Baby back ribs or country style ribs. One rack of babies is about 2-3 meals and I like them cold too. Country style reheat nicely or work well cold for a sandwich or mix in with something. Otherwise I like pasta hotdishes, sloppy joes and other simple fare.

Occasionally a pot roast works well too. Small roast goes quickly over a few days. And a turkey breast works well too but often I'll pull the meat off right away and freeze half of it. Once thawed it doesn't have the frozen degeneration many things get. And I like to grab a hunk of turkey for a snack too, sandwiches, cube it and put in gravy over potatoes and at the end into a hotdish, chili, soup, stew or something. Depends on how much of a carnivore you happen to be.

I lived alone for many years, and can empathize, as I really never cared much for reheats. So I learned to specialize in turning leftovers into new things altogether.

Roasted meats are great, because they're so versatile. Cold, sliced and served on a big salad, or in sandwiches, or with a side of potato or macaroni salad. Hot, in tacos, crepes, sandwiches, stir fries. The thing is, if you want to eat them hot, you really need to change the seasoning to avoid that "reheated" flavor. Experiment with unfamiliar seasonings to find ones you enjoy.

The main difficulty in living alone, when it comes to cooking, is that most recipes are set to make enough for 4 or 6, if you're lucky you find some that are set for 2...but the portions are often so large that the recipes for 2 are really recipes for 3 or 4. Halving recipes sometimes works, but often doesn't, so you're better off devising your own.

I've often thought that if I took the time to sit down and write a cookbook for One, the dang thing would probably sell!

Here's one actual recipe I have on hand for using roast meats, and I have cut it in half with success.

Lamb or Beef Jhal Fraizi

-from, "Foolproof Indian Cooking," by Madhur Jaffrey-with slight changes and notes of my own.

350 g (12 oz) cooked, boneless roast lamb or beef*
3 T olive oil
t cumin seeds
¼ brown mustard seeds**
8 fenugreek seeds***
100 g (1 medium) green bell pepper, cut into strips.
1-2 hot green chilies (such as serranos), cut into long, thin slivers. Ms. Jaffrey says not to remove the seeds, but if youÂve a tender mouth, I would scrape the seeds & pith out to cool the dish down.
150 g (1 medium) onion, cut into half rings, similar in size to the peppers.
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
¼ t ground turmeric
¾ t salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Julienne the cooked meats in ¼ to ½ inch strips.
Heat the oil over a medium high heat until quite hot, then add the cumin, mustard and fenugreek seeds. The mustard seeds will begin to pop, when they do, add the bell pepper, onion, and chilies. Stir fry until the onions & peppers are wilted, and perhaps beginning to brown a bit (but not much) and add the meat and other seasonings. Heat through.

This is very good with some plain rice and a side of plain yogurt or a yogurt raita of some kind as a cooling foil to the spiciness of the dish.

A simple raita can be made by mixing half a cup of plain yogurt with a couple of tablespoons of grated, squeezed (to remove excess liquid) cucumber and a teaspoon or so of minced mint or cilantro, adding a bit of salt if you like.

*IÂve found that the recipe works quite well with roasted pork or chicken as well.
**Plain, yellow mustard seeds will work as well, if youÂve got some on hand already and donÂt want to search out and buy brown just for this recipe.
***It doesnÂt sound like much, but fenugreek is quite potent, and the flavor is distinct. Fenugreek also keeps a long, long time, much longer than most spices. There really isnÂt anything I can think of that would be similar, but if you need to do without it, something slightly sweet but pungent would workÂmaybe some minced cilantro or mint, added at the last minute.

Oh, I forgot to say...leftovers from the Jhal Fraizi make excellent tacos, stuffed into a warmed corn or flour tortilla with a bit of the yogurt and some fresh or canned salsa!

Mudlady, I hesitate to mention this, because if you truly don't like food that's been frozen, you simply don't. Just In Case however, it could be your method of freezing food for reheating. If you aren't using a Food Saver for freezing your foods, you might try one. With no opportunity for air to freezer burn food you've frozen, it really is quite a boon for small households. (If you have already tried this, then you know what you like...so Never Mind!) I'm only suggesting you might change your mind about the taste of frozen food, which would keep you from having to continue to eat the same thing until it's completely consumed.

If I'm using a recipe, I pare it down to suit my needs, halving or quartering a recipe.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are great for cooking for one. When I buy them, I separate them into their own ziploc bags and toss them in the freezer. They're great to cut up for things like salads, pastas, tacos, etc. Bread and brown one cutlet and serve it with a salad on top or with mozzarella melted and sauce served over for chicken parm.

Shrimp is easy. That's another thing I divvy up into one-serving ziploc bags. They thaw easily and quickly under cold, running water. Saute them with fresh herbs or squeeze of fruit juice and serve them in salads or pasta or over rice.

A single steak with a baked potato and a vegetables or salad is a great meal and easy enough to do for one. Buy ground chuck in 1/2 pound quantities and make a couple of burgers, one to cook and one for the freezer.

It's just a matter of getting into the mindset. It's easy to say it's not worth cooking for just one person, but if you're not worth cooking for, who is?? ;D

Lori

I'm a big fan of braised meats, myself... Braise a 2-3 lb pork shoulder (chicken or chuck roast is great too) just in chicken broth with garlic and onion, salt/pepper plus bay leaf/oregano/basil/thyme/whatever kind of spices suit your fancy. Add beans/chile powder or potato/carrot/celery for some regional seasonings/accompaniments if you like.

You can reheat a single portion of this in a pot with some braising liquid; also if you shred the meat it will be great on sandwiches (hot or cold with bbq sauce) or pan-fried until slightly crispy with a little bit of olive oil (like carnitas) for sandwiches, tacos, burritos or what have you.

The beauty of this kind of dish is that the possibilities are endless. Use za'atar spices for a little Arabic flair, lots of chili and chile powders with oregano for some Sonoran flavor, use red wine as the braising liquid for a basic boeuf bourguignon, try pork chunks in 1:1 chicken broth:regular coke with a little soy sauce for a version of Hong Shao Rou... Add in your favorite curry powder mixed with flour and butter for something you could probably call a Japanese curry. Improvise and enjoy!

shane.

"It's easy to say it's not worth cooking for just one person, but if you're not worth cooking for, who is?? ;D"

LIKE!!size>

I don't live alone, but for about 1 month per year SWMBO and the kids go to California while I do the bachelor thing, so I do have to confront the "cooking for one" issue a little bit. Here are a few approaches that seem to work.

- Briefly seared meat. Keep your refrigerator very cold (I use a thermometer to monitor temp, keep the main compartment at 33F), beef will ''keep'' for a good long time, allowing you to buy a 2 lb piece and consume 6 oz at a time, meanwhile the rest is aging and drying, and gets better during the week. It only takes a few minutes to sear beef, the pan stays nice and hot with such a small piece. A nice thin piece of skirt or hanger steak, with plenty of fat, seared rare, finished with a small (1/2 TBSP) pat of butter - simple, fast, and delicious.
- Under the broiler works too for quick cooking, no need to pre-heat the oven. I don't grill for one, it takes too long to heat up my gas grill. If I lived alone, I'd probably buy the smallest charcoal grill available - in college we had these tiny ''Hibachis'' that we'd use, surreptituously and illegally, on the dormitory balconies, they were just big enough for two chicken breasts and only took a few briquets.
- Ditto pan-cooked or broiled pork chops and chicken. For the latter I prefer the dark meat, more flavour in simple preparations. This meat does not get better with time in the refrigerator, in my opinion, so buying small quantities is more important, which can occasionally be challenging with chicken - it seems like some of the local grocery stores only sell chicken thighs in ''party packs''.
- Fish is even faster to cook and can be bought in small quantities. Lately I like to marinate fish in stock (in the refrigerator during the work day), then remove fish, boil the marinade/stock, reduce heat, introduce the fish and simmer for just 2-3 minutes. A nice change from pan-frying. Ditto for shellfish, shrimp, etc - quick cooking and you don't have to buy mass quantities.
- For when you get tired of naked meat, some sauces can be made ahead in quantity and refrigerated. I keep home-made aioli and teriyaki in squeeze bottles in the refrigerator. Some commercial sauces are good, though some are awful. Homemade pesto will keep nicely in the refrigerator for a while, keep it covered with a thin layer of olive oil and it will stay a pretty green.
- Some pasta sauces also keep fine in the refrigerator, so that in the evening all you need to do is part-cook the pasta, then drain, add the sauce and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.
- I know you generally don't like leftovers, but there are some meat dishes that are better the next day, like beef stews, goulashes, etc. I think that in general, dishes which have lots of luscious gelatin are very nice after re-heating.
- Some soups are also better the next day. For others, you can make a large quantity of the basic stock, then pull out a portion, bring it to simmer, and add the ingredients that you don't want to be soggy - pasta, vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms, shredded meat, etc - and a splash of lemon juice or lemon zest to brighten up the flavour. If needed, you can par-cook the longer-cooking ingredients - carrots, let's say - so that total prep time in the evening is only 20 minutes.
- Left-over and hence dried rice is exactly what you want for fried rice dishes. Leave it in an uncovered bowl in the refrigerator, you'll make nice crispy/crunchy fried rice. With a little experimentation, you can make ''fried'' rice under the broiler (low broil, not too close, use oil).
- As mentioned already, stir-fry dishes are fast. The ingredients can be sliced and diced to bite-sizes, then stashed in the very cold refrigerator, marinating as needed. When you get home, you just pick the ingredients you want, heat the wok or cast-iron pan, and the stir-fry can be ready in 15 minutes. It is actually sometimes helpful to stir-fry ingredients straight from the refrigerator, like marinated meat, since the exterior can get nicely browned while the interiors are not overcooked due to their cold starting temperature.
- I suppose I should steam veggies more - another quick preparation - but it is boring. I'm more apt to drizzle it with oil and salt, then a few minutes under the broiler, stir, and another few minutes then eat.
- Omelettes are fast and tasty, maybe not traditional dinner fare but there's no-one watching so why not.
- All the salad suggestions already given sound yummy to me. I usually wait until scurvy is imminent, then wolf down a week's worth of greenery in an evening. Silly I know.
- Next year I'm going to try a crockpot/slow cooker on a timer.

One thing I like to make in small batches for the winter is stuffed cabbage. I prepare the filling (uncooked ground meat, seasonings, mostly cooked rice) and wrap the cooked cabbage leaves, then freeze at that point in small quantities. I also make a large batches of tomato sauce now and freeze them in 1-quart bags since I've got so many tomatoes. Then to cook, just saute an onion, add the thawed sauce and how ever many cabbage rolls you want and slow cook in the oven.

I think this would fit for your description, since the meat is not cooked and reheated, so you don't get that reheated meat taste.

I also buy a variety of uncooked sausages and keep various broths on hand (frozen or TJ boxed varieties) and make hearty soups with 1 sausage with whatever broth and veggies are on hand.

Like others have mentioned, I use leftover cooked fish without reheating. And with leftover roast chicken or pork, you can make tacos where you're not recooking the chicken, just reassembling cold chicken with cheese, lettuce, salsa, etc. and stuffing in a warm taco.

I was just visiting my mom recently, discussing the same thing. She said that she finds it hard to be enthusiastic cooking for just herself - that she just doesn't want to bother with all the preparation. I understand, I've lived alone for years at a time, though not now. But I ditto what Lori said about mindset.

Nancy:
Hi Picky, ,Picky.
I cook for myself, except when all the kids (54years old )
come up for the weekend.

Then I cook a lot.
All the leftovers are portioned, marked and put in the freezer.
Except for Pasta , potatoes and things that don't freeze well.
Maybe you should look into how you are freezing your food,
like others mentioned.
and change your picky , picky habits.

If you think about it, they sell frozen Cooked Meals.
I buy them myself, for when I don't feel like cooking.
I like them but don't consider them Frozen Leftovers.
They are meals prepared and frozen, for pepole like us.

You can do the same.

Last night I felt that way, so out came the Roasted Peppers, from the freezer.
Removed them from the container, chopped of a piece, simmered them and made Peppers and Eggs.

If it is not enough I'll nibble on some Sharp Provolone,
Pepperoni and Ritz Crackers.

Some things freeze well, like Spaghetti Sauce.I make about a 10 Quart batch and freeze in Portions.
I put them in containers and label the top, eg.
" Pasta Sauce, 4 Servings, W 8 meat balls, Sept. 2010 "

Also freeze my prebaked 10 inch Pizza Dough. They fit in my Toaster oven.
I usually use my Spaghetti Sauce and add whatever , for topping.

I buy Sirloin sliced thin , for Philly Cheese Steaks.
It's in the freezeer , portioned.

Make Panini the Waffle Baker. Makes nice designs.

Butter the Bread and sprinkle on some Garlic Powder.
load it up with everything you like.

I freeze Chicken Wedding Soup and Lentil Soup.

Hey , I could go on for days.
That's all for now.

I'll tune in later after everyone has given their Recipes.
LOU

Thanks for all the suggestions. Not bothering to eat is never choice for me--I love food! I do hate cleaning up and for most meals, I use as many pots, pans and utensils as I would if cooking for a family. I get lazy and eat lots of junk in place of a decent meal. Then I feel guilty. I really hate to bake or broil unless it is real winter and I feel the lost heat may get used. Also, I can't imagine using the oven when I have the central air on. I'm retired and don't have a lot of money so I am a miser about a lot of expenses. I am close to buying a Ronco rotisserie and I do use my crock pot and Nesco roaster occasionally. I am seriously considering a high quality toaster oven so I can broil and make things like baked chicken, potatoes or chops. However, I don't know that I would choose the best brand and model. I do get Consumer Reports and will go online to see what I can learn.
Nancy

I mostly cook for myself and like to make enough for two meals as I go home for lunch most days during the work week. My favorites to make are fried rice, a stir fry of meat and vegetables over rice or noodles, a rice pilaf of beef, chicken or pork with onions and leftover cooked rice, soups and chili, oven roasted ratatouile over pasta, stewed beef in the pressure cooker over rice or potatoes, and an omelet or frittata for dinner.

Since you know you like cold ham, pork roast and chicken, I'd fix one of those once a week and find ways to use the rest of that large portion of meat:

ham - scalloped potatoes with chunks of ham added, fried rice with ham, split pea and ham soup, chef salad with cubes of cheese and strips of ham, green beans with ham and new potatoes, ham and broccoli quiche

pork - pork fried rice, pulled pork heated in bbq sauce on buns, Cuban sandwiches, pork and bean soup

chicken - roast chicken and dressing, chicken pot pie, chicken salad, chicken alfredo pasta, chicken quiche, chicken noodle soup

Just a few ideas off the top of my head. Take what you know you like and expand on that instead of trying to make yourself go in different directions. Have breakfast for dinner some nights, waffles and sausage links, or pancakes. Or fix a few appetizers that you love and have those for dinner. The food police will not show up to pass judgment on your dinner!

Teresa

"Posted by lorijean44 -----------------It's just a matter of getting into the mindset. It's easy to say it's not worth cooking for just one person, but if you're not worth cooking for, who is?? ;D Lori"

Absolutely!

I do frequently cook alone for myself. Unless I am running short of time, I will always come up someting special for myself.

Yes, you do have leftovers once in a while, but even leftovers can be transformed into something special.

It is fun to experiment different knids of food and recipes when you are eating alone.

Tonight, I am having BBQ ribs, home baked bread, garden tomato mango salad, corn-on-the-cob.

Just for the two of us, me and myself. :-)

dcarch

There are some things that taste better "the day after" and those are the kinds of things I make for dinners in large batches and then portion out into individual containters that I can quickly reheat. One is soup, especially a hearty kind with pasta. Anything with a rich tomato based sauce. I do pasta reheated all the time, it is better the next day. One of my favorites is pasta with tuna, or any version of pasta puttanesca. Also enchiladas, which I make in a big batch and then portion out. I have some small individual casserole type dishes from Corningware for just that purpose.
I imagine stewed or braised meats would be good for reheating, but since I rarely do such things as a mostly vegetarian I can't give you advice on that.
Oh, and another thing that is good the next day or better are baked beans, which can be made with ground meat or pork.

Nancy,
If using the oven is stopping you from cooking, definitely get countertop toaster/convection oven. I use mine almost daily.

I just had a thought, again relating to my mom. When we were growing up, our dinners often consisted of a separate plain meat, some starch side and another vegetable side and in the summer, a salad. So whether cooking for 1 or 8, it meant at least 3 pots and lots of utensils. My mom still thinks in those terms when cooking for herself and so she still ends up with a sinkful of pots even when it's a relatively simple meal.

On the other hand, many of the meals I prepare are done in a one-pot style.

For example: pork chops.
Mom's style: fry/broil pork chop in pan; cook rice in another pot with lid; steam broccoli in another pot with steamer insert and lid.

My style: in one frying pan, high heat, sear pork chop, saute onions in a bit of oil, add uncooked rice and cooking liquid, into pan around pork chop, cover and cook. At half-way cooking point of rice, add chopped broccoli on top, recover and cook until done. Same ingredients, half the cleanup, similar end result.

So it's not always about learning new recipes, maybe just rethinking techniques a bit.

I am mostly lazy about cooking for myself. I eat too much Lean Cuisine with extra broccoli thrown in.

I happen to love hamburgers, so I make those pretty often. One of my favorite meals is a piece of salmon. I just put it in the toaster oven to bake and then make a sauce of mayo, milk and dill. I could eat that or hamburgers every night. Sad isn't it? ;)

I am lucky that I love leftovers. I like almost everything better the second night rather the first night.

I'm trying to do a little better now that I have more time to cook.

My brother has one of these New Wave Ovens and swears by it as he cooks mostly just for himself or for he and his son and lives in an upstairs apartment that gets too, too hot so he doesn't like to use his oven either.

Several of us have Cuisinart toaster ovens and I for one use mine all the time. I've baked bread, oven roasted a chop after first searing it in a cast iron skillet, roasted vegetables, baked a homemade pizza, and much more.

Teresa

Nancy, I'm with you on warmed over meat. I will eat chicken and ham cold, not heated up. I will not eat beef or pork again hot or cold unless it's really good pulled smoked pork and I will eat that. Leftover beef, pork chops and pork tenderloin has a horrible leftover taste when warmed and it doesn't matter how you store or freeze it. I've made it a point to only make a batch of anything I will heat reheated. One serving is all I will make of anything beef, pork chops and pork tenderloin. It's not easy, but it's doable.

Johnliu- what is SWMBO?

Di

Di, She Who Must Be Obeyed... more internet lingo!

Lori ;D

Beverly:
We are trying to help Nancy to use leftovers , not discourage her.

I think of some things differently. It's like preparing a meal tonight for tommorrow night.

EG. If I cooked a Steak and had a large piece leftover,
I would cut it into cubes add some frozen vegetables and brown gravy, to enjoy a Stew.
You have to Brown the meat anyway, to make Stew.
So why throw away meat that is alreadt browned.

Unless you have money to throw away.

Then give all the leftovers to the dogs.

Lou

Dedtired:
I still owe you a trip to the Deli.
Was that on City Line ?

Have a look at these cook books for more inspiration.

I've been a single person household for 10 years now.

Soup. Most any soup reheats well. Chili is a favorite.

Pork reheats best IMHO. I often cook extra pork steaks on the grill and reheat them. A bit of bbq sauce on one before warming in the microwave keeps is moist. Sort of like the fat sizzled crisp by the microwave. Bacon reheats well... nothing takes a boring sandwich to darn good like a couple strips of bacon.

Boiled dinner reheats well.

A recent addition in the last couple years has been frozen fish. I can buy salmon frozen in single servings. They are done in about 3 minutes in my microwave from frozen to done... mine is fairly powerful. Nice because if I cook a pot or panful I'll eat and eat... single servings I get lazy and just eat one. Several types of fish available but I'm partial to salmon which happens to be on the lower price end... about $5 for a bag with 4 packets.

I boil chicken breasts to reheat later... the boil water makes quick soup if you dump in a bag of frozen veggies. Not the best but better then canned. A smoked fryer chicken (whole 3-4lb bird) can go a long way... Breast meat for sandwiches, wings for snacks, legs for dinner, and all the fat, skin, and bones boil down into a smokey broth perfect for bean soup (after you strain the fat, skin, and bones back out). A whole 'nuther bird is stuck to the bones and it is amazing the amount of meat that appears in the broth. I feel bad for my backyard 'possum because there ain't much left of that bird when I dump it in the compost pit (he got his own dish of dry catfood last night). I can get whole fryer chickens for $.79-.99/lb making them very inexpensive per serving. Chopping up the breast meat and mixing it with bbq sauce before nuking is a favorite sandwich filler.... use thick bread to soak up the sauce.

All my sandwiches for work I wrap in waxed paper because they microwave so well... they don't dry out but enough steam escapes that they don't get soggy.

Dinner tonight will be baked beans with hamburger in them. I brown crumbled burger and dump it in the beans after the grease is drained off. The leftovers will reheat just fine tomorrow. Probably some fresh grapes, a slice of bread, and some lettuce I need to eat up to round out the "meal". Handful of baby carrots if I'm still hungry after that.

I get slaughterhouse hamburger that is already frozen in 1 pounds red&white plastic baggies. Setting one on my metal sink will thaw it in a couple hours... the metal draws the frost out quick.

Hopefully someone sees an idea or two that helps!

: )
lyra

As for leftover pork or beef, I don't know much about it but I would do as the Chinese do, chop it really fine and add to stir fried vegetables and rice in a moisy, spicy sauce. In that case I don't think you would be bothered by the "reheated" taste. Also add as a flavor ingredient to a red sauce for something italian style, or with beans for something more S. American style. But in all of those cases it would be chopped up fine, not just reheated as a cut. I can't even stand cuts of meat fresh so I'm not a good judge of those things. I do love Chinese fried rice though!!

Again, I try to turn leftovers into something else fantastic. Leftover makeover.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg0100244325548.html

First, for many dishes they can become stale, soggy, and they can absorb "refrigerator odor" after a few days.

I often wash them under running water and drain/dry them and store them in air tight containers or in the freezer.

These are super simple great ways to use (reuse) them:

1. Omelets.
2. Fried rice.
3. Meatloaf.
4. Salad
5. ravioli
6. piazza toppings
7. egg foo young
8. pot stickers
9. hamburger ingredients
10. pickles
11. spring rolls.
12. tacos

There is one thing I have problems with, i.e. salmon. I have to use it up the next day or it becomes fishy very quickly.

dcarch

Luckily there are salmon patties--YUM!

Beverly--
You didn't discourage me at all and I appreciate the validation of someone else who has taste buds that are sensitive to reheated meat. It is often embarrassing to be different.

For the folks who suggested reheating a plain meat in gravy, I would appreciate recipes for gravy that is made without the drippings from a roast. Heck--I'd even try gravy in a jar or from a mix if anyone has found one that tastes good.

Mudlady, I'm with you and Beverly. I eat very few leftovers, other than Chicken/ turkey and Ham. And even then I only want it once more. I don't want to be eating it for three meals. Leftover turkey and chicken usually end up as a hot sandwich topped with leftover gravy and served with fries.

If I want chicken pot pie I cook the chicken from scratch specifically for that. I don't use leftovers.

Unlike many, I don't believe that stews and soups improve the next day. It just takes like warmed up leftovers to me.

I freeze very few leftovers. Actually I don't think I freeze any leftovers. I will freeze pasta sauce, meatballs and chili that I intentionally make extra of to have in the freezer for a quick pull out meal.

My suggestion on gravy is when you do cook a roast or a chicken, make enough gravy to freeze in small containers. It will be much better than instant or bottled gravy.

Lori's suggestion of freezing individual boneless chicken breasts, steaks, pork chops etc is good advice. Easy to put together a meal for one without having any leftovers to worry about. Perogies are another good item to have in the freezer. I always make extra to freeze, but you could also just buy a good quality brand.

Ann

Guess I'm in a distant age group . When I was very young, there wasn't as much food available.

My Grandmother and many other Grandmothers made other meals with leftovers.
They were really foods that were prepared the day before.
Not leftovers !!!

I guess this is a habit, from coming out of the Depression, when food was very scarce.

We were lucky to have Farms in the family.
*************
Then there was WW2 when everything was rationed.

We learned not to waste anything.

Many families always said different meals were better the next day, especially Soups.
I like Lentil soup better the next day.

but I won't try to tell everyone, I'm right, because,
everyone to their own taste.

Nancy:
Just trying to enlighten your tastes buds.
Keep doing different things in your cooking.
You might surprise your self and come up with a lot of things you may like.

If you are going to throw it out anyway , what have you got to lose.

Let us know if you do come up with some good left over
( previously prepared )meals.

Tastes change constantly.

I'll keep the Gold Stars handy if you do.
LOU

Thanks Loriean44. I'll try that in real life...

I'll let you know how it flies!

Di

Beverly and Ann, I agree with you both. Growing up my family had very little. My mother cooked enough to feed the family and there were very few leftovers, which is probably why I don't care for them now. In this day and age, with all that's available, it's hard not to have a fine appreciation for good, fresh food. And companies no longer only package things in abundance - you can actually buy single or smaller versions of meats and produce. You can really cook for just yourself without having to worry about leftovers unless you want to, which is perfect since Mudlady is looking to cook without leftovers!

Lori

If companies can package single or smaller versions of meals,
why can't a person do this for themselves ???

Unless you are not proficient in cooking.
Then I'd say cook without leftovers.

There are very few people; that I know of, who don't prepare foods and put them in the freezer.
I guess that is why there are all the different packaging
devices for keeping food fresh, in the freezer.

Lou

Proficiency in cooking has nothing to do with the amount you make. Mudlady doesn't want leftovers. She wants to know how to cook for herself without leftovers. I'm not sure how many different ways that can be iterated, but to be helpful to the post, consider a recipe or two that doesn't make enough to feed an army.

No leftovers. That's the topic at hand.

This is an interesting thread. Often, I won't bake a cake because no one in the house will eat it. Not being the best baker, I'm not certain how to halve a cake recipe, what temp for the oven, what size of pan, etc. Rather, I'll make muffins or scones (needs no icing) or cupcakes. Easier for me just to take one at a time.

I also do the rib thing - cook a rack of pork ribs, take out a few every day or so, eat with an ear of corn, or whatever you want. Very easy.

Regarding gravy, I agree that it is a nice thing to have, frozen, on hand. But something I think many people either don't know how to do, forget about or under utilize is a simple pan gravy/sauce. It is an invaluable technique for turning a quick, pan fried chop/steak/chicken piece or two into something more interesting, and is easily adapted for just as many servings as you like.

Mom, bless her, wasn't a four star cook, (mostly, she hadn't the time, energy or money) but when she wanted to dress up a meal, she would use this technique...and I "played" with it over the years and still do.

You pan sear whatever meat you fancy and then set it aside in a warm oven or (her trick) on a plate over a simmering pot. Then you saute some onions/garlic/peppers/seasonings/other vegetables (or fruit!)/jam or chutney in the same pan and then add some stock or water, tomato sauce (or leftover soup!) and scrape up all the brown bits. If you need to thicken the resulting sauce, you add a bit of cornstarch dissolved in a little water. Of course, you could add a flour slurry or a roux, but that takes longer as you have to cook the flour taste out.

Boring pork chop, using a bit of frozen orange juice and plum jam becomes, TA DA! Loin Chop with Orange Plum Sauce. A couple of chicken thighs become, TA DA! Creamed French Onion Chicken (leftover onion soup, thickened with a bit of cream or sauteed onions, with some leftover cream soup stirred in). Hey, maybe it ain't $50 a plate restaurant quality, but it's fast, tastes good, and doesn't come out of a supermarket freezer. ;)

Donnamarie, this is probably a topic for another thread, but I, like you don't often bake because gee, what the heck would I do with a whole cake or pan of brownies? I would LOVE to find some recipes for such things meant for folks like my husband and me, who like the occasional sweet treat but really don't need tempting leftovers of that sort on hand!

Rachelellen:
I hate to mention this but I bake a large Cheesecake, cut it in pieces and freeze it.

I'll put the containers in the back, under other frozen foods,to keep them out of sight.
That way I'll have some on hand when the younguns come up.
Lou

Tastes just as good as the fresh made.

Ann and Lori, if I were to try to defend my distaste of leftover meats I would guess it was because my Mother made food with the purpose of reheating. And she reheated the same thing over until it was gone. Yuk. ; )

Lou, I am emphathazing and agonizing with Nancy. I don't believe there are any laws against that here. Most people laugh or make fun of people who can't stand the taste of some leftover foods. You do whatever you want and eat whatever you want, however you want to prepare it. If you want to eat snake, reheat and add gravy it's nothing to me.
Beverly

I don't mind some leftovers, and the ones I don't care for, well, that's what Cooper eats! I do make a lot of eggs, they're very convenient single serving sized protein sources, but I get darned tired of salad which I's relatively apathetic about to begin with.

I've never had a pork chop that was worth a darn reheated but sauerkraut with sausages are fine. Leftover fish makes a good fish cake, or breakfast for the Dead Cat, depending on the fish but I haven't been able to reheat it very well, it is always overcooked. Since I like beef extremely rare, reheating it often cooks it past the stage where I like it and chicken breast dries out easily. Some things just suffer from reheating.

Vegetables are fine warmed up for me, and I like beans reheated. most soups aren't better the next day, but they're still acceptable. Leftover chicken is better cold. I do use leftover chicken to make things like pot pie, although Elery just hates the stuff so I'll probably not do it much in the future.

Some things can be frozen before cooking, like cabbage rolls or meatballs or pasties and I do that sometimes. I also package things like chicken, pork chops or fish filets in single serving sizes and then freeze them for cooking when I wnat them.

I grew up dirt poor and we ate whatever there was. With a family of 6 there were few leftovers, but Dad used to say that Grandma could "make a great meal out of nothing". We ate a lot of oatmeal, macaroni, beans, rice and whatever meat someone could shoot, so I'm still suspicious of something I don't know that's covered with gravy or sauce. LOL Even Grandma couldn't reheat a pork chop that was worth eating, although ribs and pulled pork are both things that I don't mind reheated.

I think cooking for one or two actually requires more proficiency than cooking huge amounts. There's less room for error and correction. I still haven't learned to make chili for less than a dozen, which is a problem because I mostly only like it as a topping for a baked potato. Fortunately, I think chili is actually one of those few things that are actually better the next day. Some others may disagree and that's fine too.

I will always eat leftovers instead of a frozen supermarket dinner, those are one thing I've just never learned to like at all.

Annie

Beverly my dislike of leftovers stems from my mother not being a great cook. Some things were not that great the first time around so you can imagine what they were like as leftovers.

Matthew on the other hand loves my leftovers so when I do make too much of something, that Moe and I won't eat as leftovers, and it is something that freezes well, than that is what I do. Freeze it and then take it to Matthew the next time I'm down Island.

Nancy, I did a pictorial a while back on how to make gravy from pan drippings.

Perfect Gravy

Ann

I was born in 1944 and I can just barely remember things like ration stamps and smushing a bag of white stuff and a bright yellow lump until it became margarine. We creamed coffee with canned evaporated milk--yuck! We ate Spam, and I will never again, for any reason, eat Spam. Portions were small. Four people ate a pound of ground meat made into "chopped steak" patties. We always had cheap bread and mashed potatoes. I used to gag on mashed potatoes until I went away to college and the food was so bad I was forced to learn to tolerate them. One can of vegetables fed the four of us. Hot dogs and beans were a frequent meal. I found beans a little more tolerable than mashed potatoes. By the time I was in high school all the bills had finally been paid off and we began to eat nicer food and larger portions. I am left with some quirky taboos regarding food because for so many years I was forced to eat foods that I absolutely hated. I will NEVER eat breakfast for supper, canned Dinty Moore Stew (something my mother fed us if my father didn't come home for supper) or Spam. I never had to eat reheated steak or lamb because we never had any left over. Both were special treats once they became affordable. I didn't encounter a lot of reheated leftovers until I began to eat my mother-in-law's cooking. They had been even poorer than my folks and nothing was ever wasted, even after they could afford to eat better. I never had access to a freezer in which to freeze extra portions until I was married. My ex would eat anything and everything he could get his hands on so I didn't have to eat anything I didn't enjoy. I do enjoy some foods reheated--home made beef or chicken soup, spaghetti sauce, chili, stuffed peppers or cabbage, lasagna, stew/Stroganof and tomato based casseroles. Once my kids (and all their friends) moved away, and my ex was long gone, I found myself stuck with left over food that I don't like reheated or frozen and reheated. When microwaves came out and I bought my first one, I was excited to reheat meat that was left over. I believed that if I bought a steak or prime rib in a nice restaurant I could now reheat leftovers and they would taste great. What a sad disappointment it was when I warmed up a beautiful piece of prime rib and took my first bite when it came out of the microwave!!!! Over the years I have tried various recipes and suggested methods to use left over meat and nothing I have tried has been acceptable. Calling myself picky makes me sound like a very difficult person. Maybe I should say I have super sensitive taste buds? No matter how I refer to my odd preferences, I have never learned to like certain reheated foods. If I were again so poor that I absolutely couldn't allow any food to go to waste I would force myself to eat it. However, I cook for only myself and choose to eat only tasty (to me) foods. If I do order a fabulous prime rib in a restaurant I order the smallest cut on the menu and yes, the dogs get the leftover meat.
I have another issue to complicate my cooking for one and that is that many years ago I had a primitive form of today's gastric surgery to restrict how much I eat at one time. I can't possibly eat more than 2.5 to 3 ounces of any meat at one sitting. I guess I am not even cooking for one--I should call it cooking for half an adult. I appreciate all the information offered in your responses and have found some ideas I will try. I can make nice gravy if I have drippings but I don't know what to do for a baked chop or piece of chicken. I can make a roux, but I don't do well creating enough flavor without drippings. I also plan to buy a really good toaster/convection oven so I don't feel guilty about heating a big oven for one small serving. I will get one that allows rotisserie cooking and hold off on an earlier decision to buy a Ronco rotisserie.

mudlady, the current food pyramid suggests 2-3 servings of meat/beans/eggs per day and a serving of meat is only 2-3 ounces of meat/fish/poultry so if you can eat 3 ounces that's an adult serving and you're probably a lot healthier than most of us!

I've learned to just cut up steak while it's still raw and cook just the portion I'm going to eat. Restaurant servings are huge, no way could I eat all of a restaurant meal of anything, so it's always leftovers there. Sigh. I haven't figured out what to do other than give it to the dogs or toss it into soup.

And, like you, I'm never eating Spam again unless I'm starving to death!

Yeah, so we're picky. So what? I'm 55, you're older than I am. We've worked and cooked and lived our lives and we don't have small children that need good examples and we aren't malnourished, so why eat something we don't care for?

Picky is just fine.

Annie

Yup. Nothing wrong with picky, as long as you can afford it. What the heck, do we not work for our money? Surely we can say what we spend it on. But I s'pose there is an element of a decent moral character that hates to waste. Possibly in many of us (as in me) it was developed with tales told us of starving children in China (or wherever) who would just LOVE to eat what we disdained.

Pooh. As naughty a child as any other, I did eventually tell my Grandpa that he could mail it to those children for all of me!

But, as it is, we all have cherished items on which we'd prefer to spend our money, so learning to cook without leftovers we don't want to eat (and which then make it into the garbage can) is a valid use of our time.

By the way, SPAM ain't really any kind of a bargain anymore! Though I do maintain a secret(except between my dear, but anonymous GW pals and I) and rather shamefaced liking for it's salty, fattiness I still keep a few cans in my pantry. I was rather excited today to find it stacked up in my local grocery store with large garish signs, proclaiming the price to be only $ 2.49 per can. Of course, that is meat(?) that essentially costs two bucks fifty for 3/4 a pound. I can buy chicken, pork chops, chuck steak and even tri tip (on sale) for less than that per pound.

No kids here either. Though I do have (one of three) a cat who actually prefers broccoli to pork, green beans to steak. Whassupwidtat?

My most finicky, picky cat LOVES steamed asparagus!!!
Nancy

Too funny, Nancy!

Mudlady:
Wanted to tell you before the Post dropped off the bottom,

I do sympathize with you on your tastes. Ive had them myself and also cook for myself.

At times I will cook a meal for someone in the community who has lost a close one or
They are caring for some one who is sick.

But I find out what they prefer first.

I was only joking when I called you Picky, Picky, because you said it yourself.
I didnt put a LOL !!!! after it but thought you and everyone else would know.

In the first Thread I put in some Ideas for some things you can freeze and
some small meals I prepare.

When I have some time Ill put in a few more.
I have physical and household problems right now.

There are a few small Frozen prepared meals you may like in the markets.
Keep trying, dont always go by my tastes or others.
You may come across things you like.

Im crazy !!! I may try reheated Snakes with Gravy ???

***************************************

When I put in meals that could be frozen, it was for a reason.
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WHO POSTED THEM.
Woops !, I hit the Caps Lock button

Thought you might pickup on an idea, or a light bulb would light up, to help you.

I would be great if we could hear you say,
" Hey ! That was a good one "

******************

You asked about Gravy Mixes.

Mc Cormicks makes all kinds of Gravy mixes for meats and other things that are good.
They are small Packets, sold in most of the markets.
In my small market there is an 8 foot shelf about 1 ½ feet deep full of them.
They wouldnt be taking up the space, if they were not selling ?

Youll probably get a lot of comments about this but I
know a lot of folks who keep them handy , because they like them.
Have to go now. Hope everyone had a nice weekend .
Lou

I don't care for packaged gravy mixes...but I also don't run for a crucifix and holy water if someone uses one.

I eat corndogs, tacos from TacoBell and potato chips with canned dip for cryin' out loud, and I suspect most people eat things equally as questionable on occasion.

You're right Lou, the stores wouldn't stock them if they didn't sell. And packaged gravy and seasoning mixes used in a home cooked meal are still better than drive through take out.

There are 2 of us, but DH and I don't like all the same foods. I usually fix what he will eat and sometimes fix a vegetable from the freezer on the side for me. I got some great ideas here.

For gravy, 1 T butter or oil, 1 T flour, heated until well mixed; 1 cup liquid. I don't drink milk, so I use water, or stock if I have it. I rarely have pan drippings so it was pretty much S & P with Mrs. dash. I have discovered Better Than Boullion by superior touch. It is on the shelf with other boullion products. Once opened it needs to be refrigerated. 1 tsp gives a good flavor for beef or chicken gravies. 1 tsp of chicken flavor in vegetables is good also.

I just noticed this thread was back. I asked about gravy mixes because I will usually accept "gravy" in diners. I'll look into McCormick's and Calirose's gravy. As I was reading the many responses that stated reheated or frozen leftovers tasted just fine to them, I had a lightbulb go off in my head. At my advanced age (66) I recently learned that my lifelong weirdness is a mild expression of Asperger's Syndrome--and Asperger's is a very mild form of Autism. People on the Autism spectrum have incredible sensitivities (very real to them) regarding touch, smells, sounds and many food aversions. Maybe my abnormal food aversions are part of this. No matter--I bought a really nice Cuisinart toaster oven with the convection option and I have been experimenting with making single servings of the foods I won't eat as leftovers. I love not heating the entire kitchen with a big oven. Thanks to all for the suggestions!
Nancy

Seems I missed this first time around....and I know why! I was visiting my son and his family and making leftovers to leave behind.
I have been cooking for one on a mostly daily basis for 18 years. I say mostly...because I very often invite friends to eat....not a dinner party but just a coma over for dinner thing.
I love certain leftovers....most soups and stews, Spaghetti sauce...without the spaghetti, potato salad and pasta salads. Casseroles like mac and cheese and all variations on that theme...pot roast and gravy....turkey with gravy...pork roast with...
Well you get the picture. I love hot open face sandwiches smothered with good gravy.
For the rest of the leftovers, don't reheat....eat them cold....sliced steak in a salad, chicken or grilled pork chop.
And leftover rice, af ry pan with some veggies of your choice, slivers of leftover cooked chicken, beef, fish, pork added to the sauteed veggies with some soy sauce or hoysin or oyster sauce....and a splash of broth makes a very nice meal!
As for cooking for one....I keep a shelf of my freezer filled with individually frozen ( by me!) chicken tenders, thin pork chops, 4 oz steaks, salmon or tilapia filets and a bag of cheap frozen precooked shrimp.
There's my meat....and a salad and pice of my bread makes a good meal....
And then I look for the chocolate!! LOL!
Linda C