A Beginner's Guide to Cooking for One
Studies show that people who are single, especially men, tend to have a shorter life expectancy compared with those who are married; married men visit the doctor more regularly, have lower rates of depression, and eat better than men who are single. One way to combat the statistics is to learn to cook for yourself, which means a lot more than leftovers and frozen dinners. Chef Steve Couch of Mr. Eat Right: Personal Chef Services has a few tips to help make your meal for one a lot more fun.
Make A Plan
oThink about the week you have, the time you will actually have for cooking, and make yourself a menu and grocery list. The more you plan out your meals, the more money you will save, the faster your shopping trip at the grocer, and you'll have everything you need handy when you're ready to cook.
Cook Once, Eat Twice (Or more)
oTry cooking your main protein or large dishes once or twice a week, and create a lot of different meals from it. For example, turn ground turkey into tacos, spaghetti meat sauce, or even topping for baked potatoes, by adding spices, canned sauces, or plain nonfat Greek yogurt and seasonings. This way, you don't eat the same thing over several days and get bored.
Keep Good Food Around: Stock Your Pantry
oStock up your pantry with plenty of dried foods that are easy to make for one, like quinoa, brown rice or wild rice, lentils and pasta. And also make sure to have things like boxes of low-sodium chicken stock, canned beans, vegetables, and tuna, and fresh fruit to add to meals.
Use your freezer
oPut everything that you can in your freezer, including nuts, large containers of spices, meats, breads, and vegetables. Freezing bulk foods like meats into individual servings, can make cooking for one much less wasteful, and can keep foods fresh longer.
Be Realistic
oYou are not going to want to cook all the time, so make sure that you keep some foods around that require little to no preparation, like low-sodium canned soups, or even single-serving, low fat meals (though these are the most expensive options.)
Use Your Slow Cooker
oThere are few devices that are more convenient for singles than a good slow cooker. You can add all of the ingredients from your recipe, head to work, and come home to dinner. Plus, slow cookers won't make your home as hot in the summer, and they use less energy than conventional ovens. There are so many recipes to try online, and they make meals that you can portion, freeze, and enjoy later.
Courtesy: Chef Steve Couch