Cooking For One

A participant recently wrote in about the new-found joy of eating healthier meals with the challenge of cooking for one.  It got us all thinking about how most recipes are written for many servings. How does one successfully modify a meal to accommodate for a single portion?  Here are some tips from the pros:

Love your freezer

Cooking in batches and freezing single portions is a viable option for those who are able to put aside a chunk of time during the week and who can think ahead:

·       Remember to use containers or bags designed for freezing.  The less rugged the materials, the more susceptible to freezer burn.

·       Mark your foods and the date you prepared them.  Try using permanent marker on masking tape that can be removed and replaced.

·       As a rule of thumb, raw foods with high water content don’t freeze well.  The moisture is pulled out, forming crystals that, when thawed, never reintegrate back into the fibers.  Examples of these are watermelon, cucumbers, and lettuces.  That said, it’s possible freeze and reuse small portions of celery and onions pre-chopped. Then, you can include them in crock-pot or soups for instant flavor. Also on the do-not-freeze list are creamy items like cheeses and yogurts.

·       Be creative with your portioning – plan ahead! Most recipes call for evenly sized measurements like ½ cup or 1 ounce, so think about diving up and freezing evenly divided portions.  For instance, use an ice tray to freeze soup stock portions.  Using a standard size tray, one “cube” equals one ounce. Get the large size of stewed tomatoes—at 28 ounces, it divides evenly to 3.5 cups.  Then, you can create 7 half-cup portions to freeze for later.

Re-invent your meals

Leftovers are your friends!  One evening’s roasted chicken can be tomorrow’s Tortilla Soup.  Can’t finish your veggies?  Chop them up to use in whole-wheat pasta, fritter or omelet.  Or be daring and look up recipe on how to pickle.  It may sound intimidating, but you can look online for tips to guide you through the process if you are feeling adventurous. Check out this link for ideas: http://greatist.com/health/leftovers-meals-healthy-recipes

Take the care to make it right

You are worth it!  Bon Appetit recommends taking the time to create “deep, satisfying, layered flavors that can only come from real cooking.”  Learning to do this can become a deeply satisfying, creative way to unwind and recharge. It might take time to find your favorite recipes and techniques, but cooking for yourself can be very rewarding. Bon Appetit!