Tiffin carriers are a convenient way to deliver food. — Filepic
It can be difficult to cook for a big group as you need to know the amount of ingredients to use and the cooking time taken. That being said, do you know that cooking for one person can be just as challenging?
You’d be surprised but sometimes cooking for one could take just as much preparation and time for someone living solo, depending on what you’re making. And you’re often saddled with leftovers that you don’t know what to do with, aside from passing them on to the neighbours!
Here are a few practical pointers that can help you minimise work and wastage, and make eating alone more of a joy. Some of these you probably already know, but just need a reminder to keep you on track.
1. Plan your grocery shopping
When grocery shopping, bring a list and buy purposefully. Be strict with yourself, buy only what you need and don’t get side-tracked by special promotions, or else you’ll end up with stuff you can’t finish and don’t know what to do with.
Store food in single portion containers and freeze it. — Filepic
2. Freeze food in single storage boxes
When cooking your favourite black pepper beef dish or soy sauce chicken, store the food in containers in portions that are just enough for one, in the freezer. And then defrost only what you want to eat.
Make pasta sauce and store in batches. — Filepic
3. Store pasta sauce in portions
Most people of all ages love pasta as the flavours are easy to accept. But pasta for one person can be a nightmare as it takes forever to finish a pot of gravy. It’s fine to make so much gravy as long as you store it in single portions. Then, cook just enough pasta to go with that amount the next round. This is probably one of the easiest home-cooked meals to prepare.
4. Think out of the leftover box
It’s OK to have leftovers and eat the same thing for a few meals straight. But it’s also very boring if you’re the kind who needs variety, and it can certainly turn you off meal times. The key here is to be creative with what you’ve got in your fridge. Too much pasta sauce? You don’t have to always eat it with spaghetti; soak it up with good bread and it’s still a good healthy meal. Some leftovers can be made into omelette, added to fried rice or made into pie. Pasta doesn’t necessarily have to go with sauce, it can be stir-fried or added to soup. Sometimes, mixing two or three leftovers together can also yield surprisingly tasty results!
The slowcooker is a boon to single folk. — Filepic
5. The slowcooker, your best friend
The slowcooker is a boon to those who don’t have time and who live alone, as you can cook pots of nourishing soups and stews. Later, just save this in batches and you still can have nutritious food for the next couple of meals without extra effort.
Food like dumplings store well. — Filepic
6. Keep simple, versatile, quick recipes
You probably look at cookbooks and recipes online and sigh that you’ll never be able to whip them up all alone. You can if you’re adventurous, and after that, refer to rule number two! But it is also good to keep a few quick versatile recipes up your sleeve. Look out for those that need less than five ingredients, with minimal cooking time, and keep these on your tablet or handphone. They’ll come in handy when you feel like whipping up something fresh in a jiffy.
7.Stock up on staples
When shopping for food, buy more ingredients that will last, can be heated up fast and go with other dishes. For example, frozen dumplings, good quality sausages, fish fingers and marinated frozen protein like steaks and chicken can be put into the oven or microwave, or on the stove, and cook in less than 15 minutes. Buy more root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes that will last longer, and frozen vegetables such as corn, peas and edamame which will still give you the nutrients you need and won’t go bad as fast as leafy vegetables.
8. Get a catering service
Not everyone enjoys cooking and in Malaysia, given the cost involved and variety of food available, it’s probably cheaper to eat out. But if you’re tired of commercial cooking which usually has too much salt, MSG and oil, you can sign up for a catering service that provides home-cooked meals. Some of these provide quite generous amounts of food, and some portions may even suffice for two meals.
