Cooking for a Cosy Household: Mastering Meals for Two (or Just You!)

I live in a small household. Unlike my friends with bigger families, it can be tricky to cook for a small household without wasting food or having to eat the same dishes for the whole week.

These are some of my top tips for cooking for a small household for a single person.

Learn how to scale recipes- I often halve my recipes so I don’t end up cooking large portions of food and eating the same dish for the rest of the week! For some recipes, it is a matter of just having the ingredients and keep an eye on the cooking time. Depending on what you are cooking, you may want to adjust the cooking time as well.

The freezer is your best friend- Invest in some BPA free plastic food containers and these are perfect storage vessels for any leftover food which you can pop into the freezer. You will be surprised at what you can freeze- I buy a loaf of bread and freeze the whole loaf and pop the frozen slices directly into the toaster in the morning. Many dairy products such as cheese and milk can also be frozen. When you buy or make extra seasoning paste such as a Thai Green curry paste, all you need to do is to pop them into an empty ice cube tray.  When you want to make a green curry, all you need to do is to pop out a couple of cubes, add coconut milk and vegetables/meat and you will have a delicious green curry in minutes.

Buy in small quantities - Where possible, I always buy small quantities of food. This means visiting my local butcher and deli. At the supermarket or greengrocer, I also buy individual pieces of vegetables or fruits instead of the prepacked produce. At independent delis, you can also bring your own containers and buy small quantities of grains, beans and pluses. 

Use frozen and tinned vegetables and fruit- Let's talk about frozen and canned veggies and fruits. Sure, they might get a bad rap, but hear me out—they're often packed with more nutrients than their fresh counterparts. See, once fruits and veggies are plucked from the vine, they start to lose some of their goodness. Take green peas, for instance. They can lose up to 50% of their vitamin C within just two days after being picked! And it's not just peas—broccoli and beans follow the same sad trend. That's why I'm all about stocking up on frozen berries, spinach, peas, and beans. They lock in that goodness and keep it fresh for when you need it most.

Meal plan and batch cooking- Meal planning and batch cooking are lifesavers for small households. Planning meals a week in advance and preparing freezer-friendly dishes like pasta, curries, stews, and pies ensure a varied menu without the hassle of daily cooking for me. Sometimes, after a hard day at work, I don’t alwants want to cook.  Plus, it's a time-saving strategy that ensures delicious meals are always on hand.

Get creative with seasonings and dry store ingredients/ condiments- Transform leftover ingredients into new dishes by experimenting with different flavor profiles and cuisines. I often just plug the leftover ingredients I have into Google and see what type of recipes they suggest. Usually, with the basic dry store ingredients and condiments in my cupboards, I can turn leftovers into new and exciting dishes.

What are your top tips for cooking for a small household? We would love for you to share!

By Jennifer Yong

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