Cooking for One

Possibly the greatest challenge people face in the kitchen is cooking for just one or two people. Why should this be so difficult? You know what you like to eat, so you don't have to worry about comments from the peanut gallery like "you KNOW I don't like fettucine!". What then, is the problem?

For those who don't like or don't want leftovers, simply finding a recipe that is written for one or two portions is a challenge. With a little math, you could easily halve the recipe, which could be very easy or a real pain, depending on the recipe. People invariably ask "How do I get 1/2 of an egg?". That's simple enough, though some will view it as wasteful: Take one egg and beat it, like if you were making scrambled eggs. Now simply pour 1/2 of the egg into your recipe. Toss out the remainder, or store it for tomorrow's breakfast. Therein lies the biggest objection to halving a recipe: even if you will not have leftovers from the meal, you will very likely have leftovers from the ingredients. Half an egg, half a can of chicken stock. Food companies do not, for the most part, package ingredients in small quantities. They certainly package prepared foods in single serving portions, but not ingredients.

Now, I am one of those who embrace leftovers, that buys the larger size container because it is more economical. But it is only economical if you can actually use the entire large container; if you forget about it and it spoils in the refrigerator you haven't realized any savings at all. A little planning goes a long way. Maybe you'll use half the ingredient in a recipe this week. Will you use that ingredient in another recipe later this week? Next week? If not, can the leftover ingredient be frozen?

I'm sorry to have to tell you, but cooking even simple recipes does require some planning, some thought. If you are unwilling to make that kind of commitment, then you face two choices: eat out, or head to the frozen entrée section of your grocery store!

For those of you who want to cook just one or two portions, here are some tips:


1. Halve a recipe yielding four portions. I recommend writing directly in your cookbook (assuming you own it) right next to each ingredient, so that you are not doing the math on the fly, when it is all too easy to forget to halve an ingredient (been there, done that).

In addition to halving the ingredients, don't forget to consider the size of the pots & pans the recipe uses. If it calls for sauteeing four chicken breasts in a large skillet, but you are only cooking one or two, you'll want to use a smaller skillet. There are a couple of reasons for this: one, too large a pan will get excessively hot and could burn the food; two, if you are creating a sauce in the same pan, the halved ingredients will be "lost" in the large pan, and could easily
evaporate away to nothing, leaving you with a ruined meal.

2. What to do about ingredients? Probably the most difficult part of cooking for one or two is buying ingredients in small enough quantities.
Meats: You can buy individual steaks and chops; but you'll likely have to buy three or four chicken breasts (simply freeze what you don't use). You could always ask the butcher if they'd repackage just the quantity you need; they'll simply use the leftover in the next "family pack". Just realize they are not likely to cut open meats that were prepacked before they reach the store. If the butcher is uncooperative, ask the management.
Seafood: very easy, whether fresh or frozen. Fresh fish is usually sold in small packages just right for one or two portions. Frozen fillets and frozen shrimp often come in 2- or 4-lb bags. Simply store them in the freezer and thaw only one fillet or exactly how many shrimp you want.
Fresh Produce: What if a recipe calls for just one carrot, and you don't want to buy an entire one-pound bag? Check the fresh salad bar - they will likely have a variety of fresh vegetables (pre-cut, so you'll need to do even less work) and you can take exactly how much you need! Yes, a bit more expensive than buying in bulk, but to you it may be worth it.
Canned Goods: First, is it something that may be found on that salad bar? A recipe may call for a little bit of black olives but you don't want to buy a whole can. Many salad bars sell olives. Is it a pickled product, like marinated artichoke hearts? After being opened, these jars will keep quite a while in the refrigerator. Can the leftover be frozen? Half a can ofchicken stock can be frozen; if you like to cook, you'll probably need more stock soon!

3. Get a cookbook written for one or two servings. That's right, they exist! Visit your library or bookstore. Eating Well magazine (www.eatingwell.com) has a book titled "Eating Well Serves Two", and also has a monthly column "Serves Two" written expressly for two servings.