When I dine alone at home

[Mottmott]

I'm curious about the dining habits of those of us who live alone. What do you eat and how do you serve yourself?

Do you cook dinner for yourself most of the time? How elaborately? Mostly soups, salads, sandwiches? Or...? Do you bake for yourself? How do you serve yourself? Set the dining room table? Fine china, crystal, silver? Or is is everyday kitchenware at the kitchen table? And how often do you do this?

Or do you just dine out most of the time or save the intensive cooking for entertaining?

I cook for myself most of the time but I'm not fond of leftovers that hang about more than a day or two or piles up in the freezer. I make the inevitable steak, chop, piece of fish, etc. that's easy to make in one serving -- and soups and salads of course. (Don't care much for sandwiches.) But often I will make braises, a small roast. a gratin, pate, empanadas etc.

I do bake for myself, but tend to do those things such as scones, pastries, pound cakes, small pies, tea breads, that can be partially made, frozen, and then baked in individual servings or small versions so that they are fresh tasting. I save more elaborate cakes for entertaining or as gifts.

What are your strategies for eating well when single?

[Smarmotron]

I confess that when my wife is out of town I still tend to cook big. I lean towards the dishes that make excellent leftovers - such as lasagna or various casseroles - but sometimes I do make one person meals such as steak, etc.

[docsconz]

When my wife is out of town I tend to cook veal - either chops or cutlets. She doesn't eat it.

[Carlovski]

I don't know why lots of people think that you only should make an effort when cooking for others. Dining alone is the best time to get out your best wine, cook your favourite meal, use the best ingredients. As for what to eat off, I am not that fussed though.

As I cook for just myself most of the time anyway it tends to be the reverse argument for me, When I am cooking for company I can make things which don't scale down too well, and don't make good leftovers (For example, I find Risotto easier to make for 2).

Eating alone is the perfect time to eat steak, have a stir fry, or eat things that none of your friends like (Which for me tends to be Chicken livers or anything where I can raise the chilli limit!)

[KateW]

I make stuff my SO (oh by the way he's my fiance now as of August 15 ) would never touch and would cringe to see me eat. Rare steak/burger is an example. I do eat that stuff when he is around too, but it's so much more fun when he's gone because I get to make "yummy" noises and not gross him out.

I also take alone time to experiment; that way if it turns out gross I won't have to subject him to it too, and if it's yummy I can surprise him with it one night.

[browniebaker]

On the rare occasion when I get to cook for myself alone, without competing palates of husband and children to consider, I refer to a list I keep of my favorite foods (constantly updated!) and put together a fantasy meal with total disregard for balanced nutrition, aethetics, and combinations of flavors, colors, or textures. The meal is comprised of whatever foods I have been craving, maybe foods my family does not care for or combinations that might make others cringe.

A caseophile, I last week made myself a very cheesy meal that would have been too much cheese in one sitting for my family: a platter of Brie, Bleu d'Auvergne, and St. Andre cheeses with water crackers; my ultimate macaroni and cheese; a grilled cheese sandwich; a pimiento-cheese sandwich, a grilled pizza sandwich, cream cheese and strawberry jam on toast, and fruitcake from last Christmas for dessert.

I can do this as often as every week if I look for the opportunity; otherwise I would never get to do it. I don't set the table with any special fanfare. But a difference is that I get to read a good book while I eat, which is something my husband and I do not generally allow at table except for breakfast, when the morning paper is permitted.

Another way I treat myself is to go out alone to my favorite restaurant for brunch on Saturday. I love eating alone in peace (something I appreciate a lot now that I have little children), either reading a book or people-watching or just savoring my food. It's easy to tell the the kids that I am going out on a few errands; I make sure to hit the grocery store before coming home, so I did indeed do something gainful and feel less guilty about my self-indulgent "frolic and detour."

Edited August 18, 2003 by browniebaker (log)

[NeroW]

A caseophile, I last week made myself a very cheesy meal that would have been too much cheese in one sitting for my family: a platter of Brie, Bleu d'Auvergne, and St. Andre cheeses with water crackers; my ultimate macaroni and cheese; a grilled cheese sandwich; a pimiento-cheese sandwich, a grilled pizza sandwich, cream cheese and strawberry jam on toast, and fruitcake from last Christmas for dessert.

Must . . . eat . . . this . . .

KateW, congratulations on your life sentence!

When I eat alone, it's not special. Cooking for myself is no fun--when it's just me, it's strictly "food as fuel" time.

Bagels. Chips. Giant heaping salami and cheese sandwiches that I'd never eat in front of another person. Sometimes I make a pasta or a burger, if I'm feeling saucy.

But those purchased soups that have 7,000,000 mg of sodium--those really rock my world.

[suzilightning]

I make stuff my SO (oh by the way he's my fiance now as of August 15  ) would never touch and would cringe to see me eat.  Rare steak/burger is an example.  I do eat that stuff when he is around too, but it's so much more fun when he's gone because I get to make "yummy" noises and not gross him out.

I also take alone time to experiment; that way if it turns out gross I won't have to subject him to it too, and if it's yummy I can surprise him with it one night.

yeah, what she said.

actually that's when i get to cook my lamb burgers, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, veal, spiedies.....all the things the husband won't touch. many times i'll try a new recipe and invite one of my friends over to share since all her husband will eat is meat, broccoli, corn and cauliflower.

even if i am alone i'll take the time to set the table, put some nice music on, use the real crystal and pour myself a glass of wine.

actually the husband is going camping/family wedding this weds-sat so friday night i think i'll fire up the grill, set up the outside table and open up the jacuzzi...

kate - congratulations and i hope you have many years together

[dte3672]

That's when I break out a box of Cheeseburger HotPockets or a Marie Callendar's Pot Pie! What a treat!

[tryska]

well, i'm kind of in a unique situation as i have a fairly strict diet that i stick to day in and day out.

it makes it difficult for me to eat out, so i prepare food for myself, almost allthe time.

typically what i will do is cook a large meal for luncha nd an entirely different mealf or dinner on the weekend and split it up into tupperware to eat throughout the week.

this way i know exactly where the food is coming from, what's in it, and the macronutrients. that being said, i LOVE experimenting and trying new things, so I look forward to menu planning and hoping it turns out well.

a pelasant side effect has been that i save lots of money eating this way. I do this for 4 days out fo the week, and then friday i typically have a cheat day and eat out for both luncha nd dinner - this allows me to incorporate my social life as well. all bets are off on weekends - i'll eat whatever i feel like then, and it's very rarely home-cooked.

when it coems to eating it, it's usually right out of the tupperware, whilst catching up on ttv, before headign directly to bed.

[Jinmyo]

I'll often make a flatbread with smoked caccavallo or mozz, garlic, oregano, and perhaps some kind of salumi. Give it a good amount of crushed black pepper when it comes out. Kind of a pizza except no sauce and on flatbread.

Or two small "grilled" cheese sandwiches (done in the oven) with bacon. A different cheese for each.

Or a soup with leftover wontons and some peanuts.

Sometimes bangers and mash.

Sometimes steak and kidney pie.

Sometimes pasticchio.

Usually simple stuff I wouldn't serve, sometimes stuff from leftover from service. This is all late at night. (I don't eat "supper".)

[tommy]

i rarely cook for myself. i either go out or order in. i think most of the enjoyment of cooking, for me, comes from the sharing aspect. otherwise, i'd just as soon not have to clean up and shop.

Edited August 18, 2003 by tommy (log)

[bloviatrix]

On those rare occasions when I'm alone, I tend to eat a bowl of cereal with milk.

[Rhea_S]

I usually grill or pan-fry a piece of meat or fish. I liven this up with some sort of sauce and serve on a bed of greens or with a starch (usually rice) and steamed/microwaved/roasted veggies. Stir-fries used to be in the rotation, but I had a tendency to cook too much. Also, I have at least one vegetarian meal per week. I don't bake for myself very often aside from an occassional fruit cobbler or tart. Dessert is usually a piece of fruit.

I do try to plate my food nicely, but I don't bother with proper place settings. Dinner is almost always eaten on the formal dining room table

Planned entrees for this week include braised chicken with figs, leek and goat cheese tart, steak with onions and tilapia filet with green curry sauce.

[hannahcooks]

I make things my fiance doesn't like. Polenta or grits, typically, since he's pretty omnivorous.

[donk79]

My wife and I have a stark contrast in palates, I adore any food that comes from the water, and she believes that the only thing edible to come from the water is shrimp, and they're only good for piling cocktail sauce onto. Therefore, as soon as she heads out of town, its straight to the market for whatever looks freshest in the fish case. Unfortunately, living in southwest Ohio, even that's often pretty sad. Option number two is to head to a local Japanese restaurant that somehow manages to have decently fresh sushi.

[NVNVGirl]

I do all of the above, LOL! My husband is gone all week long so sometimes I use the time to try out something new without having him pacing back and forth wrinkling up his nose while I'm cooking (he always LOVES the end result however, but it only serves to piss me off..that nose wrinkling thing when you dont' even know what it is); sometimes I make things he either can't eat or would gag at the thought of (clam linguine being the former, corn tortillas with tuna, cottage cheese and salsa or baked potatoes with brewer's yeast and salsa). Lots of times I will grill a steak or chicken or fish, thow a salad together and either noodles or rice; anything to not make the kitchen a mess! And it just depends on what I am in the middle of doing or how i feel when I'm done...sometimes I sit at the kitchen table with a complete setting, sometimes I sit at the kitchen bar, sometimes on the family room sofa, sometimes in the office to eat. One thing I NEVER do when he's gone is sit at the dining room table..too much trouble to clean and one thing I ALWAYS do is have my wine in crystal.........it's just the way I feel about my wines....they deserve it. I can't imagine not cooking for myself, but I know there's a lot of people who take it as a day off if they dont' have to cook for a family on a routine basis.

Kate, congratulations to you on your happy news!

[Rosie]

I rarely eat alone but when I do it is m & m's and red wine.

[KatieLoeb]

First off - Congratulations Kate! I wish you both every happiness...

Being one who cooks for myself whenever I'm cooking, but am often short of time and always frugal by necessity, I tend to save Sunday evenings to make a roast turkey breast, or a roast beef or whatever, and then serve it for dinner that night, and for sandwiches/wraps or in strips on a salad for the rest of the week. Saves a bundle on cold cuts and is always better, IMHO.

I always drink my wine out of a nice glass, because every glass I drink is potentially "research" for work. So I like to use my Spiegelau large Burgundy glasses to get the full effect.

I make myself a steak often enough. I'll also have leftovers of whatever the last cooking project was - this week it's turkey posole soup I made last week and froze most of, as well as a bunch of stuffed cabbage I also made too much of and froze into individual portions. Last week it was Tuscan White Bean and Tuna Salad. I also make quesadillas a lot because they're easy and I love them! And sometimes I'm really lazy and order in Chinese!

[howard88]

I do all the cooking in my household. When I am alone I take it as an opportunity to treat myself well. I like to keep it simple, so its a large lobster or quality shrimp or steak.

[fresco]

My wife has a horror, bordering on phobia, that prevents me from bringing anything that moves into the house to eat while it is still moving. She's fine with live mussels or clams, but if I want to eat crab or lobster I wait till she's away and invite a couple of seafood loving friends over.

[Suzy]

Anything with massive amounts of garlic. I love garlic to a scary extreme and my husband only likes it in small amounts. When he's gone, I'm all about the garlic.

[Suzanne F]

I'm with Tommy on this one: when I'm by myself, I'm more likely to go out. Most often to a new place, or at least one we haven't gone to yet. My rationale is that if it's good, I'll know and be able to bring HWOE there eventually; but if it's NOT good, I'm only out the cost of one dinner instead of two.

[Oreganought]

I'm not worth the trouble

I must admit.....my best pasta recipes

have come to life this way.