That is the primary publish in a brief collection on cooking for one. In the event you’re in a bigger household, search in my proper aspect bar, below my picture, and that offers you recipes and details about household meals for 2, 4, or bigger. However earlier than we get into cooking, we have to have our methods in place so we do not waste meals. Meals costs are nonetheless rising and it is smart to take a look at the way you retailer meals so you do not throw meals (cash) out each week.

When my youngsters left house, I fell into buying and cooking for 2 fairly simply. The buying trolleys filled with groceries had been gone, I used to be cooking smaller meals and it was handy to cook dinner for 4, eat two of these meals, then freeze two for later. After I’d completed that for a few months, I had a really wholesome stockpile of frozen do-it-yourself meals able to go for the times I did not really feel like cooking. That system labored for Hanno and I for a few years and I by no means had a purpose to vary. However once you’re solo, cooking for 4 is not such a horny choice. It is higher to cook dinner for one. And it’s a must to arrange a system that can aid you do this and never waste meals.

Earlier than we cook dinner meals, we’ve got to purchase and retailer it first. I now not have a vegetable backyard however I do develop all of the herbs I eat and I’ve a fruit timber and passionfruit vines, so I’ve occasional fruit. I purchase the remainder of my meals. In the event you’re making an attempt to work out a method of cooking for one, first work out how you will retailer your meals. When Hanno bought sick my sister stayed with me for a few months so I continued buying, storing and cooking the way in which I had for the earlier 20 years however when Tricia went house, I began losing meals and that was what triggered most of my present modifications. Nearly each week I threw out a half-eaten lettuce, a collapsed cucumber, a mouldy wedge of pumpkin or one thing else that died earlier than I had an opportunity to make use of it. One of many issues with shopping for contemporary meals is that you do not know how contemporary it truly is. Most meals on the grocery store seems to be contemporary however you do not know if it truly is contemporary or if it has been sitting in a chilly room for a month or two. If it is the latter, it would wilt once you put it within the crisper of your home fridge and doubtless will not final every week. In the event you’re rising your personal greens, they need to final for weeks earlier than you discover any issues.

Most of us have a fridge and freezer, most have a pantry the place we retailer all of the open packets or jars of meals presently in use. In the event you can add a small stockpile it would assist you numerous – by chopping down on the journeys to the grocery store and cash saved, in addition to the data that you would be able to feed your loved ones effectively into the longer term should you lose your job, somebody within the household is sick or any weather-related disaster hits. 

I had all these storage choices – the fridge, freezer, pantry and stockpile cabinet, what I added final 12 months was a Zwilling vacuum sealer unit. I noticed a vacuum sealer on sale at Aldi however I needed reusable luggage, and that is what Zwilling gave me. I’ve labored with it for a number of months now and I adore it. Although I attempted laborious, I used to be losing meals each week however now I’ve gone again to zero meals waste. It is notably good for storing contemporary greens, fruit, meat, chilly cuts, cheese, left over meals. The starter pack I bought comes with luggage for flat storage and two containers – one is glass, one plastic. I’ve had coleslaw within the glass container and it is lasted nearly a month up to now. You possibly can retailer soup and different liquids in addition to dried meals.  I purchased my starter set from amazon.com.au. I’ve simply purchased one other set of luggage, I take advantage of the luggage greater than the containers. The luggage are sturdy and might be washed and dried after use and be reused many occasions.

I like cauliflower and now I should buy a bigger one and know it would stay edible.

Listed below are the three Zwilling bag sizes, with a field of tissues so you’ll be able to work out the scale.

I purchased this Iceberg lettuce for $1.90 on Thursday. Now it is within the bag, I do know it would stay crisp and scrumptious till I end the final leaf.  And no, the vacuum pack would not crush it. 

I needed to put the lettuce within the bigger bag as a result of it did not match via the opening of the smaller bag. I made positive it was on the backside of the bag earlier than I packed it so I may neatly fold the bag in two for storage.

Corned beef chilly cuts. I cooked this meat and loved it through the week with cauliflower, cheese sauce and candy potato. Now I’ve one pack within the fridge for sandwiches or a fast salad meal and one within the freezer for consuming subsequent month or the month after.

In the event you’re a meat eater and you’ve got a freezer, it is smart to purchase small bulk packs of meat or rooster as a result of they seem to be a cheaper worth for a similar quantity of meat on a flat tray. Repackage them at house and freeze them in meal-sized parts – for one or ten, relying on the scale of your loved ones. Zwilling makes this kind of freezing, environment friendly and handy. When you’ve got your luggage full and vacuum sealed, you’ll be able to retailer then in a drawer or container like in a submitting cupboard. Standing them on their sides so you’ll be able to flip via them, permits you to see precisely what you’ve got. When vacuum sealed in Zwilling luggage and saved within the fridge, your meals will final 5 occasions longer than in a plastic bag or container.

 

The meals I eat now’s primarily the meals I grew up consuming – it is the quaint casseroles, curries, stews, soups and salads that most individuals had in these days.  It is nourishing, simple to cook dinner and scrumptious. If that is the meals you wish to eat, I’ve loads of recipes right here on my weblog. Simply seek for “beef casserole”, “curry”, “soup” and many others within the right-side search bar and they need to come up. Most of these recipes can be for 4 servings, so freeze or vacuum pack two serves, eat one serve immediately and retailer the opposite within the fridge to eat tomorrow or the following day. Or if in case you have a Zwilling unit, eat one serve and vacuum pack three serves so as to add to your fridge or freezer submitting cupboard.

For these days once I wish to strive one thing completely different, there are many web sites for cooking for one. I’ve chosen this one as a result of their recipes look nutritious and satisfying and there is a vegetarian part on the backside of the web page. I like this one as effectively as a result of it exhibits how fast and simple it’s to cook dinner tasty meals at house.

In my subsequent publish, I will have some recipes for you – some are what I eat, some I’ve discovered on the web and am comfortable to advocate.  In fact, we’ll additionally discuss storage once more, particularly the best way to retailer any leftovers from the recipes I share.  I will additionally discuss prepping meals – that is for carers, working people and oldsters with youngsters who might profit from new methods of getting via house responsibilities. 

I hope you will have time to vary your meals methods in the event that they want altering and if in case you have any questions on your modifications, ask questions within the feedback and I will see if I, or the opposite readers, will help you kind out any issues you’ve got. So get caught in as a result of if all of us cease losing meals and the cash it prices, we are able to transfer onto tweaking different areas within the house that can make life higher.