Cooking for One

[pjs]

Last night I cooked myself dinner, and it was French Onion dip and Jays curly chips.

NeroW, did you cook the dip, the chips, or both?

More importantly, what did you have to drink with them?

Chinese takeout has been mentioned, but why not do it yourself? I have a 14" stamped steel wok. I have a quart of nicely flavored cooking oil in the fridge. In the freezer are wrapped individual portions of beef, chicken, pork and shrimp. The oil reaches pass-through temp about the same time that the marinating protein is ready to go. After velveting, I stir-fry with some fresh veg(s) and condiments to finish, and plate with rice or noodles from the pantry. Easy, and so much tastier than 95% of takeout.

PJ

[tommy]

i'm all about grinding some meat and making a really good hamburger and fries. or a pizza (with pizza place bought dough). either way a bottle of red gets popped. at that moment, i realize that i'm the best cook and the company on the planet.

[NeroW]

More importantly, what did you have to drink with them?

Beer. Negro Modelo.

[Alex]

Even an extravert like myself (ENTP, if you must know) enjoys solitary dining at home from time to time. I talk and listen for a living, so a short stretch of relative silence and a magazine for company often is most welcome. I'll usually make something quick -- perhaps steak and asparagus, or penne w/goats cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, or even a veggie burger smothered in onions and mushrooms -- accompanied by a beer or a glass or two of wine.

MFK Fisher wrote a succinct essay about dining alone, in An Alphabet for Gourmets, collected in The Art of Eating.

Edited for wording.

Edited April 18, 2004 by Alex (log)

[KateW]

My favorite thing to cook when I'm alone (usually Monday nights) is a swordfish steak with olives and capers in a butter sauce. It's easy and I find it gets better every time I do it. (I'm pretty new to cooking fish at home.) I used to put anchovies in it too but that's way too salty.

[Curlz]

I agree wholeheartedly with much of what has been said on this thread; my friends and co-workers joke about how my lunches are always so interesting compared to whatever they bring from home (usually Lean Cuisine). If I didn't cook for myself, that wouldn't happen. The biggest problem I have is a lack of freezer space, but I try to dive in there for a few items each week to make room for the new stuff.

As for entertaining, I'm with Phaelon...I love the social aspect, the chatter while I'm getting things ready, AND the fact that I have friends who pitch in to help with the dishes! (Yes, a cook without a dishwasher...makes me just a tad more efficient.) Finally, the sharing aspect of cooking is very gratifying, and I'll often bring an extra container of something I've made to (usually single) friends, esp those who don't cook much. There's a truly appreciative audience!

[Bond Girl]

Whenever I set out to cook for myself I invariably ended up cooking my neighbors who would call asking me what I'm making. Last night, I made a goat cheese tart with ramps, thinking that I would have it for a few days. This morning, I barely have enough for a lunch meal.

[emmapeel]

I like to cook for others, but I love to cook for myself. It's fun. Recently, I found these menus from Gourmet Magazine's Dinners for One. I made the Moroccan Dinner, and it was fantastic, not to mention, easy. I don't subscribe to the magazine, does anyone know if they have discontinued this column?

[mizducky]

I'm another singleton who mostly cooks for herself alone. (I seldom if ever cook anything for Fearless Housemate, as his eating schedule and food foibles are pretty much completely disjunct with mine). Once in awhile, I find myself cooking a potluck dish to bring to a party. Otherwise, I seem to balance between periodic big cooking projects that keep me in leftovers for a few days afterward; quick-and-fast scratch meals like omelettes; simple meals of basic pantry items like cheese, bread, pickles, etc.; and a smattering of take-out. Right now, for instance, I've got the remains of a batch of borscht, plus some cooked beans and brown rice, hanging out in the fridge; some combination of two or more of those will probably be dinner.

[emmapeel]

Yesss, I'm with you, I have days worth of the tomato soup I made yesterday, but I find that after eating it two times, I wind up throwing it out. My staples are like yours also, Mizducky. So, that's why am trying to figure out how to have diversity, i.e. roast a chicken and then next day having chicken fried rice. I'm not too creative in this department. Bond Girl's class is great though.

[Luckylies]

I cook all the gross stoner food I can think of when my dude is bro-ing down. I eat all the messy sloppy, fatty things I can think of. Marrow bones, Philly cheese steaks, white Castle Burgers all the goods... when dude comes back from his adventure he finds me munching on a single celery stalk

[fifi]

I do all of the above. I enjoy cooking for myself. The challenge is downsizing. I also find that even soups and stews that freeze well don't appeal after the second time around. They get shunted to the back of the little freezer and eventually thrown out. Gumbo is one exception to that rule.

My stroke of genius is getting smaller pots! My 2 1/2 quart Le Creuset is my best friend. It was the star of the braised chicken experiment. It is also perfect for cooking a half pound of beans using the Parson's Method. Then when I bought my Black Chamba the baby pots became part of my reheating strategy here. I love braised dishes and find that they downsize neatly if you have the right size pot. I also bought a 2 quart (3 maybe?) crockpot.

[sadistick]

I enjoy cooking up large quantities of carbonara when alone, leftovers are great, and theres not much cleaning up to do.

Edited April 19, 2005 by sadistick (log)

[emmapeel]

...White Castle Burgers all the goods...

←

Luckylies, I do the paper towel trick too, but in a steamer. (very complicated wrapping of almost soaked paper towels pressed between two layers of aluminum foil poked with holes, burgers back to back.) I don't have a microwave. (Gotta try that celery trick )

My stroke of genius is getting smaller pots! My 2 1/2 quart Le Creuset is my best friend. It was the star of the braised chicken experiment.

←

Fifi, the braised chicken looks so good. I must do that. I have a small Le Creuset marmite 2 1/2 quart and like you, I use it all the time, and I have a 2 or 3 quart brassiere. I must look up the parsons method for beans. But so far, beans are like my soups and stews, never make it past a second time around.

Edited April 19, 2005 by emmapeel (log)

[cathrynapple]

i'll make butternut squash soup and eat it for a week, with other things. i eat eggs and toast and bacon and fruit pretty much four times a week for lunch. i love breakfast, and eggs are quick.

small batches of stir fried rice noodles and veggies are quick and good, too.

[joey madison]

I, for one, really enjoy cooking for myself. I do a mix of single serving meals and larger recipes that I reheat later on. I approach it much the way I shop at the local co-op. What do they have, and what looks good. That's the attitude with which I approach my refridgerator. Things like chicken breasts, larger steaks, and pork tenderloins are easy to cut in half to make different recipes. My regular standbys include chicken marsala, chicken w/tomatoes, basil, garlic, capers and white wine, maple gazed pork tenderloin, vietnamese pork medalions, korean grilled beef, plain old steaks, homemade mac 'n' cheese, jambalaya, chicken parm risotto, garlic parm gnocchi w/ greens, quiches, omlettes, salades nicoise or lyonaise, etc. Once you get used to controling your portions and buying it's easy not to waste food. And the more often you cook, the less chance of food going bad.

Unfortunately... this also means there is no one to pawn the dishes off on afterwards.

[fifi]

Russ parsons reported on his bean experiments starting here in the Dried Beans thread. Then he elaborates a few posts later. My formula for just about all dried beans that I have tried is roughly this:

1/2 pound dried beans

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 to 2 1/2 hours in my covered Le Creuset at 250 degrees F.

Seasonings other than an acid like tomato are added at the beginning. I check the beans after about an hour and add water if needed. It is rare that I have had to do that.

[stephenc]

Mostly pasta dishes or whip up a quick stirfry

[dant]

I like making Pasta with squid ring sauce. you can use squid rings straight from the freezer.

Brown a glove of garlic and a couple of small chillies in a scant tablespoon of oil.

Remove the chillies and garlic and

add the squid rings, fry until cooked (3-4 minutes).

Squirt in a good dollop of tomato puree. add salt to taste.

Mix up with the pasta and eat.

Penne is nice with the squid.

[chrish1]

I usually make a big steak on the grill. I mean really big, like a 16 oz NY strip. Add some red onion and asparagus and maybe a salad. A bottle of cab or zin and I am in heaven. If I knew how to post a picture I would show you one I made last week when I was alone. It was magnificent

[LindaK]

Though I live alone I don't cook solo as much as I would like--a quiet evening trying a new and complex recipe with some good music and wine is a great thing. When I have the chance, it's mostly after coming home late from work, the gym, etc. My standby is generally some broiled fish and fresh veggies. Delicious and very quick. Toppings vary, from simple oil and garlic, to something asian with soy, ginger, etc., or more french with wine, butter, and fresh herbs. Roasted veggies are also a standby. If I have an extra hour during the weekend, I'll make a small batch of soup, that's good for a meal or two.

During the summer months, I become completely greedy with all the fresh veggies from the farmers markets. Beans and tomatoes are my obsessions. When they're both in season, a bean and tomato salad with lots of fresh basil, lemon juice, and olive oil is what crave, and eat for days on end. Sadly, still far away here for those of us here in New England.

[Susan in FL]

I love being Home Alone and cooking for just myself... wish I had the opportunity more often. I see this original post was a year ago, so it's not like the suggestions are still needed; however, I wanted to comment. It's a great topic! I like to either think about it and go for what I'm hungry for, or go to the market and just browse around and buy what looks good, and go home and fix it. Often I cook something my husband is not fond of, which isn't much. However, he is not as crazy over veal as I am, and often I fix that. Our Publix is good about carrying various steaks and chops in packages of only one or two, so it's easy to shop for one here in FL.

I also enjoy dining out alone, so that's another option when we're apart.

[Mottmott]

Cooking for "just one." Luxury, self-indulgence, total freedom. My meals range from ridiculously simple to ridiculously complex. Sometimes just bread, cheese, fruit, wine or cider. Other times a dish that takes a couple days.

I don't like eating leftovers for days at a time, so when I make soups, braises, lasagna, etc., I package most of the leftovers up immediately in zip bags for later instant dinners. I also use my freezer to keep what I think of as building blocks for a meal: homemade dough, stocks and sauces, mirapoix, caramelized onions, duxells, ready to bake cookies or scones, etc. (some cakes freeze very well and can be easily sliced while still frozen). This makes cooking so much easier for me.

And best of all, living alone, it's really simple to invite someone over for dinner.

[PurpleDingo99]

As nuts as it sounds, 4 or 5 course meals often come out when I cook for myself. why? because its a great time to experiment. Ill gladly grab a pork chop and leave the other three. Either use those some other time and/or add another pack if necessary.

[Susan in FL]

You got it! ...All of you. I imagine lots of us eGulls enjoy the cooking for one luxury more than the average population. Mottmott, I love how you described it, "Luxury, self-indulgence, total freedom." Yes.