"cooking for one" news and stories

While reading Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One, the line "Feed your head!" (from the Jefferson Airplane song "Go Ask Alice") kept running through my mind. Maybe it's because in his new cookbook, Washington Post Food and Travel Editor Joe Yonan brings home the point that preparing delicious food is a gift, whether it's for one or for 20. Feeding yourself well, and spending time experimenting with food, is not only good for your taste buds and your health, it pumps up your well-being.

That Joe Yonan has a way with solo adventures in the kitchen has long been evident in his "Cooking for One" column in the Post. And with the more than 100 recipes gathered in Serve Yourself, his talent for creating recipes that range from the rib-sticking (Yucatan-style Slow-Roasted Pork) to the delicate (Turbot with Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers Over Couscous) is clear.

There are singles classics -- you know, those dishes you can throw together on the fly but that are still fantastic -- such as tacos and sandwiches. But what tacos, what sandwiches: Korean short-rib tacos, a smoked-trout, green apple, and gouda sandwich. And there's a whole section on pizzas, starting with a no-knead pizza dough and featuring great combinations such as kimchi, ham, and fried egg ("the runny yolk richness," Yonan says, "pulls everything together").

Last Saturday a couple of friends came over for brunch. We ate french toast, drank a pot of coffee and watched four episodes of Flight of the Conchords back to back. My friend Shay passionately in love with FotC and so I'd been saving up, not watched any of the episodes until we could watch them together. I watched, amazed that something this funny and ridiculous was actually getting made, and became instantly besotted.

So you can imagine my delight in discovering that the folks over at YumSugar have developed a lasagna-for-one recipe, inspired by the FotC song, "I'm Not Cryin'" in which Bret sings about his heartbreak and how he's "making a lasagna...for one." I love it when parody becomes inspiration.

Last year, I posted a few recipes for things that I could make at home for dinner after a long, late day at work, for one. See, some people stress out when they have to put dinner on the table for a family of five, but I think the greater challenge is being able to cook (and eat) for one without having to resort to a large bowl of Special K standing over the sink watching CNN (not that I do that). Not only does cooking for one mean you have to be wise about portions and remixing potential leftovers, but there's also the usual problem of cooking in a tiny space. How many single people live in houses with enormous kitchens?

(Relatively) new blog Cooking for One posts about all things related to the subject. There are recipes, suggestions for cookbooks that have recipes that are, or are easily tailored, for single cooking, and tips for things like how to wisely store foods in your pantry.

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Lone eaters seem to be at the biggest risk for poor eating habits. Over 40% of those who live alone don't even prepare one meal a day at home and both eating out and take away meals seem to be often turned-to options. But one of the biggest problems is not a lack of skill or motivation, but that fact that a lot of fresh foods and recipes are just not designed for one serving. Milk spoils, loaves of bread mold and salad greens wilt before they are fully utilized. Recipes have to be cut down from 6 servings to one. As a result, eating out is easy. Shopping and bringing food in is hard.

One of the things that solo cooks can do is plan their meals in advance. Having a few set meals each week means you can plan a trip to the store to get exactly what you will need, rather than overbuying things that look good but will go bad before they are used up. Stopping by the store two or three times a week for smaller purchases, instead of making one larger trip, means that you can always have fresh perishables on hand. Cooking some foods in advance, like soups or pasta sauces, means that a fresh meal can be ready even faster than something microwaved, if you are willing to make time once during the week to prepare a full batch. Last but not least, it is a good idea to buy one cookbook that is designed for meals for one or two, like Small Batch Baking or Solo Suppers so you'll always have one book on hand to turn to at a moment's notice.

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If you happen to be single on Valentine’s Day, there is no reason to feel blue. After all, it’s only one day a year that the media lets us know that we are really supposed to be part of a couple. It’s worse if you’re a woman, of course. The message to men seems to be to celebrate the fact that they’re not “obligated” to take someone of to dinner and ply her with chocolates and flowers. Women, on the other hand, are expected to eat ice cream and chips by the pound and cry while watching sappy movies.

Single or not, a sappy movie from time to time is not a bad thing, but I definitely take issue with the ice cream and chips side of the equation. If you want to meet someone, eating ice cream in front of the television is not the way to go about it. And besides, there are much better things that you can be eating, even if you’re alone, whether you are a guy or a gal.