Cooking for One / New Cook

[Saab2000]

Testimonial:

I'm a single guy. I'm on the road a lot. Through school cafeterias, college cafeterias, crew meals (when I worked in Europe), airport employee cafeteria (again, when I worked in Europe), etc. I have had more people cook food for me than I can imagine and I'm embarrassed to admit that I know nearly nothing about food preparation. I'm literally almost the guy who brings his bike into the shop to have the tires pumped up or have the chain oiled. A couple years ago I was invited to a friend's house for a chili contest and he was actually mad at me that I didn't bring any and I was embarrassed to admit that I didn't even know where to begin to make something like this. Not proud of it, but it's a fact. I am pretty helpless here and I eat a lot of pre-packaged things and I eat out a lot.

Now that that's out of the way, who else here is a single person? What do you do for food? I'm gone a lot because of my job, so cooking for a few days that leaves leftovers may not be very desirable. About a year ago I decided something had to change so I watched a few YouTube videos on cooking chicken breasts. They are simple and good for the cyclist. I also actually like vegetables.

So I'm starting to do this but it's inconsistent at best but I do like some things I make. Today I baked a chicken breast (yes, that's a package of Shake & Bake in this pic and I'm baking some asparagus with some olive oil and salt and pepper. It's a start and not a bad one but I can't do this every day. I was going to grill this but there are thunderstorms in VA Beach this afternoon. I'm lucky that my apartment complex has grills for the residents to use.

Any suggestions from the single folks (are there many/any here?) on easy things to make to start my cooking career? I'm a bit overwhelmed by the things I see here and it's a bit like the guys who won't try tubulars because they feel intimidated by the process.

Today's masterpiece

[kurto]

Hey, Saab, I'm married, but I may be able to offer some help. The website and cookbook Budget Bytes (Budget Bytes - My stomach is full and my wallet is too.) have some really good recipes that I often suggest to friends who don't cook much or students that are just moving into their first apartments. The recipes are designed to be inexpensive, which means they usually are simple and have few ingredients, but they are really good. The website is pretty robust and well-organized, so you can browse easily.

[spopepro]

Like kurto, I'm more on the side of "people ask me this question" but am not in your target group. With that said, my recommendations are always:
1) Get deborah madison's cookbook. It's handy because it covers all of the basics of selecting, prepping, and cooking just about every vegetable you might come across. I think of it like the betty crocker for the new century. As a meat eater, add a protein of choice to a veggie or two and you're set.
2) As you progress, think about your pantry. One of the biggest challenges to picking up new cooking techniques is having to make lists and grab 20 different things from the store just to make dinner for yourself. Having the right stuff in the pantry makes it infinitely easier. I think one of the difficulties of cooking out of cookbooks/online recipes is that you end up going "hey, that looks good, I'm gonna make that", but it has nothing in common with what you made the night before and now you're getting another set of sauces, seasonings, etc... Same thing applies about switching ethnic genres. I can turn out great miso soup in ~15 min, but I have a fully stocked japanese pantry and only would need to get tofu and a veggie.
3) Unless you have specific dietary restrictions, be liberal with the salt and oil. When my wife started to learn to make a few things she thought she was being healthy by tightly controlling the salt, oil, and dairy. She could have put 4x as much in and still been using much less than restaurants do. Of course, it's possible to overdo it, but chances are you're being good because you actually are seeing and controlling what goes into the food. You're also not buying cases of half-gallon cartons of heavy cream and pallets of butter like the restaurant is, so loosen up a bit and make it taste good. It will still be healthy.
4) Get a good knife. You only need one, but having a nice cutting tool makes life waaay easier. Something like this is awesome (and yes, if you only have one great knife, I recommend a sizeable sankoku), but the fibrox forchners are the caad 9s of cooking tools.


But... the biggest hurdle is the mental one. My wife is gone for 2 months straight in the late summer and most of the time I dread cooking for myself. As much as I love to prepare and enjoy food with others, doing the same for myself feels like a chore. The most regular thing I do for myself is make hefty meal salads. They all follow this form:
-handful of mixed greens, spinach, or arugula
-Something crunchy. Could be belgian endive, carrots, raw shredded beets, shredded brocolli
-Fruit. Diced apple, dried cranberries, etc. something sweet
-a scoop of nuts
-Sometimes a cheese, like crumbled feta, blue, or chevre
-Dressing. It might be intimidating, but I say always make your own. 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, plenty (no, really) of salt, ground pepper, a tiny bit of minced onion or shallot, a quick squirt of mustard.

The greens and crunchy veggie are the things I have to pick up, the rest is usually around. I'll usually have some canned, smoked fish along with it and a bit of crusty bread.

[Mark Kelly]

I am single for 3-4 months of the year when I'm away from home working vintage, 12 hours x 6 days is the standard week (sometimes more), so time and befuckedness are at a premium.

The trick is to develop a few simple standby meals that can be prepared quickly and try to keep the ingredients on hand. When you get bored with your repertoire, branch out.

I won't give recipes but here's some general advice: learn what umame is and include at least one high umame food in each of your simple standbys.

As above, a decent knife is the sine qua non of the kitchen, get the best knife you can afford and a diamond sharpener, the knife will be a pleasure to use.

Also as above, remember that fat is flavour's friend. If you think you are using too much fat, ride more. I don't like salt, but if you do, go for it.

[Mark Kelly]

Umami, sorry for the misspelling.

[summilux]

I've been married for a long time, but two years ago I took a sabbatical in another city so I was "single" for not quite a year. A basic kitchen needs a good knife, a 12" cast iron frying pan, a pot big enough to boil pasta and a medium size pot for making stew.

Do you like Thai food? It takes about 15 minutes to make a good Thai curry as long as you have access to the right ingredients. It freezes well. From any decently stocked Chinese store, you will need:
-ready made Thai curry paste (red, green, or orange). It comes in a container somewhat smaller than a Ben & Jerry ice cream container
-Thai fish sauce. Buy the one in a glass container. Should be reddish brown in colour
-Coconut milk
- some protein (chicken breast is good)
-some veggie (frozen peas work)
-brown sugar

Directions:
-Slice or chunk the chicken breast
-add some cooking oil and about 2 generous Tablespoons of paste to a pot. Fry until you can smell the spice.
-add the can of coconut milk and mix
-add the chicken breast and boil for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked (5 minutes)
-add peas
-add about 1 Tablespoon of the fish sauce and 1 Teaspoon of sugar
-Adjust to taste. You can add more spice, more salt (fish sauce), or more sugar.

Get a cheapo rice cooker from Walmart and you can have a nice Thai meal made really quick

[zetroc]

Hey, I'm single and taught myself to cook under similar circumstances starting around 10 years ago. I got tired (really, really tired) of eating garbage, paying for garbage, gaining weight because of garbage, and generally feeling like garbage. You get the idea. Now, I'm no 130 pound climber and I'm very far from being the next Jacques Pepin, but I can cook most things acceptably and have a pretty good understanding of most cooking terminology. (Baking is a whole 'nother ballgame.)

I started out with a few books on the basics:

Pepin's "La Technique" and "La Methode" - these contain the building blocks needed for French cooking, like dicing onions and making beef stock. There are also a lot of things that you won't need to know (decorative carving in watermelon rind, for example) but it's all good stuff.

An Edge in the Kitchen by Chad Ward. Basic knife skills are a must if you want to learn how to cook, and you'll learn that things are done certain ways for a reason.

The Joy of Cooking is a great reference book with a lot of skills lessons included.

Alton Brown's books (especially I'm Just Here for the Food) are indispensable for his solid, insightful commentary that dispels many myths and can help you think clearly. This was the first book I bought. Very highly recommended.



Get one good chef's knife and start with that. You can do anything you need to with a chef's knife, and you'll learn a lot besides. Make it a good one that fits your hand well and it'll be a keeper, and make sure it's sharp. Cooking with a dull knife sucks. Also consider changing the way you shop for food. Try a new grocery store, or just walk around the produce section. If they have those little stands with free recipe cards, grab some of them. Go to used bookstores and check out the cooking section - buying new cookbooks is for suckers, unless you really want the author to get more of your money. Not that there's anything wrong with generosity, but cookbooks don't hold their value that well and can usually be had for a fraction of retail.

Above all, have fun, and don't be afraid to throw it out and order pizza.

[robin3mj]

Roast a whole chicken on Sunday. It's cheap, easy, and tasty.
Then use the leftovers the next few days in tacos, pasta, salad, etc.

Make stock from the carcass and freeze it. Easy soup when the weather turns, or a good base for any number of things.

[echelon_john]

With your schedule, consider making things you can eat then freeze, that'll be good when you get back to town. Some straightforward ones:
- Meat chili with beans. Lots of recipes, variable spice.
- Enchiladas. Beans, cheese, chicken that you pan fry with garlic and cumin, etc. Roll em' up, line a tray/pan with them (or foil 'em) to portion them, and microwave or bake when you're hungry
- Lasagna.
- Bean & vegetable soup

Go to Penzey's spices online and order the basics from them; they do a lot of gift/combo packs that will get you covered to start. Obviously every cuisine calls for different spices, but a good basic list might be:
- Good salt
- Good peppercorns (and a grinder)
- Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Celery Salt
- Curry Powder (choose strength)
- Mustard Seed
- Coriander
- Nutmeg

Couple of other ideas:
- Slow cooker/crockpot. You can do amazing meals with very little effort. Brisket, chicken things, lamb shanks, beef short ribs. Basically, you can cook any meat in a crockpot with some red wine, some vinegar, some chili sauce, some garlic, some onions, maybe some dijon mustard and some salt & pepper and it will come out great. 15 minutes of prep, then set it, cook for 6-8-10 hours, and eat later.
- Eggs. Learn how to crack & whisk them. That opens up omelettes, quiche, strata, etc. A good omelette is great for any meal; veggies, cheese, capers, salsa, you name it. You can make it in 15 minutes.
- If you like steak, learn to cook it. See the steak thread for guidance. It's not hard, you just need to get a feel for it.
- Frozen veggies, dressed up. We love brussels sprouts, but will work with beans, broccoli, pretty much anything; microwave the bag to thaw/warm them (puncture bag first) then chop some garlic and onion, put in a pan with some olive oil, sauté everything, then add a couple of tablespoons of balsamic and some salt and pepper and cook the liquid off. Super easy, tasty and pretty healthy.

Lots of other great points here. One nice, sharp knife (Chef's or Santoku), a cast-iron pan, a decent saucepan or two, and you're well on your way. You don't need a lot of stuff to make great food. Good luck!

[rwsaunders]

I'm on the road a minimum of one week per month, but that week I'm usually stationary and cook solo. Buy only what you can cook and eat for that week so everything is fresh, especially veggies and lettuce. Like a few others said, prep and freeze soups and sauces and I like the whole roasted chicken approach. Having good beer and wine around motivates me to stay in for dinner as well.

If I'm up against it, there's a Whole Paycheck about a 6 block walk from the condo and while their pre-made meals are a little pricey, most are healthy and the microwave is your friend.

[Lionel]

When I am in the US I am single. It goes like this

breakfast: starbucks
lunch: in the office as we cater food for the whole company
dinner: restaurant or with customers

On week-ends I try to be invited at Houston's house.

The kitchen in the house is spotless.

[Saab2000]

When I am in the US I am single. It goes like this

breakfast: starbucks
lunch: in the office as we cater food for the whole company
dinner: restaurant or with customers

On week-ends I try to be invited at Houston's house.

The kitchen in the house is spotless.

This sounds an awful lot like my life since nearly as long as I can remember.

[devlin]

Im single now but learned to cook pretty well for my family. As others have said cooked bigger batches and freeze. That way at least its only 5-10mins in the micro wave. Have a couple different pastas and rice in the cupboard. Rice I do in the microwave. I will do a lasagna that covers 6 serves, my chicken pie is pretty tasty and the pumpkin soup with potatoe and sweet potatoe is a great meal with fresh bread.

One big thing I vould never get through to my wife is you don't need full heat for everything. Some things do but others only need moderate heat so don't burn the outside before its done. Also have everything ready and at hand. Some recipies fet hectic if your are running around trying to find something.

[summilux]

breakfast: starbucks

How sad. Surely there must be good coffee somewhere?

One book that really stepped up my cooking was Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. The recipes are standard French Bistro but the book has really good descriptions of proper French cooking technique. The recipes are for 4, but lots of stews for freezing or refrigerating if you are cooking for just one. The language is funny and irreverant, it reads as if the guys from Velominati wrote a cookbook. Another good series of cookbooks are the Culinary Institute of America series. I have the French and Mexican ones and these are the most used ones in my cookbook library. Even though you might be tempted,don't buy any cookbook from Thomas Keller. The books are beautiful but even the simple recipes are too much work.

[Lionel]

How sad. Surely there must be good coffee somewhere?

One book that really stepped up my cooking was Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. The recipes are standard French Bistro but the book has really good descriptions of proper French cooking technique. The recipes are for 4, but lots of stews for freezing or refrigerating if you are cooking for just one. The language is funny and irreverant, it reads as if the guys from Velominati wrote a cookbook. Another good series of cookbooks are the Culinary Institute of America series. I have the French and Mexican ones and these are the most used ones in my cookbook library. Even though you might be tempted,don't buy any cookbook from Thomas Keller. The books are beautiful but even the simple recipes are too much work.

Good enough for me, in the morning I drink a latte so the coffee quality is totally secondary !

[BShow]

I'll just shoot some ideas from the hip. its been a while since I was single and cooking for myself, but soem of the easy things...

breading chicken/pork/fish is super easy to replace/supplement your shake n bake. there are a million recipes out there and almost all of them boil down to: flour > egg wash > breading/seasoning > heat. You can bake or fry it.

veggies are easy to steam or bake with olive oil salt and pepper often being enough seasoning. baked potato/yams are as simple as putting in the oven while you're prepping the rest of your meal. I like to rub either in salt and olive oil, cook on the top rack with a sheet of foil to catch drippings on the bottom rack.

Fish tacos are simple if you're into fish. your fish of choice baked with salt and pepper works great. Warm your tortillas in the oven wrapped in foil. its easy to shred some cabbage, chop some cilantro and cut up a lime. if you like guacamole, that's super easy as well... its just a matter of picking the best avocados, then mashing them up with juice from a lime, chopped cilantro and jalepeno to taste, salt and pepper. de-seeded, chopped tomato if you please. a side of rice is as simple as measuring some water and measuring some rice, put on the heat in your standard sauce pan before you start with anything else. Canned black beans aren't my favorite, but its easy to toss them in a fry pan with some diced peppers for another side. If you want some fruit with it, pineapple salsa is tasty and is as simple as chopping stuff up and tossing in a bowl with some seasoning. That's an easy dinner.

If you're grilling a steak/chicken brest, baking some potatos are a good side: cut up some fingerling potatoes, or small red potatoes. toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary. Or I like to dice up sweet potatoes, toss with oil and jerk seasoning. If you have the coals going, asparagus is really good on the grill. again, tossed in a bit of oil, salt and pepper. Finely grated pecorino cheese is really good on top.

pasta is obviously easy, assuming you can boil water. If you have a food processor or decent blender, you can make a pesto very easily; basil, pine nuts/pignola, olive oil, pecorino, salt and pepper (and/or crushed red pepper for a kick) to taste. Toss with some pasta and serve with your grilled chicken.

If you like tomatoes and soup, gaszpacho is super easy if you have a blender or a food processor. there are a number of variations, but you barely have to do anything except throw stuff into the blender/processor. You dont even have to cook it.

I like to season a lot of things with just a decent olive oil, salt and pepper. If you like black pepper, do yourself a favor and find a small mortar and pestle. grab some peppercorns from the store and grind away as you need it. at a minimum, use a pepper mill. The flavor is absolutely night and day when compared to anything that is pre-ground.

[echelon_john]

I'll add that one of my 'go-to' bachelor dinners is spaghetti al aglio & olio. Garlic, hot pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, parsley if you have it. Obviously garlic is the main flavor, so if that's a problem for your day job, it might be a non-starter. But this is literally a 20-minute meal to prepare and it's super satisfying.

Put water in pot to boil. While it's coming to a boil, peel and chop a head of garlic. In a skillet, put garlic, at least several tablespoons of olive oil (the olive oil IS the sauce, so you need to be liberal with it), a pinch or two of hot pepper flakes, some salt, and some finely chopped parsley (maybe 1tsp) if you have it. DON'T TURN THE BURNER ON YET.

Once the water has come to a boil, salt it liberally. Take a portion of spaghetti and break it in half for easier eating. Put it in the water and stir as it comes back to a boil.

NOW turn the burner on under the oil/garlic/hot pepper mixture. You want to cook it to soften the garlic and maybe get it to golden, but NO DARKER than golden. And to get golden, you'll want to turn off/reduce the heat before it gets there.

Once the spaghetti is 95% cooked (taste it for firmness after 7 minutes +/-, drain MOST BUT NOT ALL of the water, put the spaghetti into the skillet using tongs to help it out of the pot, leaving some water behind. You now have the spaghetti & oil mix in the skillet, and some water left in the spaghetti pot. Blast the heat and stir well for a minute or so. Keep adding another 1/4-1/2 cup of water. This finishes cooking the spaghetti in the oil mix.

Turn off heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. The oil really holds the heat, so eating it right out of the pot will be painful and not as flavorful. It can sit for 2-4 minutes with a stir or two and still be plenty hot.

Serve into a bowl; top with a little more salt or olive oil if you want. Have a nice glass of white wine with it; I like a Sauvignon Blanc but YMMV.

It's really that simple, and quick.

Report back! ; )
JC

[brucew]

I've been single for 20 years this coming October.

I've found two main issues with cooking for one. First, you put in the same effort in prep, cooking, and clean-up for one serving as you do for four to six. Sometimes it seems like it's not worth the effort. Second, it's hard to buy portions sized for one or even two, and scaling recipes is sometimes difficult.

Have you ever heard of Judith Jones? She's the woman who "discovered" Julia Child and was her cookbook editor for years, along with editing James Beard and many others. The woman knows both food and writing. Now in her 80s, six years ago she published her own cookbook, The Pleasures of Cooking for One. I work in a public library. One of the great advantages is that I get to try before I buy. I tried Jones' book, and immediately bought a copy. I'd been single for 15 years back then, and it changed the way I cook and use my kitchen.

Despite her credentials, Jones isn't what the media today calls a "foodie". Her book isn't about exotic recipes with expensive ingredients you'll only use once. Most of her recipes work well for weeknight cooking after work. She starts with how to stock a kitchen with the basics. Then it's shopping for the week. She has things for all around the calendar and emphasizes choosing recipes based on what's available, rather than shopping for things to fit a recipe.

She moves on to how to scale recipes, including such things as how to make a half an egg, (scramble it first.) You'll probably need to scale up her recipes, since she's a woman in her 80s and eats like a bird. As a male cyclist in my 50s, I start out by doubling her recipes.

Then it's on to the recipes, where say, the leftover meat from today's dinner, becomes an ingredient for something completely different later in the week. Leftover pork roast, for instance, gets diced and used in a stir-fry. This eliminates the boredom problem found when you make a recipe for four, then have to eat the same damned thing four times. Although for me, I cook on the three weekend days, wrap a plate each night for the following week, then nuke them after work. Thursday is pasta night.

Finally, she encourages experimentation saying that she herself uses recipes only as a jumping-off point. One of my favorites these days is one of hers that I've adjusted to my taste and portion size. Made for lamb, it's equally good with venison or rabbit, and in a pinch, you can use the cheap cuts of pork or beef. Although it has my customizations, it's a fair example of the things found in her book. (This one's a weekend thing. Takes too long for a weeknight, but it doesn't mind a few days on the plate in the fridge, and it freezes well.)

Braised Shoulder Lamb Chops Start here, and make it your own.

[brucew]

I passed the ten-minute edit limit, so a new post.

Getting ready to shop for the week, I remembered seeing fresh, homegrown leeks last weekend. They'll be in my grocery panniers coming home tonight.
Chicken with Creamy Braised Leeks. Not a Jones recipe, but it embodies everything I learned from her book, including using local in-season produce, finding recipes elsewhere, scaling them for one or two, and adjusting them to my palate.

[brc]

Often times when I'm lazy and want something fast, I'll make breakfast for dinner. Skillet up some bacon or sausage, use the rendered fat from the meat and some butter to fry a couple eggs, and serve with steamed rice from the rice cooker or some toasted bread. If I'm feeling healthy I'll saute some frozen peas with the meat fat and olive oil.

Talk about an easy meal. Quick, easy cleanup, no leftovers, and most of all, delicious.