Amphytrite
Hard for Drah
 I don't really even like hearing about it or reading about it
Ballkicks: (+1869 / -83)
Posts: 6818 (1.113)
Reg. Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cowpenis
Gender: Female |
Reply 3 of 14 (Originally posted on: 08-18-10 06:02:57 PM)
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It is terribly hard to cook for one person, because usually food is sold in portions enough for four people. That's the main problem with cooking for one, that even if you only want or need half a cup of black beans, you're going to end up with the whole damn can. If you're sure you can use the items you buy in the sizes you buy, you're more than halfway there.
As jimmy said, being able to save stuff for later is definitely a good idea, especially if there are a variety of ways to prepare it. You can freeze meat, vegetables, fruit, bread, sauces, soups, nuts, and anything whole grain. If you're going to freeze anything, do it right away while it's fresh or freshly prepared, especially meat. If you buy meat on its own (esp chicken), break it up immediately and freeze it in individual serving sizes. That way it'll be easier to dethaw and prepare just as much as you want without wasting or leftovers if you don't want any.
Pasta's my hero when it comes to something quick, easy, relatively healthy and one person friendly for a meal. Make different sauces (these can be frozen for later) yourself, since it's cheaper to buy canned tomatoes and spices than it is to buy ready made sauce. Also healthier, since you can control the sodium levels a lot better.
Salad. If you're willing to buy the ingredients, salad can make a great and filling meal--last night I had a salad with grilled chicken (though you can cook it in a pan with a little olive oil too) and it was delicious. Don't be afraid to experiment with the ingredients; I love apples blue cheese in salad, and pineapple or grapes can work well too.
If all else fails, invite people over for dinner. You can then cook for more than one.
Links:
Marie Claire has an article about cooking for one; though the serving sizes are for more than one, you can save and reheat.
There's a book called The Pleasures of Cooking for One which, from what I've heard, is a very good resource with a large variety of recipes. Read the sample recipe--the author gives suggestions for second and third rounds and what you can do differently to keep it from being the same meal over and over again.
This website, just from quick glance, looks pretty fantastic. The minestrone sounds very good, as does the Italian tomato pasta (add some fresh basil from a friend's garden to make it amazing).
Spiff: amphytrite, the anti-tart
Purple: Amphy, scratch my neckfat
Nickolati: when i was 17, fruit loops gave me a boner
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