Cutting down recipes is easy. Anyone can take a recipe that
“serves 2” and cut the ingredients in half. Recipes that make four servings are
just as easy to cut down. Anything more than that becomes more challenging and
may not turn out as well. Cooking times usually stay the same, unless the
recipe is, say, a quiche or casserole that needs to cook until the center is
set or heated. Smaller portions of these recipes take less time than their
full-size counterparts; but one chicken breast will take just as long to cook
through as four chicken breasts placed side by side.
Recipes that freeze well are great for solo diners. Simply
make the recipe, divide into individual servings, and freeze. Quart size freezer
bags are perfect for this. Most soups and casseroles freeze well.
Shopping for one can seem daunting, especially when it comes
to buying meat. Most butcher counters in grocery stores will gladly make a
smaller package if you ask. For everything but roasts, I generally prefer to
buy the family packs, though. They’re usually cheaper, and I can stock my
freezer well by dividing individual chicken breasts or pork chops in quart size
freezer bags as soon as I get home.
Splurge! You’re cooking for one, so an occasional good steak
or expensive seafood is more affordable than if you wanted to make the same
thing for a family.
Using the right size cookware is important. Most things will
cook best if they are not crowded in the pan and, conversely, don’t have excessive
space around them. Over the years, I have collected smaller sizes of cookware –
a wok for one, a one-cup saucepan, a 1.5 liter stock pot, 6” pie plates. Items like these can be easily found in the
kitchen section of discount stores like Marshall’s and TJ Maxx and they are in
frequent use in my kitchen.
Another workhorse in my kitchen is a metal pie tin. This
holds far more entrees than desserts in my house. When I need to bake a piece
of chicken or fish and the recipe calls for placing the protein on a baking
sheet, I use a pie tin perfectly sized for one serving.
Speaking of pie, recipes for baked goods can be tricky to
cut in half or fourths. I’ve had very mixed results. Baking is much more
precise than cooking, so small differences in the proportions can throw
everything off. The solution? Make the whole recipe and share with friends!
When a recipe calls for one egg and you want to cut the
recipe in half or in fourths, simply break the egg into a small custard bowl,
then whisk it with a fork until the yolk and white are well mixed; then, either
scoop or pour out roughly the fraction you need. Since the actual size of
individual eggs varies, if you’re a little off on your fraction, it should not
make much of a difference in the recipe.
If you like to cook with fresh herbs, the easiest thing is
to simply grow some in your garden or in pots. Then you can easily snip the
small amount you need. Another option is to buy a small bunch at the grocery
store, use what you need for the recipe, and then hang the rest of the herb
sprigs, tied with some twine, from a knob or hook in your kitchen until the
leaves are totally dry. Pull the dried leaves off and store in an airtight
container until you need them for another recipe. If you grow herbs outside,
this is a good way to get the most out of those herbs that will not winter
over.
Years ago, I sold Tupperware and I bought a set of their
Fridge Mates containers. They really work to extend the life of fruits and
vegetables, which is very helpful when you’re a solo diner. A Tupperware Salad
Keeper makes lettuces last far longer than any other method I’ve found. (Don’t
get me started on a pantry full of clear storage containers and a label maker!)
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