People who have never lived alone often think cooking for one person must be easy. You only have one person to feed. How difficult can it be?
Very. Cooking for one is not necessarily easier. It is just less efficient.
Recipes are usually designed for families, couples or groups of people who apparently have friends. You open a recipe and it says: serves four. Perfect. I need one. Now I have two options. I can divide every ingredient by four and try to measure half an egg. Or I can cook enough food for four people and spend the next three days eating the same thing. Neither option is particularly exciting.
The Leftover Problem
Leftovers sound great in theory. Cook once. Eat multiple times. Save time. Be responsible. Very efficient.
The problem is that I don't always want to eat the same meal again. Especially when I have just spent an hour cooking it. The first meal is exciting. The second meal is acceptable. By the third meal, I start questioning my life choices. By the fourth meal, I am opening food delivery apps.
Eating the same chicken for four days feels like watching the same episode of a television show repeatedly. Yes, technically it is still good. But I already know what happens.
Shopping Is Also Designed for More Than One Person
I don't need twelve tomatoes. I need three. I don't need a giant bag of something that will sit in my refrigerator until it becomes a scientific experiment. I don't need enough garlic to protect an entire village from vampires.
Living alone forces you to become more creative. You learn which ingredients last longer. You learn how to reuse things. You learn that freezing food is not admitting defeat. You also learn that sometimes buying a smaller package is cheaper than buying a large package and throwing half of it away. That sounds obvious. I have ignored it many times.
Cooking for One Requires Creativity
The good side is that cooking for yourself gives you complete freedom. Nobody complains about your ingredients. Nobody asks why you added extra garlic. You can experiment. You can fail. You can eat dinner at 10 PM if you want. There are no rules.
The kitchen becomes my laboratory. Sometimes I start with a recipe. Sometimes I start with random ingredients. And sometimes I stand in front of the refrigerator for ten minutes waiting for inspiration. The refrigerator usually does not help.
The Biggest Challenge Is Motivation
The hardest part of cooking for one is motivation. Cooking for other people has an obvious reward. You create something. People enjoy it. There is conversation. There is an experience around the food.
When you cook for yourself, sometimes you ask a very simple question. Is this worth the effort? Sometimes the answer is absolutely. Other times, the answer is no.
There is something satisfying about putting effort into a meal even when nobody else is going to see it. Not because you need to post it. Not because you need someone to compliment you. Just because you wanted something good.
Cooking for One Is Actually a Skill
I think people underestimate it. Cooking for yourself requires planning. It requires understanding portions. It requires creativity. It requires learning how to use leftovers without feeling like you are eating punishment.
Sometimes I cook an incredible meal. Sometimes I make too much food. Sometimes I eat the same thing for three days. Sometimes I experiment and accidentally create something fantastic.
And sometimes I open the refrigerator, look at everything inside and decide that absolutely nothing exists to eat. Even though the refrigerator is full. That, I suspect, is the true experience of cooking for one.