"cooking for two" news and stories

The standard number of servings a cookbook recipe makes is four. This number can range from one to eight, and in some cases even more, but most main courses are going to serve four. This can be a problem if you're only cooking for two because, even though you can tell yourself that you'll eat the leftovers anyway, you just don't always want to cook more food than you really need. And if you cook for two on a regular basis, you know that it gets a little tiring when you have to adjust the amounts called for in every recipes. The recipes in Cooking for Two: 120 Recipes for Every Day and Those Special Nights require no adjustment to provide perfect portions for couples. The dishes are easy, but elegant, and there are clean instructions on buying ingredients, so you won't get stuck overbuying and having to toss out unused herbs, veggies or dairy products that have gone past their prime before you had a chance to use them. Main courses include Lardons Salad with Poached Egg and Warm Bacon Dressing, Southwestern Glazed Salmon and Chicken Pot Pie - and there are even desserts that are perfectly portioned for two, like Linzer Cookies and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.

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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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