{"id":114370,"date":"2024-07-19T07:59:48","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T07:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/?p=114370"},"modified":"2024-07-31T15:39:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T15:39:45","slug":"dinner-for-one-the-perfect-serve-for-solo-cooking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/dinner-for-one-the-perfect-serve-for-solo-cooking\/","title":{"rendered":"Dinner For One \u2013 The Perfect Serve For Solo Cooking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making dinner for a household of six meant that big-batch cooking was the standard most nights, though, it didn\u2019t imply cooking and freezing meals in advance. In fact, you were lucky if there were leftovers. When I moved out on my own, I thought I could live on leftovers, except, I couldn\u2019t. By the third night of eating chicken curry, a dish that only gains more flavour with time, my appetite started to dull. I was living Trevor Noah\u2019s \u201ccurry, dammit mummy!\u201d school lunch saga \u2013 only, I was the mummy. Solo cooking was a challenge.<\/p>\n

Even when I wasn\u2019t purposely cooking large pots of food, I subconsciously added larger ingredient portions. It was a force of habit; something that I had to unlearn.<\/p>\n

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Dinner For One<\/h3>\n

Cooking for one comes with practice and, more importantly, knowing how to shop efficiently. If you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019ll agree that food waste is not an option. Here are some top tips for getting the perfect serve if you are cooking for one.<\/p>\n

Bulk Buying<\/h4>\n

A trip to the grocery store can strike inspiration, but you could also end up spending more than you bargained for if you are cooking for one. Think about what you want to eat for the week and stock the basics. Pantry staples are the simplest solutions to dinner dilemmas.<\/p>\n

Sushi rice<\/a>, dry pasta<\/a>; canned goods<\/a> like tuna, tomato relish, chickpeas and butter beans are my monthly non-negotiables. If you don\u2019t have someone to help you decide what you want for dinner, hunger (and whatever is in your pantry) is the best cook. Improvise and let your taste buds lead the way.<\/p>\n

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Meat and protein bases can be stored in the freezer \u2013 that\u2019s if loadshedding<\/a> isn\u2019t a major concern, in which case, it\u2019s best to buy poultry and beef on a weekly basis to avoid spoilage. Top up with fresh produce as needed; root veggies like sweet potatoes and onion are exceptions \u2013 they could last longer than leafy greens like spinach or fruits like cucumber. Though, you could even cook your cucumber<\/a> before it hits its expiration date.<\/p>\n

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Perfecting Portions<\/h4>\n

Big-batch cooking and bulk buying are great in theory…. soups are ideal for easy lunches or dinners if you don\u2019t feel like standing behind the stove for hours, and can easily be frozen and saved for weeks to months if stored properly (for up to three months).<\/p>\n

Occasionally cooking big-batch meals can be clever and convenient \u2013 just make sure you\u2019re not cooking for an entire football team. Don\u2019t overestimate the portion; four portions should be the maximum \u2013 nothing more. Otherwise, versatile meals are the way to go.<\/p>\n

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Savour this Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup<\/a> with a Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Mix & Match Mains<\/h4>\n

Meal prep only works if you are committed to staying the course. If you don\u2019t enjoy eating the same thing day in, day out, switch things up. Cook your mains and pair them with other sides or incorporate them into other dishes with different base sauces to make meals that require less effort than cooking something from scratch.<\/p>\n

On busy weeks, Woolworths rotisserie chicken is my best friend. It\u2019s simple and lavish enough to turn into comforting Hainanese chicken<\/a>, you could also make tzatziki, hummus and grilled brinjal for shwarmas; or even pair the chicken with warm salad (\u00e0 la air fryer) for a wholesome meal. If time is on your side, try making this Smoked Paprika Spatchcock Chicken<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 you can get a few meals out of it.<\/p>\n

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Keep It Simple & Savvy<\/h4>\n

Somedays, brinner<\/a> or a \u2018presto\u2019 pasta is all I can muster to cook. This Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon & Kimchi<\/a> or Lemony Courgette & Chilli Spaghetti<\/a> is what I settle for when intrusive thoughts whisper “Just get takeout.” It’s these days that I often have the most satisfying meals.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re cooking for one, 85g is the typical serving suggestion for spaghetti. Without a food scale, knowing the right amount can prove tricky; some pasta spoons allow you to measure the exact amount for this reason \u2013 simply place the spaghetti in the hole towards the back of the spoon. This is, of course, not an ideal solution if you\u2019re using penne<\/a> \u2013 this is where your guessing skills come in handy. Solo cooking can be fun with some trial and error.<\/p>\n

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Make the most of rotisserie chicken with these midweek dinner ideas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Want to be a better cook? Try these 12 tips<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making dinner for a household of six meant that big-batch cooking was the standard most nights, though, it didn\u2019t imply cooking and freezing meals in advance. In fact, you were lucky if there were leftovers. When I moved out on my own, I thought I could live on leftovers, except, I couldn\u2019t. By the third night of eating chicken curry, a dish that only gains more flavour with time, my appetite started to dull. I was living Trevor Noah\u2019s \u201ccurry, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8133,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"brand_slug":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114370"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114892,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114370\/revisions\/114892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}