How to Cook For One

One of the best, and most important, skill to start to master as an adult is cooking. Food is a basic thing to, you know, live, but it's also a wonderful opportunity to experiment and express yourself. Making cooking and baking a passion of mine has added something more to life. Dramatic, I know, but why do you think so many people have been sucked into cooking shows?

I'm not a master chef bt any means. I still make mistakes, recipes still don't come out quite like I hope, and sometimes I still burn cookies. But it's not something I dread, something that feels like a chore. Learning how to cook, and, specifically as a single person, takes a lot of trial and error. However, I'm here to share what I've learned works, for anyone that is still struggling, or will be soon entering into  adulthood where you can’t justify Taco Bell every night.

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1. Meal Planning

Meal planning is the most important step, for a number of reasons. One, you won't be figuring out what to do every night, instead you cram it all in one night, usually Sunday. It makes grocery shopping a lot faster, cheaper, and less stressful. Food also won;t go to waste, and if you love making lists like me, it's another opportunity to make lists. For some reason, meal planning stressed me out too much to start. I'm a super picky person, and I correlated meal planning with meal prep, which, as I work an inconsistent schedule, really doesn't work for me. That's not the case. I'm going to break down the super simple steps to meal planning.

First, although optional, buy a cute, but compact, small notebook. I did this for the simple fact that I can carry it with me, to work and the store, and will fit in my purse. I use it to make my plan and my grocery list, so my usual big spiral notebooks wasn't sensible. Second, if you already haven't. I encourage you to find a way to get ahold of recipes. Cook books are great, but take up space. There are tons of cooking pages online, I use the Tasty app, or just google recipe websites. Mostly though, I use Pinterest (click to go to my board) and honestly, just pin any recipe I find, whether it peaks my interest or not. To sum it up, get together a bunch of recipes. Third, just plan out what you want each day. I plan my week of meals based on my hours at work, and sales going on at Kroger or Meijer. Fourth, make your grocery list. When I pick what I'm making each day, I then make a list of all the ingredients I'll need with check boxes under it. I go through my kitchen and check off anything I have already, and compile the rest into another list. Lastly, I buy everything I need. I'll be going over grocery shopping later, but that's all it takes to meal plan.

It's important to stick to your meal plan for the simple fact that you buy your food based on that plan. Any produce or meat you buy, but decide not to use, is wasted food and money. It's also a great opportunity to keep ahold of any recipes that worked. I made a recipe book, because it's well known how over the top I am, but making a folder in your phone or just starring you already made meal planning list will work just as well. Don't give up on a recipe if it doesn't work the first time either. Cooking doesn't come natural and takes time and patience.

2. Grocery shopping

This is probably why most of you are here. I'm convinced that no one has any real idea how to grocery shop, I get irrationally angry when I see people tweeting a pantry full of sugary foods and pop talking about that's how their kitchen will look. So, it should go without saying, don't buy a bunch of fruit roll ups and call it a day. Alongside purchasing things from your meal plan every week, there are things that you should keep around, like basic seasonings (salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, etc.), back ups for when recipes go wrong, (I have sooo much back up pasta), and it's fine to buy foods outside of your meal plan. Any frozen foods, canned food, snacks, for nights you really aren't feeling what you should be making for dinner. There are two big things I've learned; first, it's ok to buy in bulk, and second, it's not ok to buy produce in bulk. One of the hardest things to learn while cooking for yourself is how much to buy. It's ok to buy nonperishable items or foods with a longer shelf life you use frequently, in bulk. In fact, I always buy chicken in bulk and freeze it. It's cheaper, and as long as it's stored properly, it'll be good for months. Meats like fish, though, I don't buy in bulk. Most meats can be frozen though, in the freezer aisle, which will eliminate this need all together. I personally prefer fresher meat though, which leads me into my next point. When it comes to produce and perishable foods, be careful at how much you are buying. It's helpful to know the shelf life of things and how to properly store them to extend their freshness. When I first started, I would buy things like cilantro and parsley, and it would go bad before I could use it all. Although it's not as fresh, I opted to buy already chopped garnishes that last longer, which you can find with spices. I've learned to note how much I eat of things like bananas, apples, carrots, celery, and don't buy more than I normally eat. When it comes to buy fruits and vegetables I need for my meal plan, I will usually buy Monday-Thursdays when I go shopping for the week, and stop at the store Wednesday or Thursday to buy what I'll need the rest of the week. It ensures my produce doesn't go bad, and gives me an opportunity to pick up more things I need like milk or eggs. Ultimately, you need to gauge how often you go through certain food groups and shop accordingly. Don't be afraid of bulk, but also don't waste money buying too much food that will only last a few days.

3. Cooking for Two

When I say cooking for two, I mean you and you. I have gotten myself into the habit of, when I cook, I make enough for two. This isn't essential by any means, but having leftovers for the next day will cut back on spending for lunch at work, and could save you from cooking on the weekend. Leftovers aren't awful, and it's totally ok to shake it up the second time around. Most recipes are made for a family of four, and most recipes should not be more than halved anyways, because it could mess up the taste. There are even some things, like soups and casseroles, that I will make four servings worth and use for a few days, if I know my schedule will be hectic. Instead of cooking one chicken breast for chicken parm, just make two. Make the whole box of spaghetti instead of half. You don't always have to make single serving dinners, sometimes it's more efficient to cook a little more. Just make sure to plan how much you'll need when meal planning and shopping.

4. Other Important Advice

If there's one thing I can't stress enough, it's how much of a difference quality cookware makes when it comes to cooking. I have slowly but surely started swapping out my cheap Walmart cookware with more quality things, like Rachel Ray. Good quality tupperware will help with freshness, I recently got a Faberware knife set from work as opposed to a random knife set I was given for Christmas and I was so excited as how much easier it changed my life, I had to stop myself from just chopping other random foods. Little appliances like toaster ovens come in handy too, although I've done fine without them, and are more of a fun thing to have rather than a necessity. As your cooking skills are more refined, the more small kitchen appliances you'll want and will come in handy, just don't get ahead of yourself. 

The best piece of advice I can give when it comes to cooking is just have fun! Try new things, and don't get discouraged when things don't always pan out as you had hoped. As an independent individual,  however, it's crucial to begin learning how to cook and how to work your kitchen properly. It's a great stress reliever, it's much healthier, and will save you tons of money in the long run. If you have any points I missed or any advice you would like to share, let me know, because I'm always happen to learn! I hope you learned a thing and too, and happy cooking!