Being a single person cooking for one can often be a challenge. I know when I first started out on my own, I was wasting so much food because I just couldn't eat it all. Plus, who wants to eat the same left overs for days on end? Not me.

I've definitely come up with some cooking for one tips that I have developed over time that have prevented me from wasting lots of money and throwing away perfectly good food. Waste not, my friends! (@GeekBoston and I see a little differently on this topic, so choose whichever one works for you :) )

1) Buy items that can be re-stored, frozen or refrigerated.

2) Buy only what you need for that meal.

3) Don't fresh produce buy in bulk. You don't really need to buy 3 pounds of tomatoes just because they were a good deal at the store. Instead, try to find a local farmstand where you can get fresh produce in a smaller amount AND support your local farms.

4) When using a recipe, cut all ingredients down to 1/4 of the recommended amount. Obivously this may not be easy in all cases. Sometimes I find that I can omit items or replace them with something else if I can't buy a reasonable portion for one.

5) If you can't cut a recipe down to one person size, try to cook a meal that tastes good reheated. There is nothing worse than cooking a great meal one night, only to heat it up the next night and have it taste horrible. Dishes that don't involve red meat, fish or pork are best for this option.

6) Keep non-perishable items on hand. See @GeekBoston's post about "On-Hand" items.

7) Use tupperware or sealed containers to preserve unused items that can be refrigerated. I use this most with onions since I usually only use 1/4 or 1/2 of one for a meal. If you put it in a plastic bag or wrap it with plastic it will not stay nearly as fresh. I also use this for taco shells since you can only by a box of 12.

8) Use tupperware or sealed containers to preserve left overs. This will keep your food as fresh as it can be next to hot off the stove. Just remember that you shouldn't reheat your food in the tupperware as it can be harmful for your health.

9) Portion your meat before you freeze it. If you can't get a single person portion of meat at the grocery store, be sure to portion it out before you freeze it. Get a pack of 4 chicken breats, keep 1 out while its fresh and place the other chicken breasts into ziploc freezer bags individually. This prevents you from having to thaw out an entire package of meat and waste it.

On my personal blog I also have an article about what items are good to have in your pantry at all times (in addition to @GeekBoston's recommendations). You can read it here!


Happy Eats!
@ashkalei