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"Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking

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hellosunshine
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
Okay y'all, so I just spent $25 at the store (unheard of for me) and got a bag of carrots, two of those Dole caesar things, a giant thing of mozzarella, a loaf of italian bread, italian dressing, pasta sauce, eggs, coffee and fat free half and half. The coffee was $4 and was the most expensive thing. Shopping with the circulars, for one = ftw!

Though I did just blow $18 on a box of wine but hey, it lasts!
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brendastarlet is on it
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I cook for myself all the time and I both cook from scratch, and take deli counter foods and doctor them up. For example, I have a piece of roast salmon in the fridge that I will add to some salad tonight, and then use the rest tomorrow with pasta and peas.
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lijakaca
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I whine about cooking for one mostly because it's hard to buy portions of produce/herbs that won't go bad before I use them. But when I have weekend time to whip up five portions of butternut squash gnocchi with cream sauce that I can have the rest of the week, I don't mind not having to share at all!

Other good things: I eat whenever I want and whatever I want (and sometimes ramen with a poached egg is exactly what I want, TYVM), don't have to deal with anyone else's food dislikes or allergies, and always know what's left in my cupboard (ok, usually).
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brendastarlet is on it
11/19/08

@lijakaca: buy those green bags. I know they're expensive, but they work. Also, you can store herbs in a glass of water -- it adds a nice touch to the kitchen.

My secret on produce is to buy what I need for myself on the salad bar -- broc, carrots, etc. That way, a whole bag doesn't go bad.
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microfiche
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
My mind is blown that this many people can afford to live alone.
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wankster
11/19/08

@microfiche: Maybe I am ignorant, but I think a lot of people can live along as long as they aren't in a huge city like SF, LA or NYC.

Or dem bitches are loaded!
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hellosunshine
11/19/08

@wankster: Or we live in cheaper areas of those large cities :)

I, for one, live with a boyfriend in a tiny studio and pay way too much rent - but we live smackdab in the middle of the Village and I love it.
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brendastarlet is on it
11/19/08

@hellodarling!: I vowed after college I would never have roommates again, even if I had to live in a studio. I never have. Love to have visitors/guys over, but I love being by myself.
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hellosunshine
11/19/08

@brendastarlet: So do I (only child) but thankfully he's easy enough to live with!* Mostly because we're either silly together or totally doing our own thing. Though I have to say, I enjoy when he's on vacation.

*ARGH ending in prepositions.
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hellosunshine
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I live with my boyfriend, but we rarely eat together. His diet consists of cheddar, wheat thins, ritz, peanut butter, PBJ, veggie chili (when I make it) and chicken/steak (if someone else is making it for him). I like to be more adventurous. Well, not really, I just get sick of the same stuff - then again, he's scrawny and I'm, er, not, so maybe he's on to something...
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The Queen of No
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
"Not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to fuck." - Robert Rodriguez.
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Red-headed bookworm
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I'm cheap and lazy, hence I cook for myself. I love food and would rather make a decent meal at home that will give me leftovers for lunch(es) and another dinner than go out. I hate leaving work to find something to eat. Plus, the Target by me just started selling liquor and they have these box wines that are cute little cubes that eequal two bottles. I bought a Pinot Grigio and a Shiraz/Cabernet one. Yay for little boxes of wine that easily fit in the fridge!
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louveciennes
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I actually enjoy cooking, so it's never been a big hardship for me. And I certainly don't buy 1 chicken breast -- I make 4 and just eat leftovers. That way you don't HAVE to cook every single night, which takes a lot of the enjoyment out of it.
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brendastarlet is on it
11/19/08

@louveciennes: I usually buy two, and eat the second one the next day. Or I freeze half the package. This summer, I got into a big roasted tomato sauce phase, and decided to freeze it in individual containers so I'd have it this winter. They look so nice stacked up in my freezer!
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clevernamehere
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I never really understand the "I'd cook if it wasn't just me!" mentality. What's great about cooking for one is you get to do exactly what you want. No dealing with a partner's aversion to garlic or fish. No toddler who refuse to eat anything not shaped like a stick.

Someone said they didn't cook for one because they don't have a microwave. I don't have one either, but I don't find it a problem (esp. since I hate microwaved food). To defrost, I just put whatever it is in a bowl and leave it in the fridge before work.

If you want one chicken breast- ask the butcher at your supermarket. If you want one perfect roll (and live in NYC) order parbaked rolls from Fresh Direct.
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egg cream
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I don't know, I love eating alone, whether it's homemade or takeout. There is nothing more relaxing than coming home after a long day at work, putting on my pajamas, and sitting down in front of the TV to watch House and eat a bowl of stuffing ALL BY MYSELF. (Yes, that is how I spent last night.)
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hellosunshine
11/20/08

@egg cream: I'm SO glad I'm not the only one who loves stuffing. I have a giant can of Stove-Top in the pantry and it confuses Boyfriend, apparently. LOVE IT.
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Remedios Varo can't see no huevos.
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
The answer is allrecipes.com. They kindly divide the quantities of ingredients for you.
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laurascr
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
actually. The worst part for me is eggs. They don't make single serving eggs... well they do. But a lot of recipes for 4 require one egg. How do you quarter an egg?
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Lawyerette will perform legal services for food
11/19/08

@laurascr: Use Egg Beaters.
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brendastarlet is on it
11/19/08

@Lawyerette, FTW!: eggs freeze well. You could always quarter it and put the rest back.
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BicSharpie
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I've always regarded an inability to cook to be one of the least desirable characteristics that a person can have. Cooking is relatively simple and is such a loving act--both for yourself and for others that you might cook for. And I'm not buying the whole too busy to cook thing either. I work a full-time job, practice karate for multiple hours per day, and still manage to cook a nice dinner every night.

My sensei actually told me an old fable about a rich man that couldn't cook for himself. The rich man had the best servants in the land and always enjoyed the best food. One day a terrible plague came and took the lives of all of his servants--there was nobody left to cook for him. He ate everything that was left in the fridge and quickly ran out of food. Near death, the rich man begged for food and at that very moment a man dressed as a bat and another man dressed as a spider flew in to his room and asked the rich man if he learned his lesson. He said yes and then they all made love.
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I'm Chuck Bass
11/19/08

@BicSharpie: Near death, the rich man begged for food and at that very moment a man dressed as a bat and another man dressed as a spider flew in to his room and asked the rich man if he learned his lesson. He said yes and then they all made love.

I am almost crying from laughing so hard at this.
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Tlafabu
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
I used to think "cooking" meant make everything FRESH! and I couldn't be bothered to chop veggies, marinate meats and do all that stuff. but now, i cook more since i use short cuts. my favorite things is artichoke hearts (out the can) roasted with parm cheese in the oven. Then I put this in pasta--eat it as a side...eat it alone. YUMMY!!! Realizing that I could take "shortcuts" really liberated me. Sure those pre sliced veggies cost more--but it takes one step out of cooking and makes a difference to me!
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brendastarlet is on it
11/19/08

@Tlafabu: that sounds fantastic! I love the frozen peas from Trader Joe's. Cook some of those, slice some prosciutto, get some grated parmesan, and a little butter, and toss them with warm pasta.
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d.margaret
11/19/08

In reply to "Cooking For One" Is Kind Of Like, Well, Regular Cooking
am i the only one who uses a crockpot? i love it and, channeling my inner don-draper, nicknamed it the "little wife" when i first started using it this year (was in a mad men phase at the time). you can just throw some chicken parts in it (or any cheap cut of meat, the fattier the better) with red wine, carrots, onions and prunes. come home and you have an amazing coq au vin. plus, the leftovers just get better each day!

the are usually on sale at drug stores in the appliance aisle for like 20 bucks.

seriously, so worth it: it's like having someone else cook for you!
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Hana Maru
11/19/08

@dorothy.margaret: I love my crock pot. I braise all kinds of meat, sometimes the day before I want to eat it so I can refrigerate it and peel off the layer of fat easily. I also save all my chicken bones in the freezer dump them in at night with water, and have delicious stock in the morning.
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Hana Maru
11/19/08

@HanaMaru: Mine came with a little one, too. I make overnight steel-cut oats with chopped apples or whatever dried fruit I have.
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