The Prudent Pantry: Single Servings - Cooking Recipe Tips for One

A few weeks ago there was a request in the comments for advice on cooking for just one person. Now, I freely admit that I am the wrong person to answer this question, as I have lived by myself exactly once in my life, for a grand total of about three months, but I thought I'd give it a go. I may not know what I'm talking about, but I do have a lot of cooking experience and I hope it will translate.

The common advice seems to be to cook a great deal of one dish (lasagna, for instance) and eat it all week. I think this sounds terrible--who wants to eat the same thing every day? It is definitely frugal, but too boring. And I don't know about you, but if I get bored with the food I have, I buy other food. There goes the budget!

You could, however, cook a great deal of one dish and freeze individual portions for later. Using my lasagna example, you might invest in small baking dishes so that you'd only bake a small amount at one time, and freeze the rest assembled but not yet baked. When I was pregnant I bought some 2x2x6 inch foil pans that are almost exactly the size and shape of a lasagna noodle, which would make two large slices of lasagna. Of course, if you could find reusable pans that would save even more money, and is better for the environment.

But if you don't have ample freezer space, or just prefer to cook smaller portions, there's a pretty simple way to do that, too. Most recipes are intended to serve 4, 6, or 8 people. Check the number on any recipe you want to make, and divide accordingly. Make sure you prepare at least two servings, for two reasons:

• Servings are often small (with the assumption that you will be serving multiple dishes, which is sometimes impractical when cooking for one).
• While you may not want a whole week's worth of food, it is nice to have lunch for the next day (bringing lunch can save you a ton of money, too).

So for a recipe that serves 4 or 6, divide it in half. For one that serves 8 (or 10 or even 12) divide by four. You may have to improvise a little with some ingredients, but with almost everything that is okay. The only place you need to be careful with improvisations is baking, and that too is totally doable.

TIP: if a recipe calls for eggs, and dividing the recipe requires that you use a percentage of one egg, you can either go ahead and use a whole egg (if the required portion is more than half) or beat the egg and then divide it.

Does anyone have recipe suggestions for cooking for one? Recipes for dishes that do not require sides are especially useful, but anything goes.

Annika Barranti is a writer living in Los Angeles and blogging at Through the Looking Glass. She and her husband are raising two children and trying to eat well on a tiny budget.