to think cookware for single people just doesn't exist?

Years ago I bought a slow cooker thing from Asda that serves one or two
but I don’t really know what you’re talking about as you can just put less food into a bigger dish

I too have one of these and they're brilliant. Used to have cast iron but the weight of the thing was too heavy, especially when full. These are great.

@AnotherHormonalWoman I wish I could still find myself in a supermarket with a manned delivery counter! Unfortunately, they all seem to have disappeared around here. I find it very annoying that all the prepacked cheese blocks are a similar size (I'd like some small portions of the more exotic kinds) and I can no longer buy just a couple of slices of ham.

Look at Pyrex

Might be worth trying in the Autumn shops/department stores that aim for students starting University.

For genuine single portions I just use my smallest normal saucepan. Even if it's something that I'd put in the Le Crueset for a group, when it's just me I'm not bothered about serving at the table/fitting a leftover pot in the fridge so the saucepan is fine. If it's something that needs a ceramic lasagne type dish I find there are lots in various sizes.

Head down TK Maxx they have pans/cookware of all shapes and sizes.

The little pan I have is made by Reiss, they do a small casserole too.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Riess-0277-006-Casserole-chrome-CLASSIC/dp/B000VV4EVE

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Riess-0036-006-Classic-Household-Diameter-14-Turquoise/dp/B07HCT1NN2

Depends what you call and categorise a 'casserole'

I do single portion aubergine parmigiana, or layers of roasted veg (briam or tian or ratatouille sometimes) in my small cast iron casserole dishes. I can freeze it, not a problem, but as someone said above some of us like cooking and want to eat what we've created there and then and then move on to something else

Ive got tons of single portions meals in the freezer and while thats fine and I will enjoy them because Im a good cook, at times its wearing that I have to work my way through those.

Also I find my little cast iron pots perfect for bulgar because the temperature of the pot once you pour the boiling water on the bulgur is different to the temperature when you do it in a stainless steel pan. Similar with an aluminium casserole dish I have, it cooks at a different temperature.

You are. completely correct about the proportions of the dish mattering. Smaller diameter allows for a more authentic casserole texture. And smaller pots seem to dry out faster than large ones. There must be smaller sizes available as you see restaurants cooking to order, maybe check out catering supply places. I do have one little enamelled pan which is great for single portions of sauces. Will try and check what make it is.

A casserole is too much work for one portion op. Make it for 4 and freeze 3 portions. That's hardly a chore, you've cut down the prep-per-serving by 3/4.

Plenty of smaller size baking trays/roasting tins/glass roasters for individual portions of pretty much every food choice

@Tryingtokeepgoing

Sorry for your loss 💐

I have to say I completely understand where the OP is coming from, in that reheated / batch cooked / left over food never seem as appealing to me as freshly cooked food. Also, the process of cooking is part of the enjoyment of for me...so since my husband died I do prefer to cook much smaller quantities, and cook fresh food from scratch (ish) than take something, however tasty it should be, out of the freezer. When I do make something like lasagne, which has a sensible minimum size much larger than one meal, some if it will often go to waste.

Food waste has definitely gone up for me since I was widowed...partly because in order to have a variety of things like fruit and veg in the house, some of it goes off before it gets eaten. Likewise with ham and charcuterie , and to a lesser extent bread. As a handy hint, Chat GPT is quite helpful, with some editing, at suggesting recipes to use up what you have in the fridge but even so I don't always fancy what I have ingredients for, and so some stuff will go to waste. Very rarely protein or cheese, though sometimes it's unavoidable just because I don't fancy it.

Thats lovely, wish I hadnt seen that

Great minds!

Slightly smaller than you want (600 ml) but dirt cheap
This

I find Procook pretty good for smaller size cookware, and fairly reasonable as well. Would the following meet your needs? Cast iron, 600ml. Bonus - it's on sale for £6

https://www.procook.co.uk/product/mini-cast-iron-casserole-dish-burgundy

I was single for a long while and this issue was never on my radar.

There are small sauce pans you know, most stuff I cook is either done in airfryer or in a sauce pan or frying pan and if I've made a vegetarian cottage pie I've left what's left in airfryer and reheated it the next day or day after or kept say spag bol or something in a covered pan on cooker and reheated it the next day

Not RTFT but Le Creuset do 1.4 L casserole dishes.
You could use a saucepan if cooking on the hob or a Pyrex dish in the oven.

Have to say I'm enjoying this thread enormously - so many suggestions for cookware! I'm bookmarking a few of the sites for later use. No suggestions I'm afraid as I tend to be a stove-top cook rather than an oven-cook, so ten to unlidded pots myself.

Ive got this and posted it upthread, it is phenomenal. I dont know how they did it but it works so well. I also make hummus or bean dips in it.

I know you weren't specifically asking about soupmakers but I have seen before and thought it looked good.

I found a few bits on eBay because portions were smaller back in the day
Plus I love retro.