How to Cook for Yourself With Pleasure
Cooking for One has an undeserved reputation for being the saddest kind of cooking, but have you ever tried cooking for someone who hates tomatoes? Regardless of your relationship status, you should be eating, and a simple shift in your outlook on activity can turn the act of self-preservation into something truly nutritious and entertaining.
But first you need to relax. There is a lot of morality in eating and cooking and you have to allow yourself to take shortcuts , eat out and spoil your food. The great thing about cooking for one is that no one sees you . This means your food might not be available on Instagram, yes, but it should inspire you to try insane, awesome flavor combinations and complex recipes that are sure to fail . Once you accept that there are some pitfalls, you can have some fun.
Find out what satisfaction means to you
Not everyone feels full with the same amount or type of food. Some people are comfortable with the volume – for example, very large salads with a lot of vegetables – while others, like my mother, prefer more filling and dense meals in smaller quantities. There are also people like me who like variety. Determine what kind of eater you are, then shop and plan accordingly .
Don’t push yourself too hard
If cooking is challenging for you, allow yourself not to cook. Maybe you can only handle one recipe per week. This is fine. Stock up on frozen or uncooked food for other nights, or order a heck of Thai food. The more enjoyable the cooking is, the more likely you are to do it, so don’t judge yourself for those nights when you can’t feed yourself completely from scratch.
Read books
Even though I write about food online, I prefer the quieter, no-comment cookbook as a recipe delivery system. Finding the right cookbook can trigger a food obsession like nothing else. I wouldn’t be who I am today – the woman who screams cheese on Twitter – if it weren’t for Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Home Goddess. I was so passionate about Nigella herself and her approach to food and cooking that I studied several of her books, gradually becoming more experienced and comfortable in the kitchen.
While there are cookbooks written specifically for singles — Anita Law’s Solo is especially compelling — don’t feel like you have to stick to a small format. You are special enough to deserve a special meal on your own, and you can make tons of great recipes with the freezer . One of the happiest moments in my life is when I ate a whole pork shoulder and then ate it for several months.
Embrace the freedom of it all
The loneliness rule. While I have several (two) friends with almost the same taste, the truth is that many people may not have the same food preferences, sensitivities, and diets as yours, and not having to consider all of this is very liberating. … When you cook for one, you are allowed to make the plate just the way you see fit. For a man who was married to a man who hated tomatoes, mushrooms, seafood, and brown pork, it was a laxative but enjoyable, even if you weren’t traumatized by a picky eater. Plus, cooking just for you means you can buy more sophisticated and expensive meals. Buying scallops and steak for one person is half the price of buying them for two. It’s just math.
Get a little social
I love keeping people out of the kitchen, but sometimes I let them into my mind and heart. Discussing recipes and cooking with other people, even if you don’t eat with them, can lead to all sorts of new discoveries in relation to (and possibly yourself). You can start a cookbook club and ask everyone to cook a recipe from the same cookbook, or just pick a free theme; organize the exchange of cookbooks ; or set up a recipe-themed Slack channel at work if you have access to it.
I have often said that I cook better when I have someone to cook. This is partly because I love flaunting, but it reflects how many people feel about eating and preparing food on their own. Cooking for someone else is an act of love, and there is no reason not to direct that love towards yourself. Of course, not every meal should be an edible love letter; some meals are just fuel, and learning to balance the two extremes can make eating at home less stressful and more satisfying.