Small batch cooking

Mr_Singleton

Got an email from a relative who started University back in September. They're having a problem with cooking. Although they have all the basics i.e food storage, pots & pans, oven and a draw/shelf in the fridge and freezer they're having problems finding and or adapting recipes for small enough amounts so as not to be eating the dish for days or throwing food out.

Back in my day university food was toast, pasta & sauce, veg stir fry if I was healthy and pizza if I was feeling flush.

I'd be interested in any collective wisdom for healthy small batch cooking on a limited budget with basic equipment i.e no slow cooker, food processor etc. that doesn't involve what my uni diet was.
Thanks

Pollycat

If they have a drawer in the (presumably shared) freezer, they could put any leftovers in e.g. chilli, bolognaise, curries.
1lb mince would easily make at least 3 portions of chilli.

krlyr

Meal 'bricks' rather than whole means. So as Pollycat says, a batch of something like chili - though I'd make a bolognese as it's a bit more versatile. They could add a few kidney beans and spices to one portion, use another as a base for a lasagne, serve as bolognese with pasta, spaghetti, rice, even on a jacket potato for another variation.

Plain mince in gravy can be used too - cottage pie, beef & onion pie, stuffed into bell peppers, etc.

It saves the feeling of eating the same meal 5 days running, with still some of the convenience of batch cooking.

PasturesNew

Depends what they eat. A lot of people on MSE eat some right funny stuff.

I'd suggest their best bet is to look at a frying pan as a good main meal-maker, rather than pans.

Omelettes: cheese, veggie, spanish.
Fried sausages/onions: into sandwiches or pitta breads or baguettes
Fish fingers: sandwiches
Full English: sausage, fried eggs, etc etc

You don't have to put any/much fat in a frying pan to cook many things. You can just spray them with oil where it's needed.

Next I'd think about bakes. Bakes are easy: Combinations of mixed frozen veggies, pasta, meats, tuna, cheese, soup/sauce.... topped with nothing, or cheese, or breadcrumbs.

Ultimately, it's inevitable that you do end up cooking/eating the same thing for days on end, for a variety of reasons.

The trouble is that following any recipe involves rafts of ingredients and you end up with a mountain of food..... which you then have to eat. Recipes are for looking at, before you make a cheese toastie.

I'd just keep it simple. Also, don't forget, the motivation/desire to do much might not be there, because nobody likes to spend 30-40 minutes making a HUGE mess that needs clearing up, just to have a plate of food that's eaten in 2 minutes flat, leaving the washing up.

You should really be starting with what they would like to eat, to see if that can be adapted to fit one... rather than asking a bunch of strangers for ideas

NewShadow

I live alone, so tend to face the same problem, - but have much more freezer space.

I'll roast a chicken, and have a roast dinner with about a quarter of it. Then I'll have chicken and veg pasta for a couple of meals, maybe chicken wraps and/or chicken noodle soup (with leftover veg from the roast) for lunches, a quick chicken stir fry, when I'm out of chicken, bubble and squeak...

Normally the one meal leads to 3 or 4 days of lunches and dinners, but none the same.

freezspirit

Not sure if it this will help but in my brother lives alone however he will cook meals for two/four and eat one portion then freeze the rest. He can't do large batches as he has a small freezer.

Depending how hungry my brother is a whole chicken lasts one meal (after the gym) or upto three meals. He has found cutting the chicken into portion sizes before cooking helped as he could put different seasoning/marinades per portion so each meal tasted different over the days. For example roast chicken with lemon and herbs any leftover would be made into a sandwich. Another portion would have "jerk" seasoning and cooked in the George Foreman any leftover would go in a wrap or stir-fry.

Bogof_Babe

How about getting him/her a small slow cooker as a Christmas present? I have had two from charity shops, both £3 each, and in my little flat they are ideal for making two or three portions of something with minimal effort.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/18319/500ml-Soup-n-Sauce-Bags

These bags look useful for freezing portions for another day. They could be washed and re-used I'd think.

trolleyrun

I often use ziplock bags for individual portions of sauce and soup. Fill, flatten and stack. I don't use fancy bags, just whatever I can find cheap. I use masking tape to write on if the bags don't have a label.

Missli

For basic batch cooking, you're better off with a savoury mince mixture, rather than a recipe that can then be adapted for different meals.
I need to get back into 'old style'. It's been a while since I've visited this section.

Pollycat

PasturesNew wrote: »

You should really be starting with what they would like to eat, to see if that can be adapted to fit one... rather than asking a bunch of strangers for ideas

Very sensible comment.

Not a lot of point suggesting mince dishes if they are vegetarian etc.

KeepOnKnitting

As another single with a busy job and not much inclination to trash the kitchen just for myself, I would say that my lifesaver is toast. I'm veggie, so I'm usually keen to add protein to my toast.
Egg on toast.
Beans on toast. (You can get some nice varieties these days, with mixed beans or interesting sauces.)
Cheese on toast.
Pate. (For the meat munchers.)
Marmite and peanut butter.
Soup with toast.

Or, get your relative to set up a cooking group. Maybe four people each cook for the group once a week. They get to try a new recipe, indulge the desire to cook, and get three meals cooked for them each week in return.