Cooking for one

Anne_Marie_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

When I saw that I just went through to my kitchen as I've got a full loaf and an empty drawer... so I thought I'd see how much space is taken up by a loaf.

Bad photo (poor lighting/energy saving bulbs): https://postimg.org/image/h83d2a5x5/

I have 2.5 drawers.

The loaf is a cheapo Aldi one, so smaller than "branded" sliced loaves. One loaf takes up nearly half of an entire drawer. That's far too much space to waste on "just bread", which is why I try to minimise the bread I freeze. What I'll do with this loaf, tomorrow ... is I'll take out 12 slices to use in the next 3 days, the BBE date - and put those into plastic airtight boxes... and freeze the rest of this loaf, which will be just under half.

I would do exactly the same PN in your situation. You have your routine, know what freezer space you have, and work around that.
I don't have loads of freezer space, being part of a fridge freezer, but quite a bit bigger than yours. I work with what I have, was just giving a suggestion of what I do. Your essential "must have" items could be totally different to mine. It doesn't matter, just a case of leaving enough space in the freezer for whatever item(s) it may be.

My loaves are bread maker size, so probably smaller than full sized supermarket loaves. I got the biggest fridge freezer that I could, to fit into the space allocated in my kitchen. It doesn't have drawers, it has shelves, and also has two racks on the door, as in a fridge. They are handy for keeping my random packets of breadcrumbs, grated cheese, coffee beans etc.

Anne_Marie_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yes, little 'uns. I like the L1dl ones with 5 full-sized ones in the packet, but when I was in there, alongside them were these packs of 10 bite-sized ones and they had a big red "30% off" sticker, so I thought, as they were cheaper, I'd try those and finally decide if bigger is better, or smaller. I'd always thought the bigger ones were better as you get more meat .... and I was right.

I'd intended to eat just 5 as a meal .... and I did.... trouble was, I then had the other 5 just 1.5 hours later

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Ended myself at this...am sure we are all at guilty of a bit of gluttony at time....like me with the clootie dumpling and custard, but at least it was three days in a row. Custard finished, clootie dumpling in the freezer now. (Only reason is I have no cream to make fresh custard...phew!)

PasturesNew

monnagran wrote: »

Left to my own devices I will live on sandwiches.
Weird.

x

It's not weird, it's very common ... but "society" shouts us down if we dare to say we eat like this ... but many people, left to their own devices, do precisely that.

It's easy to be more motivated if you're feeding others... easier to choose the food and to get up and do it.

If it's "just you" ... well ... pfft... "I won't starve".

I'm looking forward to lots of eggy sandwiches in the coming days

I bought bread/eggs for the first time this year, so need to start getting through them. I did "treat" myself by buying only a pack of 10 (79p) instead of the usual 15 for £1, as it's really tough getting through 15 I can afford the extra cost.

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

Eye brow tweezers - perfect for the job

monnagran wrote: »

No. it has to be a pin Unless you stab yourself in the lips several times you haven't fully enjoyed the experience of eating a pomegranate.

I've never owned/used eye brow tweezers - I'll try to remember to keep an eye out in the cheap shops for some.

How I used to do it was: Get a bowl and a small paring knife; cut it in half. Using the paring knife and fingers, peel off the outer skin and as each thin layer of membrane is revealed, peel that off with my fingers....

Having got to a stage where a piece of membrane was pulled back, if you hold the pomegranate up you can usually eat a whole chunk out in one go. Strays are picked out individually by hand.

Used to have sticky hands, sticky chin and a bowl full of sticky outer skin and membranes at the end of it.

Anne_Marie_2

monnagran wrote: »

oooh no! Toast has to be hot. You never heard in your Enid Blyton books of people eating cold buttered toast, now did you?

I love the description of food in the old children's books - you know the " lashings of ginger beer," sort of thing.

I often think of Milly-Molly-Mandy and Little- Friend-Susan cooking their jacket potato, scooping the inside out and mashing it with butter. It intrigued me at the time because we didn't do jacket potatoes in our house and I'm not sure that the butter ration would have stretched that far anyway.
I think that I was grown up before I actually got to try it, but I'd never forgotten it

Now having read this thread I am yearning for hot, buttered toast.
Preferably toasted on an open fire by a burning hand wielding a toasting fork. And the toast tasting slightly smokey. Accompanied by a slice or two of cheese toasted on an old enamel plate perched on the same fire.

Somehow toast from the toaster and cheese melted in the microwave doesn't have quite the same appeal.

Sigh.............. I'll drink some more water.

x

That's just all fiction, like trying to eat an Enid Blyton book for real, would taste rubbish, so does the thought of melted butter on anything...just makes the food soggy! (Totally joking here).

Know fine well we are all of different habits and tastes, and that's good. I just want butter served at the side of my baked potato, don't want it all melted in, and if the plate is hot, a little saucer on the side for the butter, so that I can add it cold to every bite. I like my toast to be cold before spreading it with butter, so that it doesn't go all soft and squidgy. What's the point in toast if it doesn't have a bit of crunch?

karcher

Anne_Marie wrote: »

That's just all fiction, like trying to eat an Enid Blyton book for real, would taste rubbish, so does the thought of melted butter on anything...just makes the food soggy! (Totally joking here).

Know fine well we are all of different habits and tastes, and that's good. I just want butter served at the side of my baked potato, don't want it all melted in, and if the plate is hot, a little saucer on the side for the butter, so that I can add it cold to every bite. I like my toast to be cold before spreading it with butter, so that it doesn't go all soft and squidgy. What's the point in toast if it doesn't have a bit of crunch?

Equally I never put anything on my toast such as baked beans or scrambled egg. The toast is always on the side so it doesn't go soggy.

PasturesNew

I rarely shop, I tend to run down what I've got - then "go without" some things for as long as possible... then I go food shopping.

Having shopped I've then got food overload and lots of "nice things", so tend to binge eat a bit in the 1-2 days after going into a food shop. After 2 days I've usually eaten all the "goodies" and then have to start looking at what needs eating first.

I've been in food shops 3x this month. First time just for crumpets/coffee; second time I can't remember, but not a great deal more than that.... and then yesterday's big blowout that had me going into Home Bargains, L1dl, Ald1.

I did make a mistake in HB ... saw loo roll and thought "Ah, better stock up", so grabbed a pack of 18 .... carried it to the car, opened the boot ... and saw that I'd had the same idea the last time I'd been there as there were still two packs of 18 in the boot that hadn't yet made it as far as the house.

When I shop, then park at home, I'll often leave things in the car, until a time I fancy bringing them in. I'll often only bring in the perishables and similar because I hate going back/forth a lot... and I know if I want things that are in the car I can pop out to get them. It's typically heavy tins and loo rolls that get left in there.

karcher

PN everything you said in your last post relates exactly to me!!! (except I don't have a car)

I Just posted these 2 comments on the 'What's for dinner' thread, but thought they might be relevant here too :

I don't do menu planning as I would never ever stick to it.

I decide on the day, depending on what I fancy.

What I think I might want for dinner in the morning will change numerous times before the end of the day...so meal planning is a non starter for me.

I tend to buy the staples for making a variety of different things when i do a big shop every 2/3 weeks.

I think it helps that I don't live that close to any shops and don't have a car so am not tempted to just buy something I fancy as I pass the shops, which would blow the budget out of the water!!

I do of course, pick up a few bits, like freshly baked bread, salad and veg whilst out at the weekends but other than that I stick to using up what I've bought during my big shop.

Anne_Marie_2

monnagran wrote: »

OK, forget cooking for one. This is the week in the month when I cook for 70 on Wednesday.

This week I've decided to do gammon,. parsley sauce, potato wedges, peas and tomatoes followed by warm brownies and ice cream.

All is organised and I have made 6 dozen brownies today ready to be warmed through on Wednesday. Would you believe that I find something like this far easier than feeding myself. Left to my own devices I will live on sandwiches.
Weird.

x

Well done you. Must admit that I find it easier cooking for a crowd than just me, although baking for such a crowd is a big no no, as I hate doing sweet things/puddings in general.
I could not live on sandwiches though, albeit you can do amazing things with different breads and rolls, have them hot or cold and with salads and bits and bobs, all good. Just could not have bread at every meal.

mrssnowy_2

caronc wrote: »

I love my freezers (probably a bit too much)- though having 2 is probably a bit excessive for 1 person but do want to still have my favourite casseroles, currys etc, which work best as multiple portions. The thing I struggle with is fresh veg such as cabbage, I love savoy cabbage but find it doesn't freeze great so end up eating it with every main meal if I buy one

I'm a singly,DH died nearly 3 years ago so then used to share fresh veg with Mum,who sadly died last year.
I to love cabbage and have found that it keeps very well prepared as usual and will then keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for quite a few days-sometimes a week.It is great cooked in microwave in covered container for > 2 mins.
Cauliflower,just cut off as many florets as you can manage to eat,keep rest in fridge.Have heard to use damp kitchen paper,but never tried it.

I don't believe in wasting money on kitchen paper !!

I do very vague meal planning-but usually just one day at a time, and start when I wake at 5.30 ish with porridge/toast ,just porridge or just toast-decisions decisions.
Then after breakfast look in the cupboards/fridge,then remember what I have to do for the day (retired but busy),then it is whatever needs using up.

mrss