Cooking for one

Pasta is a good choice. Cook it and you can add almost any leftovers to it.

If you haven't got leftovers, use tomato puree and a little butter. Add peas or mushrooms or egg. If you make too much, it can be stored in the fridge or frozen.

Lot of possibilities.

Hope your daughter enjoys University.

I can add mushrooms to my food yeah, I am looking forward to some mushroom pasta now! My children don't like them so I don't normally bother.

Even though you are on your own, batch cook. Make bolognaise sauce with 1 lb of mince and then freeze in four or five little containers to add to spaghetti on days when you feel to weak to cook. This can be done with so many dishes, Home made ready meals are so much cheaper and nicer than bought ones.

There are many excellent 'Cooking For One' books in the library.
I'd recommend you get a few and make a little booklet of your own favourites.

You could share them with your daughter who will surely also need inspiration on cooking for herself at uni.

M0nica is right about the batch cooking RatherBeActive - it takes same amount of time to cook 1-2 lbs of meat in a chilli or bolognaise then portioning for the freezer for whenever you’re busy or plain can’t be bothered.

I am alone and batch cook, I love having a 'ready' home cooked meal in the freezer. Don't use old ice cream containers though unless you write on them - I was very disappointed recently!

Good for batch cooking is:
Spaghetti Bolognese
Meatballs and Spaghetti
Curry
Chilli
Fish Pie
Shepherd's/Cottage Pie
Mashed Potato
Home made fishcakes

Invest in some good quality containers that seal well and you're all set. Enjoy

I love cooking just for me- I can eat everything I like and I don’t have to please anyone else. I eat lots of soup, omelettes, pasta, fish and salads. It’s really easy to eat a healthy varied diet, and when you are catering for yourself you know there is going to be little waste. The only problem is buying small enough quantities, but most foods, apart from greens, can be frozen, so I will take one plaice fillet, say, and freeze the rest. Some supermarkets now sell small packets of potatoes and other vegetables too. I can’t agree with those, mostly women, who say “it’s not worth cooking for just me.” It jolly well is! I still make myself roast dinners- usually chicken- and it’s great peeling just enough potatoes and parsnips just for me rather than having to produce huge quantities for a household.

It saves time and money to batch cook. I will cook something today, have the meal, same again tomorrow evening and freeze the rest, like others, when I cannot be bothered cooking. This way there is very little waste.

You can eat exactly what you like and enjoy it!

I can't see the point in only cooking for one person when making things like chilli, curry, etc and always make a great big pan full.
Divide into containers and freeze.
The times I cook for one would be if I have salmon fillet, steak, bacon and egg, and omelette for a really quick meal.

I've been on my own for 2 years now though I feed family at weekends still. My weekday meals are usually weekend leftoveers, chicken or fish with new potatoes or rice and green veg, sometimes stir fry. This is easy, healthy and non fattening.

Spag Bol/Chilli/Cottage Pie/Meat Balls can all be made from the same Ikg of best mince and frozen for later with pasta or fresh veg.

The internet/YouTube have all the recipes you could ever need/want and the videos show exactly how the food is prepared and served.

Can I ask, if you freeze home made food ..Spag Bol, chilli, fish pie etc.. do you have to defrost it before cooking, and if it's only a portion for one how would you reheat and for how long?..particularly concerned about anything with fish or chicken in it being cooked all the way through!

If I freeze anything freshly made, I take it from the freezer the night before I need it and defrost it slowly in the fridge.

Sometimes the water needs squeezing out of it, or at least drained and I avoid freezing potato in any form as I find it alters the texture.

I take the frozen food straight from the freezer and reheat in the microwave until bubbling hot- stews,casseroles, chillis, bolognese. They all taste very good especially stews and casseroles where the flavour seems better after freezing. I sometimes add more water as it seems to evaporate a little when frozen. You can also add more turmeric to curries and adjust flavourings in other things.
Don't forget to keep in frozen onions, carrots, mushrooms, courgettes etc. And you can easily make a dinner if you can't get out for some reason.

Ailsaa, I will cook and freeze anything -and do.

As for defrosting, do it anyway you like, leave it to defrost, put it in the microwave or in the oven.

The best way to check it is cooked is to do it the way you check a cake to see if it is cooked through: put a knife into the centre pull it out and feel the blade, if it lukewarm, the centre is not heated through, if it comes out really hot and the food round it is reaching boiling point, little bubbles coming to th surface it is cooked.

I batch cook, needed to buy a bigger freezer. I am always making something from leftovers from the fridge, cannot bear to waste anything. Soups are always a good standby. I wash lettuce leaves in advance and keep some washed green veggies in vac jars as they keep longer. Eating solo year on year is not a novelty when it is enforced through being widowed. I batch cook brown rice and freeze it flat, always useful. Bread is usually sourdough, I get the big loaf, cut neat slices and freeze them. Cold lightly cooked potatoes are very useful from the fridge, fried, potato salad etc

I make myself eat properly by ordering organic veg in advance

My downfall is cake, I slice and freeze but it is still nice when frozen. I try not to buy biscuits for `just in case` guests

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Ye gods is he still at it?

Must say if you do batch cook, do label clearly, I'm lazy about it. I've just taken something out for this evening, and have no idea what it is, it's just brown!

Delia Smith's book 'One is Fun' has lots of great recipe ideas, and you can get most of them from her website:

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/one-is-fun

Thank you Monica...is it safe to cook pre cooked frozen chicken, (say in a casserole) which has been frozen or must I always defrost overnight as I would from fresh chicken?