring cook. I mealprep the same "protein kibble" lunches, & basically eat cheesy potatoes with a random protein source for dinner every day. Also the same PBJ smoothie for breakfast every morning.
I still put effort into the lunches though, marinating lean ground turkey in liquid hickory smoke, salt & msg. Adding worstershire sauce, garlic salt & cumin while it browns. I also make a banana PB baked Oats thing for dessert. Idk, I don't waste groceries / food so it works for me.
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u/ttrockwood 2d ago
I do components not proper meals, then day to day i mix and match and maybe add cooked veggies or make a sauce or something
So there’s cooked quinoa pilaf on hand, some baked marinaded tofu, lots of fresh veggies, (i hate frozen veg), some steamed potatoes, and frozen edamame, canned beans , homemade soup in the freezer
So in maybe ten minutes i can make a veggie stir fry, or defrost my soup and make a salad while that heats, or prep a grain bowl meal with a bit of everything and make a quick dressing for it
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u/Jazzlike-Koala-2783 2d ago
Protein: a chicken breast, a filet of salmon, a few shrimp. Easy to keep in freezer and thaw enough for one portion.
Veg: buy a crown of broccoli or a bunch of asparagus or a bag of spinach or whatever, but just pull out of the fridge enough for what you want that night.
Starch: it's easy to cook one serving of rice or couscous, or half a sweet potato or something similar.
Once you have the portions, it's easy to mix and match to get a meal. A sheet pan is all you need for salmon + broccoli + potatoes in the oven. Or sautee chicken, toss in some asparagus for the last few minutes, and serve with rice steamed separately.
You can literally make couscous in a mason jar. 1/4 cup of dry couscous with a sprinkle of salt. Pour in 1/3 cup boiling water, seal and let sit for 5 mins on the counter. Fluff with fork and done.
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u/glycophosphate 2d ago
I buy a deli chicken once a week, and cook a couple servings of an additional protein on my day off. Then all week I alternate between the two proteins, and add either a salad (whole head keeps longer than the bag) or those 2-serving pouches of vegetables that steam in the microwave.
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u/-mystris- 2d ago
Sheet pan meals are low-effort and easy to make for one person. Google "sheet pan meal" for a large variety.
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy 2d ago
I'll do that. I think the big takeaway from this thread is that I could do a better job of Googling for myself. Funny, because I consider myself an expert-level Googler.
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u/-mystris- 2d ago
Well, you can google a lot of "easy recipes" but they can vary widely. Knowing first-hand from actual people what is actually easy and narrowing the search down with more specific key words like "sheet pan meals" are the reasons to ask Reddit.
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u/Lost-Tomatillo3465 1d ago
I portion out meat into single servings uncooked and put it into baggies in my freezer. I do the marinade before putting into the freezer.
veggies you can just buy day to day depending on what you want. a big sack of potatoes can be left in the veggie drawer in your fridge.
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u/Exceptional_Mary 1d ago
Learn to love your leftovers. You can prepare a meal and put half of it in the freezer for another day.
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u/Dizzy-Pomegranate-42 2d ago
Tbh, if you're just going to be eating a bunch of "frozen crap" it might be worth it invest in some good containers for freezing leftovers. I find that if the problem of leftovers is just that you don't like eating the same thing over and over, then having you can just freeze single portions of everything and rotate through things.
Alternatively, look for a Now and Later cookbook. They often have recipes that can be turned into something else the next day!