Friday, April 14, 2017

Cooking For One Is A Pain...!

Even if you have all the knowledge in the world, trying to cook for one person and doing it in a healthy manner is hard.

Some of my favorite foods from my younger days are out of the question, merely because there just isn't any way to justify the cost for one person. I don't care for fast food much, so I am always on the look-out for inexpensive ways to fix something tasty but healthy at the same time, ya know?

I decided to try cooking using Sous Vide, know what that is? It's basically cooking something in a controlled heat. Immersion cooking without having to fry or bake or broil, letting the food baste in it's own juices.

You start off by sealing the food in a ziploc bag or the equivalent with the seasoning and then letting the controlled temperature do the work. It takes a while, but the meat or chicken comes out so tender you can cut it with a fork. Plenty of recipes and videos on YouTube showing all about this style of cooking.

My next adventure will be an Instant Pot, which is a newer version of the pressure cooker...only a lot safer! Again there are a multitude of YouTube videos showing all about this stuff, if you are interested.

I like the idea of eating a little healthier, not having a lot of leftovers to deal with, and especially being able to avoid the crowds at the fast food places!

Coffee out on the patio this morning, OK?

12 comments:

Phil said...

Jim, did you know that you can make a omelette in a ziploc bag in one minute in a microwave oven?
Look it up on youtube, I have done it many times, especially when I was still single.No mess.
I used to buy the thin cut boneless pork cutlets a lot too. They fry up super fast. I used to either eat 'em right out of the pan or make sandwiches out of them.

Cooking for one can be a pain but if you cook for two then you have leftovers!

Good luck!
Phil (Bustednuckles)
;)

Barney, The Old Fat Man said...

Now that I am back hooked to 120 volt my microwave is my main cooking device. It does everything very well for me, especially vegetables and seafood.

Momlady said...

I hate cooking just for me. There are almost always leftovers which usually end up in the trash as I don't like to eat the same thing two days in a row. They sit in the fridge and I forget they are there. Not always 'cause it depends on what I cooked the night before. I try hard not to waste food. An acquaintance once gave me a cookbook "Cooking For One" but I never used it. You should have seen what was recommended for the pantry. And organ meats were high on the list of things to eat. No thanks. I don't do fast food much but admit that, every once in a long while, I have to have McD's french fries.

linda m said...

I can imagine how hard cooking for one is. I have enough trouble cooking for two without leftovers. I finally decided to have Friday night as leftovers night at my house. If I was single I would look into a toaster oven and microwave as my main way of cooking. It always amazes me how much information can be found on the internet. Have a great weekend.

Rob said...

Justifying the cost of eating what you really like is not really that hard to do when you remember that this is your life.
At any rate that usually works for me :-)

JO said...

Well I think I may have discussed this at one time or more about cooking extra and then freezing it in portion size containers or plastic bags. But I keep hearing about this instant pot and that sounds more and more like something I might like too. I use my toaster oven and micro quite a bit. After cooking for so many and then having to cook just for me was tough.If you look up some recipes they have a little button to click to reduce the size of the meal or even add more helpings to it. If you get that pot I sure would like to hear about it.

HermitJim said...

Hey Phil...
YouTube is a pretty good source of "how to" videos. I've learned a lot from watching them. I'm gonna try the omelette in a bag, for sure!
Thanks so much for the ideas and for stopping by today!


Hey Barney...
It can be a useful tool, that's for sure. I've just about used mine to the point that it's almost worn out.
Thanks for coming over today, Barney...I appreciate it!


Hey Momlady...
Sometimes I think I could live on leftovers and sandwiches. Like you, I don't want to waste much food if I can help it. With my memory getting as bad as it is, I have to peek a lot to remind myself what's in the fridge.
Thanks so much for the visit this morning, my friend!


Hey Linda...
I like leftovers! Used to raid my folk's fridge fairly often when I was a lot younger. Somethings just seem to be better tasting the second day, ya know?
Thanks for the visit today!


Hey Rob...
You are so right about that. I should just go for it. After all, I'm not trying to impress anyone.
Thanks for stopping by today!

Judy said...

Jo, that's what I do - freeze the left-overs for my own frozen dinners. Which means I don't have to fire up the kitchen as often or on the days I lack inspiration there is a healthy meal in the freezer. Another suggestion is go over to the Mobile Home Gourmet and look at his series on what he calls his Minute Meals.

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
Not a bad idea at all. Guess I'm just getting lazy in my old age.
Thanks, sweetie, for coming by today!


Hey Judy...
Guess I should follow your lead and that of Jo as well. I appreciate the tip on the Minute Meals link on the Mobile Home Gourmet site.
Thanks for dropping by today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

Any meals that I am invited to, never have left-overs. That is, unless it doesn't taste good to me and that would be very, very rare, since I love everything except anise and coconut.

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
I can guarantee I don't cook anything that has coconut or anise, so you're safe there. But you are always welcome for coffee at least!
Thanks for the visit today!

Linda said...

I deliberately do not cook one helping. There is only me, but I plan having leftovers. I want leftovers. I cook 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in my crock pot. I freeze two in a package, using 6 that way. Then, I leave two breasts out to eat. I eat about a half breast each day. I shred some and put bbq sauce on it, make sandwich, eat with other vegetables, or put on a salad. Since I am allergic to all mammal products, it's a good thing I love chicken and turkey. I bake two dozen sweet potatoes and freeze all but two. Then, I can have chicken and sweet potato. I cook two pounds of beans and freeze in pints and half pints.

I want to eat well, but I do not want to cook a full meal each day.