Chapter 1

Digging Into Cooking for One

IN THIS CHAPTER

Claiming control of exactly what and when you want to eat

Taking care of your body and soul by creating wholesome, fresh, and creative meals

Saving time and money by learning to shop, prep, and cook with single-serve tips and tricks

Reframing the process of cooking as a pleasurable experience rather than a chore

If you've picked up this book, you have joined countless others in the quest to learn or hone "cooking for one" skills and to discover a treasure-trove of delicious, single-serve recipes in the process. Literally, you're not alone! Over the last seven decades, America has gone through a historic transformation in household living arrangements. Today, one in seven adults lives alone, which represents more than one-quarter of all households in the United States.

Whether you're a college student and have just set up your first apartment, a young working professional, or a newly single individual (widowed or divorced), who is learning the cooking for one ropes in the kitchen you've called home for years, this book can help! Heck, I'm married with kids, but individual portion recipes have become my best friend with a husband who travels frequently and three older boys who often grabbed a burger or pizza with friends after sports practice when they were still living at home.

No matter your age or stage of life, this book will serve as a practical resource to help you set up and organize your kitchen, shop smartly, and improve your cooking skills and repertoire with over 145 tasty dishes that are sure to please your mood of the moment. You'll find a meal to meet almost every need, whether your goal is to save money, eat more nourishing meals, reduce food and packaging waste, tap into your creativity in the kitchen, feel self-sufficient and empowered - or all of the above.

Eating What You Want When and Where You Want It

Do you dream of kicking off the weekend with burgers and brats grilled right in your own backyard? Do you crave a warm, homemade cookie or salty, sweet bowl of kettle corn to power you through a couch-bound movie marathon? Perhaps you'd like to level up your lunch hour at work by packing something wonderfully fresh and exciting that will make dining at your desk feel like a delight? Whatever you do - you do you! No need to be at the whim of someone else deciding where, when, what, and how you eat!

Learning how to shop, prep, and cook your own food will give you the freedom to decide where, when, what, and how you'll eat without being at the mercy of restaurant hours, limited menus, and travelling around town more than necessary to score a meal that's decent. Plus, when you cook for yourself, there's no special dress code. You can indulge in a five-star restaurant quality dinner of steak and seafood while wearing fuzzy slippers and a robe and not a single head will spin. Or, flip your hair back and get glammed up in cocktail attire for yourself - again, you do you!

Sustaining yourself after shift work

Perhaps you work the graveyard shift and are hungry for dinner at an uncustomary hour. Or you may awake pre-dawn to run or work-out and need a high-performing breakfast to get you out the door quickly and keep you going for the long haul. Growing a skill set of methods and having access to a resource of proven recipes for one means you can be well-fed 24/7 without having to rely on "open all night" establishments, convenience stores, or another person to make and serve your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

Brown bagging like a boss

Before you get post-traumatic stress from a childhood lunchbox flashback of a smooshed peanut butter sandwich paired with a mealy apple and tiny box of extra dry raisins, know that brown bagging as an adult can be vastly more tasty and varied. Depending on your access to a microwave at work, you can prepare a hot meal (even leftovers) or a gourmet salad or sandwich to eat at your desk - or better yet, a nearby park! Getting outside for lunch on a nice day is a proven mood boost.

Do-it-yourself meals and snacks you take to school or work save a substantial amount of money over the course of a week, compared to picking something up in the work cafeteria or nearby take-out every single day. With just a little bit of effort in advance on the planning and packing, you can save time in the long run (who wants to wait for delivery or stand in a big ordering line) and also hit your exact nutritional goals for the meal. Of course, you don't actually need to put the meal in a brown bag. In fact, there are far better insulated containers on the market in a variety of sizes and fun (or distinguished) designs to suit your personal needs and style.

Transcending from Survival Mode to Creative Mode

For most, it's a simple matter of survival to learn basic food sourcing strategies, food preparation skills, and cooking methods. Starving is not a sustainable option (wink-wink), and getting "hangry" is a regrettable state of mind and body. That's why obtaining the know-how to execute a simple recipe from prep to plate is a life changer.

But man (and woman) can't really live happily ever after on never-ending meals of hard-boiled eggs and toast, or whatever you classify as the emergency "I don't really cook" form of basic sustenance. At some point, you just want more. More variety, more colors, more texture, more flavors, and more "Wow, I made that!"

Cooking is an art

Just like playing the guitar or painting a canvas, cooking requires you to open your mind to the endless possibilities, relationships, and harmonies between foods and the ways they are married together. Transforming raw materials (the ingredients) into a nourishing meal is itself the work of an artist, even if it's not something that would ever be displayed in a museum. And, honestly, could your taste buds give up that eating opportunity?

Your creativity can compound daily

If you are the type of person who follows the recipes here and elsewhere to a "T," you may find yourself beginning to experiment with the spices, seasonings, sauces, garnishes, and plating to suit your mood. That's fabulous; go for it - that's creativity! One day you may find yourself hooked enough on the creative process of cooking to write your own recipes - or cookbook!

Eating Fewer "Heat and Eat" or Food Kit Meals

Even if you're not officially dining out in the physical "I'm sitting in a restaurant booth" sense, raise your hand if you've subscribed to a meal kit service or pick up "heat and eat" prepared foods from the grocery store frequently! Sometimes this type of option is a lifesaver, but on a regular basis, you're still letting someone else do most of the heavy lifting of food preparation!

The popularity of meal kit services and prepared foods, many of which are marketed to the solo diner, is sky rocketing. They are marketed as a quick and easy meal solution for people pressed on time, cooking skills, or both. Learning how to cook dishes for one can help you dial back this expensive habit while providing you an amazing feeling of self-sufficiency. You have to admit that taking off a lid and hitting the microwave's 1-minute button can start to feel a little sad and boring day after day.

In addition to acquiring new skills and saving money, waste and over-packaging are additional considerations that may make you want to reduce a habit of "heat and eat" and food kit consumption. At first glance, you might say these options minimize waste. You receive the precise amount of "this and that" to make the given recipes, or the dish is already made and packaged up in its entirety to be heated, as needed, and consumed. No bits and pieces of waste to toss away or rot in the produce drawer; it's food for you to eat. So, yes, high marks on reducing food waste, but what about those insulated shipping containers and ice packs that come with each delivery, pick up, or take-out? These types of packaged convenience meals create a mountain of unnecessary trash with environmental ramifications.

Catering to Your Nutritional Needs

Chances are you consciously try to avoid some type of food or beverage; most of us do. Maybe you require a dairy-free latte and a gluten-free sandwich for breakfast or a plant-based pasta (nix the mushrooms, please) tossed with a low-sodium sauce and a nut-free brownie for dessert. Learning to cook for yourself provides full control over what's on (and off) your plate. Scoring exactly what you want in a restaurant or delivery situation and trusting the waiter to accurately relay that message to the line cook is much more difficult and limiting.

Allergies and intolerances

More than 10 percent of U.S. adults have at least one food allergy or intolerance, with the spectrum of severity ranging from disrupting daily health and well-being to being life threatening. Top food allergens include milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish. If you have an avocado or chocolate allergy, I am grieving for you. But, all jokes aside as this is a serious topic.

Other medical and health...