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

Surely you can put less in a big pot but you can’t put more in a small one. It’s the same as with wine. Which is why l only have large wine glasses in the cupboard.

I'm now being stalked by cute cookware adverts. Home alone but also getting the homesteader side of Tik Tok so need a whole room, shelves with a minimum of 108 jars of runner beans to see me through the year.

My brain to going to explode.

Things I have successfully frozen

Hummus
Slices of ham
Beetroot
Braised red cabbage
Cheese, butter, milk, cream, ricotta, sour cream, mascarpone
Pesto
Bean dips
Avocado chunks
Roasted veg
Soffrito
Chillis, Garlic, Ginger
Mash
Tarka Dhal
Ratatouille/parmagiana
Bread
Cakes
Solid polenta
Grated carrot and grated parsnip
cooked chicken/cooked fish/cooked prawns
Porridge
Individual beans/chickpeas (cooked)

Many more, thats whats in the freezeer at the moment, along with standard frozen veg

@Americasfavouritefightingfrenchman

Those are all saucepans not casseroles apart from the Staub which has already been linked.

Some of the pots suggested are so tiny that one portion would fill them to the brim and not allow any stirring - 300 ml for example is the same as a small mug.

(not you @Americasfavouritefightingfrenchman, further upthread)

I asked chat GPT out of curiosity. It recommended:

• https://www.procook.co.uk/product/signature-triply-saucepan-lid-14cm?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• https://amzn.eu/d/09sDWSu7
• https://amzn.eu/d/0fI6Len2
• https://amzn.eu/d/09vk44xt
• https://healf.com/en-uk/products/our-place-mini-perfect-pot-2-0-sage?variant=46615646175471&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21812917123&utm_id=21812917123&utm_adgroupid=&utm_content=&utm_term=&utm_mt=&utm_device=m&utm_network=x&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=21812917123&tw_kwdid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21809017625&gbraid=0AAAAAoQ3uJUCZ97kE2aPPzfERiS11hhC6&gclid=CjwKCAiAqprNBhB6EiwAMe3yhss9SQVPmRuqUt3O3pNOkiVXxpQod2NJ_Q3Y_vflhLX5tgbpUU2XVhoCQY0QAvD_BwE

think a few of those were already suggested but I wonder if maybe you just were not specific enough. I asked it:

I need to find some cookware. Specific requirements:

• between 500ml and 1l capacity
• has a snugly fitting lid
• can be placed in oven at temperatures up to 220C
• can be used on an induction hob

Can you please identify 3-4 options for me with links to buy? I would like at least one option to be in a casserole dish/lasagne cruset style and at least one to have a capacity of 500-700ml

Generally Chat GPT is fairly good if you phrase questions well

But you don't have to fill it.

I've cooked for two for the last decade and had no problem. Try Salters cast iron wares. They do 2l pots

Amazon 850ml stainless Steel dish

Another small one

Cast iron option

This is 1.4l but still pretty small

There are some options. There are plenty more if you Google. 750ml is pretty small for casserole dish, to get the depth you'd had to have a very small diameter

I had a job finding lasagne dishes for one! I prefer even if batch cooking to make them in single portions so I don't go back for seconds or thirds and end up eating way more than I should.
I got some ones from the range that are about the size of a ready meal and are perfect for lasagna/pasta dishes/cottage pies ect.
They are in the Malmö range.

Yes, this, all of this. Butter keeps in the fridge for ages, but you can also freeze it. Sauces, half a tin of baked beans or whatever, freeze them all. Maybe invest in some ice cube trays or bags if you want to be able to defrost small portions at a time.

Are you religious about following the dates on things? Because "best before" should not be treated the same way as "use by", and truth be told, I have kept and eaten many things that are past both. It's about working out the risk - butter that has been kept wrapped in the fridge, isn't covered in crumbs and is a couple of months out of date but will still be perfectly safe to eat. Soft cheese that has been opened, will grow impressive fluffy green mould when it goes bad, so if it's not growing visible mould I'll still eat it, but I wouldn't expect it to last as long as butter. An open carton of orange juice lives in my fridge for two weeks at this time of year before I start to worry about if it's on the turn, despite the label saying use within 3 days. Store salad veg appropriately and go by what the produce looks like rather than the date on the packet. Hard cheese that is growing mould gets the mould cut off it and carry on as normal for me, as my mother and grandmother both did.

Morrisons sells those tiny jars of jam. You can buy Philadelphia in a pack of 4 individual portions, same with some hard cheeses and Boursin. If you find yourself a supermarket with a manned deli counter, you can buy tiny portions of things from there, like one slice of ham or half a scoop of olives. You can buy peanut butter in portion pack sachets (you'd have to buy multiples) online. You can just about still buy multipacks of those individual boxes of cereal that we all used to take on self catering holidays in the 80s!

What else are you finding goes to waste that we haven't yet mentioned? Maybe we can help.

Have a look and see if you have a zero waste shop near you, you can usually buy by weight exactly how much you want, there; if you do have one, start saving jars and reusable bags that you can take with you.

I’ve got a set of three Pyrex casseroles with lids. The largest is what I’d call ‘normal’ size; then the middle one is a bit smaller, and the smallest one is ideal for one person.

They weren’t expensive. Perhaps you need to look at sets rather than individual cookware, OP.

the freezer is your friend. Not sure why butter gets wasted, I am on my own and use about one pack of butter a month. It keeps fine in the butterdish in the kitchen but if you use even less than that then cut a block in half and freeze half. same with sauces, My botthles of sauce last for months in the cupboard, even longer in the fridge. You wouldn't save money buying samller amounts, its the packaging and putting it in the wrapping that costs money, a smaller pack of anything costs much more per oz than a bigger one.

um...no. Because you don't have to completely fill a pot when you're cooking?
Have lived on my own for years and have literally never had this problem.
Also don't see what the issue with 'batch cooking' is. It doesn't mean having to eat the same meal everyday for a week!

If you make a small-ish lasagne, for example, have 1 portion that day. Will then last in the fridge for a day or two so if you had it for Monday evening could have the second portion for lunch on Weds. Then freeze the final 1/2 portions and have them weeks later. Really not an issue. I'd find it more effort to cook something new every single day!

Try these ;

https://uk.shopping.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrkOJ3q2KZpu1EYjAN3Bwx.;_ylu=Y29sbwMEcG9zAzEEdnRpZANEMjk3MzYtR1NLSU4tVUstQ18x?p=lakeland+cookware+for+single+people+on+sale+clearance&ei=UTF-8&type=Y143_F163_225899_091823&hsimp=yhs-018&hspart=trp&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Aw%2Cm%3Apla-title&fr=yhs-trp-018&IG=0ae4389d198441ad9d000000001f471e

DS needed a set of pans with stainless steel bottoms for uni accommodation. Amazon and IKEA had good options.

Middle of Lidl often have a really nice stainless steel bottomed Ernesto range pots available from time to time. The one we have is 2.5 L but it's a neat and small for 2 stove top casserole

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hawkins-Casserole-Die-Cast-Reheating-MCSY75/dp/B0BVYWCPRF/ref=asc_df_B0BVYWCPRF?mcid=92b61cec283439368f778104b9d1eff3&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=717099647460&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=454961632554988735&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045060&hvtargid=pla-1966384789863&psc=1&hvocijid=454961632554988735-B0BVYWCPRF-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1

Use your freezer. Bread freezes brilliantly. I make my own bread, slice it and freeze it. Butter keeps for ages in the fridge. Just take out half a block at a time. Or freeze it. I live alone, cook a lot and rarely throw any food away.

That's not really how AI works.

ChatGPT just confidently told me that today is the 14th January 2026...

It's a predictive model. It's getting better but it's finding common cookware for you.

I've got cookware of all sizes and lots of gadgets.

I got this before before Christmas.

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/giles-and-posner-mini-pie-maker-green-10265617.html?sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=531573&awc=1599_1772540510_8cb962dbea006665bb09cc8deabdba3f&srcid=369&xtor=AL-1&cmpid=aff~https%3A%2F%2Fshopforward%2Enl%2F~Comparison%20Shopping%20Service%20%28CSS%29~531573~ShopForward+CSS

Got a 1.5l slow cooker and a soup maker.

Odd. Live alone, have 2.9 L cast iron pot and I can cook a meal with one set of leftovers? Not anything past one serving is ‘batch cooking’. Most people, single or not, don’t want to have to cook every single day.

I guess there is a lack of these very specific sizes because you’re the only person wanting to buy them?

BOSKA Cheese Baker 500 ml - Camembert Baking Dish - Camembert baker - Perfect for Camembert - With Tealight - Sturdy design - 6,1"x5,1"x5,7" : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

I freeze food in these for my uni student children (they do different sizes like a 600ml) and then they just pop in the oven (taking the plastic lid of obviously.
Misichao Stainless Steel Airtight Food Storage Containers with Lids - Stackable Meal Prep Food Containers for Kitchen & Pantry, Leakproof, Reusable Metal Bento Lunch Box 1100 ml 3 Count : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

I would just cover an induction / oven friendly dish with tin foil or am I missing something?

I do believe that a small Nacco from Denmark is what you are looking for. I don't think they're still in production, but you can find them second hand and these things would last through a nuclear war, so please don't have any qualms about buying used. This particular listing is a good price:

Small Nacco 15E Denmark Blue Enamel Cast Iron Casserole Oven Dish | eBay UK

I've got this exact one, having bought it more or less by accident second hand on Facebook marketplace, but now I would not be without it!

I can tell you how much it holds, because I usually reheat homemade soups and stews in it, and the jars I store those in are 700ml. I suspect it's actually a 1 litre capacity, but not 100% sure.

Amazed at some of the snarky responses on here OP

You're right that cooking in a big pan changes the ratio of how you use liquids and the speed at which a single portion cooks and I do understand why you might not want to have batches of food, I batch cook lots of things but what it means is the freezer is piled up with dinners and someone might not want that, or have the space to do that without eating the same thing day in and day out.

Lidl do a lovely cast iron dish set when they come around again, the small one is 1.35l, I also have a small Swan slow cooker and a tiny rice cooker. I have small frying pans and small milk pans. Grains are particularly difficult due to the layer of liquid so Ive taken to doing small portions in the microwave or the small rice cooker. Theres also a tiny soup maker which is amazing.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/30637780/lidl-le-creuset-casserole-dish-dupe/

https://www.kaleidoscope.co.uk/products/swan-1-5l-slow-cooker-retro-red//A-80K907

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/62569/lakeland-mini-electric-rice-cooker-05l?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20891625552&gbraid=0AAAAADtoD6NaT9ygwUr6Sc5VagKk2EQCD&gclid=CjwKCAiAqprNBhB6EiwAMe3yhimLIuMdQPaLh2yaJEPismKjiK-jwUKd9z3IKghqCdE_whW1yu34jRoCLawQAvD_BwE

https://justmeproducts.co.uk/product/soup-maker/