Cooking for one or two. What do you do?

[handymanstan]

My wife will eat about 10 foods and if the food has flavor or any heat then its taboo.

I cook for myself most of the time and find it hard to reduce recipes to just one serving.

  Most every recipe online is for at least 4 to 6 servings.  It seems that just about anything I make I have to eat over and over to get rid of it or freeze it.

Does anyone have recipes for just one or two servings or can you give me guidance in reducing recipes and cook times.

Stan

 

[chef willie]

That's always been a problem for many. I have issues with scaling back as well. When working full time I cooked for 85-100 people twice a day so was hard for me to scale back when at home for just the 2 of us. At the very least cut the recipe in half which is easy to do in most cases. I know when smoking meats I always have way to much due to the size of the cuts but I share a lot with co-workers and friends just to not have pounds of PP around.

 

[kathrynn]

Stan....I feel your pain!  Lynn..my husband...is probably one of the pickiest eaters in the world.  He never finds anything good about what I am cooking that day.  Oh well...there is cheese and crackers!  

Most of the recipes I have is for a herd.  Some are easily "halved" and some are not.  I will put on my thinking cap and send you some recipes.

Kat

 

[sound1]

Changing our cooking style since becoming empty nesters has presented the same problem.

Back in the busy days, we would cook all day Sunday and have quick meals for the week. I hate to waste the smoke so we tend to do the same thing now, cook a variety of stuff and I may get ribs two times that week

 but having made up several different things, two days in a row is rare.

The KISS method just works for us, prep and cook all you can ahead of time, then dinner cook is a breeze. The Sunday quality time working together is just an added bonus.

 

[daveomak]

Bride always cooks for 8-12, for the two of us....  Lisa's vac-bags get a workout around here and so does the freezer....  Opening the freezer here, is like opening a gourmet freezer case in a specialty store....  Look at my avatar.... It's not the camera that makes me look fat...

Pleasingly Plump Dave

 

[smokinhusker]

It's a challenge for lots of families these days. There's just 2 of us now (didn't have many leftovers when my son and his ex lived closer) and lucky I am that Rock is not a picky eater and has no aversion to leftovers! I vac seal lots of "leftovers" and pull them out for a quick meal when needed. I also send some for his lunch the next day. I do halve recipes when they can be.

 

[humdinger]

I don't know about full blown recipes for two, but if you are looking for some ideas I can help. Some things I smoke for just the wife and I are cornish hens, sausages, chicken thighs, and a rack of ribs. They are short cooks and leftovers usually only last a day. The cornish hens are our fav because they are always frozen til you need them and serve up like personal single serving chickens.

I find it easy and worthwhile to do these small smokes because I have a small propane smoker. Therfore it's quick to get going and the food doesn't look like it's cooking in a giant void, so I understand the frustration of other folks with charcoal and stick burners that getting coals going just to do something small is a pain.

Hope I helped.

 

[handymanstan]

Thanks for the replies.

Chief Willie  I do mostly cut recipes in half.  I freeze and vac seal leftovers. Give away allot too.

KathrynN     If you can post recipes here then everyone can see.  I loved the super easy cup cake that Smoking B did its a perfect size for two. I love pie but there is no way I can eat a whole pie and if I make one 1/2 will go in the trash.  I throw out to much food and its got to stop.

Sound 1   Whats the KISS method

Dave   I too use a lot of vac bags but I wish I could just make smaller meals to start.  How to make a two severing stew or soup?  Everything you put in is in a size to make 6 servings. 

SmokingHusker   It is a challenge and I probability don't plan enough.

Humdinger   I have done Cornish hens and if I just put salt on one  and rub on the other then its a good meal but chicken I always get in trouble and cook to much. I cooked up legs and thighs a package of each last Sunday and Wednesday I made a gal of soup. Froze 1/2 and have had two meals with the other and there is still more in the fridge.  MY EYES ARE BIGGER THAN MY STOMACH   I always cook too much.

I think I might try what Sound said and try to make some stew and some soup and whatever else I can come up with that will use mostly the same ingredients at the same time. !/2 can broth each pot 1/2 onion each pot some thing like that might work.

Just seems to me there would be more recipes for one or two servings.

Stan

 

[jp61]

It's a never ending struggle around here with many variables, but I do like using my FoodSavor.

 

[jirodriguez]

One thing you can do for stews and what not is get a small crock pot (I know it's not a smoker), that way you are limited by how much you can actually fit into the cooker. Similarly any dishes where you are doing a lot of prep and realize that at the end of it you have a ton of food cooking - use small pinch bowls (about 3"-4" in diameter) to put your prep ingredients into. This works well with things like stir-fry - one small bowl of meat, and 2 or 3 small bowls of various veggies, cook with your spices and what not and serve over a little rice. Basically by portioning your prep you don't end up with a lot of left over food afterwords.

For smoked meats smoke stuff and vaccum seal it into individul portions of one or two things per pouch - buying the smaller bags helps enforce this.

 

[seenred]

Mrs. Red and I struggle with this too, being empty nesters and trying to adjust after years of feeding a small army.  We've learned to cut recipes in half when possible, and vacuum pack and freeze a lot of leftovers for another day. 

 

[venture]

I have no advice on this?

Choose better the next time? 

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[kathrynn]

Stan!

Here is a site that is great for good old school Southern foods....but with a modern easy twist.  Christy is a friend of mine.  Her dishes are more moderate in size too.

I would suggest you go check out some of her stuff.  I am still thinking...a bunch of mine are huge...but right now we have 5 folks in the house!

Kat

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Bride always cooks for 8-12, for the two of us....  Lisa's vac-bags get a workout around here and so does the freezer....  Opening the freezer here, is like opening a gourmet freezer case in a specialty store....  Look at my avatar.... It's not the camera that makes me look fat...

Pleasingly Plump Dave

LOL!

~Martin

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I've routinely cooked for one so long and occasionally two (the better half is a picky eater) that it's become second nature, I don't give it any special thought.
I can see it being a challenge if you're used to cooking for more all the time.


~Martin

 

[bbqbrett]

I am not a big leftover person.  I just usually get simple foods, packages of chicken pieces, steaks, the smallest roasts I can get etc.  For sides some type of veggies and salad makings.  I just make the food to the way I like it (expirment) and don't do a lot of recipes.  It costs a bit more to buy the smaller portion sizes but then I don't do leftovers well (unless it is something I really like) and it is better than having to freeze or throw the stuff out.

 

[supercenterchef]

well...I live in the south...so when a recipe says it makes four servings, that's just two servings down here...

I half that and get down to one really large serving...and then I jog...at lot...

 

[kathrynn]

well...I live in the south...so when a recipe says it makes four servings, that's just two servings down here...

I half that and get down to one really large serving...and then I jog...at lot...

Super....Oh you said it!  That is correct....4 servings isn't going to feed my herd!

Kat

 

[handymanstan]

Thanks to everyone who responded,  I followed Kats suggestion and spent the weekend reading on food and recipe forums.  I now realize that I was asking the wrong questions and the real secret is PLANING not size of the recipe.  A menu and a plan for the leftovers is needed.  Buying smaller sizes of anything I can and splitting up the larger size items.  Making small meals and when I make a normal size recipe have a plan when and how to use whats left over.  I need to stop impulse buying when at the store and impulse cooking because I saw some thing here or on-line that I just have to try.  I do this a lot and need to stop and add the recipe to the menu.  I am starting a menu and shopping list for two weeks at a time on a calender and I am really going to try to stick with it.

I had to laugh at SupercenterChefs post.  I used to eat a lot more at one sitting than I do now but some times a recipe that says for 4 is really for 3 or 5.  I guess its in the eye of the writer.

Stan

 

[sound1]

Thanks for the replies.

Chief Willie  I do mostly cut recipes in half.  I freeze and vac seal leftovers. Give away allot too.

KathrynN     If you can post recipes here then everyone can see.  I loved the super easy cup cake that Smoking B did its a perfect size for two. I love pie but there is no way I can eat a whole pie and if I make one 1/2 will go in the trash.  I throw out to much food and its got to stop.

Sound 1   Whats the KISS method   I tend to overthink things....Keep It Simple Stupid...I say, whacking myself upside the head

Dave   I too use a lot of vac bags but I wish I could just make smaller meals to start.  How to make a two severing stew or soup?  Everything you put in is in a size to make 6 servings. 

SmokingHusker   It is a challenge and I probability don't plan enough.

Humdinger   I have done Cornish hens and if I just put salt on one  and rub on the other then its a good meal but chicken I always get in trouble and cook to much. I cooked up legs and thighs a package of each last Sunday and Wednesday I made a gal of soup. Froze 1/2 and have had two meals with the other and there is still more in the fridge.  MY EYES ARE BIGGER THAN MY STOMACH   I always cook too much.

I think I might try what Sound said and try to make some stew and some soup and whatever else I can come up with that will use mostly the same ingredients at the same time. !/2 can broth each pot 1/2 onion each pot some thing like that might work.

Just seems to me there would be more recipes for one or two servings.

Stan