Meals for One

[Glompbot]

This is always something that bothers me.

Almost everythings minimum serving size is 2 people.

If you cook, you always have left overs, andsure, you can eat them for lunch the next day.... but i just don't like doing that all the time.

So, I want your tipson how to cook for one?

[Sagacious]

baked beans on toast

spaghetti in a cheesy sauce you make it all from scratch and can therefore control the portion sizing It's not really that hard if you are cooking as opposed to reheating convenience foods.

When I was sharing (accommodation) my flatmates were lab rats (in that they were both PhD students in the sciences and spent many hours in the lab. They were also a couple and whist we were and still are friends they got on with doing their couply thing and I got on with doing my uncoupled thing.

Anyway we didn't share meals so I used to have to cook for one (or plan to be cooking for one) on a regular basis. When money was tight I'd stock up on basics like mince and pasta and shit like that and spend one day in the kitchen (usually a sunday hung over) and cook up some solo meals for the week (or further into the future) and freeze them.

Things like Spaghetti Bolognese you can cook in bulk and separate into single portions for freezing.

Just a thbought.

[pliskin]

it also depends on how oftern u are actually going to cook for yourself. and what type of food u like. are u buying predominantly pre packaged/prepared food items?
i often buy 1kg packets of pasta ( tortelini/ravoili ) and freeze the whole lot, when i want pasta i just open the packet and pour the amount i want to cook frozen pasta straight in to the boiling water. u can do the same with frozen veges
i very rarely use pre made sauces.
if buying meats take the extra time when u get it home, wrap things into portion sizes, eg, if u buy 3 chicken breasts, wrap each 1 individulay, then freeze.later u can defost just t what u need for that night.

[Mr Bigglesworth]

nutella on bread. one of lifes very sweet pleasures.

[Glompbot]

Sorry... I should have added 'healthy'

and 'won't give me gas'



I always buy pre-packaged sauces, my usual cooking is sauce, meat, rice/noodles, frozen vegetables/chips

[dozer]

probably becuase there isnt much point in cooking for one, its cheaper to buy something.

if youre really puzzled then divide the ingredients for 2 by half.

[Holster]

If you're worried about eating healthy you should avoid pre made sauces and meals

[Glompbot]

Ah... well... reasonably healthy will do.


see, dividing by half never works.
when you add in the extra food (salad, veges, potatos, etc) it ends up being enough to cook 3 people...
and then I start eating larger and larger meals to compensate.


fuckit
i think i'll do the lite n easy thing when I move out alone.

[Holster]

If you buy fresh food you will find it a lot easier to control portions.

Like a few others mentioned, buy meat and pasta ect. in bulk and divide into portions for 1 and freeze, then just cook the right amout of vegies.

[Urban3300]

I've always found that the minimum serving size that usually is 2 persons is way too little for me. If you want to cook for one I suggest you make some chicken tortillas which are reasonably healthy. They're fast to make and you can make as many as you want or just one.

[label]

Or you can eat out and order for 1, you can't go wrong.

[druid]

Luckily I don't have to cook for one most of the time but when I do I just freeze the sauce. Pasta is cheap enough to toss away and boil a fresh batch when needed. You don't always have to use the sauce with the original side dish - a Breville will work wonders.

I dislike most ready made stuffs. Except reindeer. Reindeer stew with mashed potatoes is the best microwave meal in the universe.

and 'won't give me gas'

I know I'm very intelligent and charming but even I don't have telepathic powers. How the hell could we know?

[JuanPablo]

You have leftovers from a 2 person meal? That's something I wouldn't have believed had you not said it

[Glompbot]

I know I'm very intelligent and charming but even I don't have telepathich powers. How the hell could we know?

Beans.
Someone suggested baked beans.


I hate beans.

(well, i tolerate them in soups, but baked beans are disgusting)

[druid]

Red kidney beans in chili con carne?

[Glompbot]

You have leftovers from a 2 person meal? That's something I wouldn't have believed had you not said it

Ok, a '2 person' meal from a jar of sauce...

say its a stir fry.

You have 1 chicken breast (or 1 steak sized lump of meat sliced up) in some kind of sauce, a cup of veges (i just buy a bag of mixed frozen ones because I always forget to eat veges when they're fresh), and a bag of hokkien noodles.

this results in 2 bowls each person.
which is quite a lot.

Realistically, one bowl should be plenty for the average adult.
A year ago, I went though and lowered my serving sizes... I stopped ordering 'large' meals when eating out. I didn't 'force' myself to finish meals. and started making smaller meals for myself, and packaging left overs for lunch the next day.

I've stopped doing that, and often when I eat a meal, I've stuffed myself so full, that vomiting is a likely result if I attempt to move.

Its not healthy... and its certainly not something I'm going to do when I live alone.


Other average meals I cook here
steak + potato bake + veges (when we can be arsed)
the potato bake is so large its pretty much a meal in itself.... and honestly I get full on the steak and veges!

pasta + garlic bread + salad

and so on

but they're always such LARGE helpings.... :/

[Glompbot]

Red kidney beans in chili con carne?

overly spicy food is out.
i mean, i love spicy food, but I kind of need to stop eating it.

[Holster]

Ok, a '2 person' meal from a jar of sauce...

say its a stir fry.

You have 1 chicken breast (or 1 steak sized lump of meat sliced up) in some kind of sauce, a cup of veges (i just buy a bag of mixed frozen ones because I always forget to eat veges when they're fresh), and a bag of hokkien noodles.

this results in 2 bowls each person.
which is quite a lot.



Umm, Juan is British, not stupid.

BTW, why do you need a packet mix / sauce for a stir fry???

buy 300g of steak/chicken, mixed vegies, 400g hokkien noodles, and then oyster sauce, sweet chilli, soy....what ever flicks your switch.

Split the meat in half and freeze 1 half.

Put the meat in the wok, cook take pout of the wok, add garlic, ginger, onions, for a couple of minutes, add the vegies, when the vegies are done put the meat back in the wok, add a little sauce, take half the noodles put in hot water for 5 minutes, drain add to the wok, and add more sauce. Done meal for 1 The remaining 200g of noodles will keep in the fridge for 7 days if you store it properly. Takes under 15 minutes and is better than any packet mix / sauce for you.

[royale]

As previously mentioned, the freezer & microwave combo is your friend.
Make Meals for 2/3/4 etc and freeze the other portions. Stuff that freezes well is spag bol, risotto (this can be part cooked and frozen, then thawed and finished) thai curries, lasagne. Simple meals like snags and vegies, lamp rump steaks etc are pretty easy to judge too.
Get some cheap tupperware from the supermarket to store devided portions.
Get bulk meats (chook thighs, sausages etc etc) and devide them into single person portions before freezing.

[gunsella]

indian curries freeze well too. i had a lamb korma taste great 2 months after cooking it

[rin]

i've been cooking meals for one since i started my diet in may this year. It's just a matter of buying all your meats (dividing them like Holster said and freezing them) and fresh fruit and vegies as you need them. You can easily control quantities that way. If you keep your vegies in a crisper they last longer so you dont' waste anything.
I've found it quite easy just cooking for myself.

[Glompbot]

How often do you go shopping for yourself?

[Holster]

Most people shop weekly, but if you cant get to a shop that often you can still buy fresh vegies and blanch them and freeze them.

[gunsella]

buy 300g of steak/chicken, mixed vegies, 400g hokkien noodles, and then oyster sauce, sweet chilli, soy....what ever flicks your switch.

Split the meat in half and freeze 1 half.

Put the meat in the wok, cook take pout of the wok, add garlic, ginger, onions, for a couple of minutes, add the vegies, when the vegies are done put the meat back in the wok, add a little sauce, take half the noodles put in hot water for 5 minutes, drain add to the wok, and add more sauce. Done meal for 1 The remaining 200g of noodles will keep in the fridge for 7 days if you store it properly. Takes under 15 minutes and is better than any packet mix / sauce for you.



winner

[Glompbot]

Most people shop weekly, but if you cant get to a shop that often you can still buy fresh vegies and blanch them and freeze them.

what is 'blanch' ?

[Holster]

prep the veggies as you would if you were cooking them fresh, put them in a wire basket, put them into boiling water for 2-5 minutes (depending on the type of veggie) then put them into ice water, drain and freeze

[Glompbot]

is there a reason you blanch them instead of freezing them straight away?

[Holster]

It slows/ stops the veggies from losing flavor, color, and texture

[rin]

i shop 2 times a week.. usually on a wednesday (a very tiny shop if i need it) and saturday... I get all my fruit/veg from Harris Farm markets as i think they are better quality and they last longer.
I have a meal plan basically, and only buy what i need so there is no waste. I know not everyone has a strict diet, but i find it works and i have more variety too. I have a good recipe book too, so it's easy to make sure i have what i need and i know how to prepare it.

[druid]

overly spicy food is out.
i mean, i love spicy food, but I kind of need to stop eating it.

Who said it has to be overly spicy? Make it yourself just the way you want it. The bonus is that chili gets even better when it's refrigerated overnight. It's better when not über hot anyway.

[VangaloRR]

Take one sausage
Massage vigorously
Eat cream sauce
Return sausage to packaging

Feeds one, on demand at least 3 times a day







oh wait wrong thread

:jizz: :hijacked:

[stinky]

If you have somewhere really local you can shop, say on the way home from work, just pop in every second day and buy enough for a day or two. If you can't get single portions of meat then buy your meat once a week/fortnight and split/portion them. If you do that then put tomorrows meat in the fridge when you cook tonight.

That way you drive home, pick up an onion, a carrot, a capsicum, 2 mushrooms and 150g of chicken tenderloins, a potato, a small can of pees and a single steak.

then you just need sauce ( bought or home made ) and you've got an easy stirfry for day #1 and a steak and mashed potato and pees for day #2.

if you don't have a cupboard/fridge full of crap you won't feel obliged to cook and eat it. Most sauces you can buy can be frozen, thai red curry paste is perfect for freazing and tastes great, the trident brand comes in a little vac bag in the pack which can be cut into quarters when frozen and used with a 100ml can of coconut cream*.

Keep a small stock of basic stuff like soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, etc to make stirfry sauces out of. Also rice and pasta. Use a microwave rice cooker is easy to do small portions of rice in one.

* coconut cream not milk, don't shake the can. the top half of the can will be a thick white liquid, cook this at high temp by itself until it splits. Use this as oil to cook the paste / meat&veges in. of course if you're doing the diet thing use low-fat milk and no oil at all anyway.

[stinky]

hehe I said pees

[Cassa]

A rice cooker is the best thing you can own for making small meals, you just leave the rice in there and warm it up when you need it.

[Frau Farbissina]

A rice cooker is the best thing you can own for making small meals, you just leave the rice in there and warm it up when you need it.Careful Cassa.. just like sucking coins out of the Love Tester machine, letting your cooked rice go cold in a rice cooker then reheating and eating later is a real good way to get sick.

But don't just take my word for it, here's (http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=727221&displaytype=printable) what PaulM from Internet had to say on the subject:
WARNING: Be careful when keeping rice warm. One of the commonest causes of food poisoning (actually THE commonest according to the food hygiene course I did) is rice kept warm in restaurants .
Warm rice provides the perfect environment for Staphlococus - a nasty little bug that lives in the grooves in you fingerprints (and just about everywhere else). Fortunately it's not as serious as listeria or salmonella - normal symptoms are 24 hour D+V.

The problem is more severe in catering environments because food is more likely to have been handled by more people and because of the larger quantites involved. Leaving rice around your kitchen for a couple of days and then eating it is a bad idea though, unless you want to get intimately accquainted with your toiletSafer way to go is to refrigerate the leftover rice overnight then turn it into funky fried rice, leaving it in the fridge overnight makes for better fried rice. Or mix cooked rice with sugar, milk and sultanas/whatever and call it 'rice pudding'. Serve it to guests and hear them say "no that's ok i don't think i've got room for dessert" :p

[Marshall77]

I find chicken breast/pieces great for cooking for 1. As mentioned above package them when you get home from the shops into 1 or 2 person meals (if you cook for 2 sometimes handie) through it in a wok with some vegies a little oil stir every few minute and its all over in 1/2 hr.

If you find you are making to much keep some take away food containers or buy freezer boxes and keep some for the later in the week.

Some nights I get home from lectures at 10:30pm so this is a good thing to do.

Otherwise I make a caesar salad. quickly fry some chicken and bacon/ham mushrooms grab a few letuce leaves, half a tomato, grate a carrot chuck it all in a big bowl add some dressing go and eat.

[stinky]

Yeah, never keep rice warm for a long period of time and reheat it. Very bad stuff. Also don't keep it for more than a day or so in the fridge after cooking it.

Microwave rice cooker : 1/4 cup rice, 1/2 cup water, 10-15 mins. I think that's the correct ratio of rice to water.

[royale]

Ever feel like roast chook but are short on people to share it with? You can get 1/2 a one of those dodgy pre-cooked chooks from the supermarket or try poussin.

Poussin is your friend (or may well have been your cute little friend before it was gutted and plucked) They cost $5-$6 take 30 minutes to cook and taste delicious.
You can 1/2 cook vegies in the microwave then finish them in the oven for matching roast potatoes, pumpkin and carrot.
Ask for one at your local poultry shop.

[Drinking Duck]

Go get drunk wake up in a new place every mornig.
Meals on weels at about 11pm in Martin Place Sydney Australia.

[Glompbot]

Ever feel like roast chook but are short on people to share it with? You can get 1/2 a one of those dodgy pre-cooked chooks from the supermarket or try poussin.

Poussin is your friend (or may well have been your cute little friend before it was gutted and plucked) They cost $5-$6 take 30 minutes to cook and taste delicous.
You can 1/2 cook vegies in the microwave then finish them in the oven for matching roast potatoes, pumpkin and carrot.
Ask for one at your local poultry shop.

oooh

thank you!

would poussin be at the supermarket?

[royale]

mm, I would doubt it (but you can try).
Market or poultry butcher would be a better bet.

[Glompbot]

Thanks :D

[Kez]

Careful Cassa.. just like sucking coins out of the Love Tester machine, letting your cooked rice go cold in a rice cooker then reheating and eating later is a real good way to get sick.

Welcome to the way that nearly every chinese restaurant keeps boiled rice warm. My old work place had 2 fat pots up the back that kept rice warm all night.

Also the fact that chinese restaurants sometimes dont waste good boiled rice from customers pots, so basically they re-use it when frying rice.