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

[MindYourUsage]

Please don't tell me to shut up and batch cook. Single people want to eat fresh, too. And not everything is suitable for freezing, defrosting and reheating.

I've been looking for a small (700ml) induction friendly lidded casserole dish that could also go in the oven and - nothing.

I even asked chatGPT - it served me a load that were 3.5L or 2.5L.......

you either get those teeeeny tiny little le creuset pots that are 250ml (I do eat a normal portion size so no and anyway they're ceramic not iron) or 2.5L litre things that I would have to over cook more than I need/want.

It's just weird when there is such a rise in single person homes that some celebrity chef hasn't cottoned on or something and come up with a cookware line that is for single-servings but isn't teeny tiny little dolls-house versions.

Rant over. Any other single people feel the same?

Another thing I sometimes do when I cook is to freeze a tiny portion, then have it a week later. It’s amazing what random things freeze really well. I just had some gravy that had been cluttering up my freezer for over a year.

Weirdly - apparently baked beans freeze well.

Check out Pyrex. I've got quite a few one portion dishes, different shapes, some with lids.

Yes baked beans freeze fine and if nothing else you can just chuck them in a chili.

Frozen bread is fine for toast. Tbh, apart from salad, most things are fine frozen. I'm not keen on potatoes or mushrooms after they've been frozen but that could just be me.

Ketchup keeps for years. We're a brown sauce household but sometimes have Ketchup on the go if we've run out of stolen sachets but even if a bottle takes forever to use it doesn't go off.

Me, too. I do make copious use of 1 litre Pyrex casseroles, though. My 16, 18 and 20cm metal pans can go in the oven.

I even freeze half bags of fresh spinach, it goes like crackled brittle glass and I just throw it in a stew or something

I have a narrower but taller pot that works for some things (I remove oven shelves to make it fit), which might be an option? So it’s still bigger capacity but more functional for what you want?

All good stuff here, I'm learning stuff I should have known years ago! It's not the cost, it is the waste that gets me- and not just the food contents, the package or bottle that goes into landfill! It must have been wonderful in the 1940s, 50s and 60s before plastic was invented and became the go-to for every product ever produced.

Ive just started to use psyllium husk and thought I would buy a small amount of it, because the cupobards are bulging with this bag or that bag of things and I dont really like bags of powdery stuff, ripe for an accident in the cupboard

So there is a refillable place near me, all organicky, brown paper bag, overpriced vegan brownie type place. The psyllium husk in there is £7 per 100g thats £70 per kilo!!!!!

Its obviously much much much cheaper to buy it in a bigger bag but I dont want a bigger bag. I only have a teaspoon a day.

Have you tried googling 'small cast iron cocotte' rather than casserrole? A lot of them are the tiny oven to table ones, but some are just big enough to cook in. They're what you'd use for baked eggs or get served a single potion of casserole in and are what I'd search for in French.

@ITMA2000 I genuinely feel sad for you if you didn’t learn how to run a kitchen during your childhood and youth.

The things you’re describing - wanting tiny sachets of pre-made sauce because you’d otherwise use a small bottle once … It’s extraordinary to me. As pp has suggested - did it never occur to you that you might make other meals that are nice with that sauce?

And again with the wastage of bread. If you buy good quality bread it genuinely will still be lovely after being frozen.

This thread is making me feel incredibly old.

A wider bigger pot has more surface area. That can cause issues.

A lot of the responses on this thread saying 'just use a bigger pot with less in it' dont really understand the technicality behind cooking and temperature, how it affects texture of the food, cooking time, moisture etc.

Use the appropriate size pot for the size of dish you are cooking.

Same when I see clips of people 'frying' food or onions off in a saucepan, no, you are inadvertently semi steaming it because its crowding the pan too much and the sides are too high

I completely comprehend the necessity to use the right size cooking container - but I’m still appalled at the false economy of regularly cooking in the tiniest amounts possible.

What false economy?

The OP doesnt set out any economic reason for what she is asking, she is talking about the practicalities of preparation and cooking technique.

Although I love my freezer and try to use it to every advantage, something Nigella said struck a chord.

She said that every time you consider taking something out of the freezer, it’s as if you’ve eaten it again. And if something has been languishing in there for three months you’ve probably “eaten” it a dozen times.
Thats why frozen leftovers are so unappetizing.

Sometimes I don’t even feel like eating things the first time round, if they’ve been a pain to cook. But I do it for the fam. If I’m by myself I’ve been known to just stand at the fridge and scoff uncooked ravioli!

So more power to the OP who actually wants to cook single portions in appropriate pans.
Economy of scale means that single portion packages will always be more expensive, but there are things like buyers’ cooperatives.

I completely agree with you about scale and about wanting to cook fresh every day. Those suggesting 16cm and 21cm pans clearly don't understand the problem.

I discovered Staub a few years ago and I've not looked back - their dishes are great and come in lots of different shapes and sizes so you can find the right ones for you. It's not cheap but it is really worth it.

'She said that every time you consider taking something out of the freezer, it’s as if you’ve eaten it again. And if something has been languishing in there for three months you’ve probably “eaten” it a dozen times.'.

What are you on about? This is gobbledegook.

@Shedmistress
Try reading it again and pay attention to the words “as if”. It’s an analogy.

No it isnt. It is gibberish.

Are you saying she doesn’t like frozen food?

Nigella always freezes stuff.

😆

Nigella thinks that standing at the freezer and looking at the macaroni cheese wondering if you fancy it for tonight's dinner is akin to actually eating it. She clearly stands with her freezer door open prevaricating a fair bit. So by the time you actually defrost and eat it you've already akin-to-eaten-it several times.

I'm not sure I follow her logic or agree with her. She either said that for telly or she spends more time naval gazing in front of her freezer than I do!

I thought one day I will be too weak to lift cast iron, so I better buy it all today to get maximum usage. Staub is definitely my favourite.

I know what Nigella means. Cooking for one tonight , I go to the freezer, look in for inspiration, there's half a cottage pie that wasn't that great the first time, a fish pie that I don't fancy, in fact I don't want any pies. There's the Bolognese sauce I didn't want last week, or the week before or the week before that. When I look in the freezer it's full of things I have made a decision not to eat or to eat before. What I really want is to open the door and find something unexpected and think oh, that sounds nice.
Sadly, I have metophically eaten every thing in the freezer before.

Cross post @AnotherHormonalWoman
Great user name.

Aah, you see you make the mistake of freezing food that isn't very nice!

If I didn't like it that much the first time, I will usually eat it over the next few days rather than freeze it. Occasionally something slips through but mostly, if it's made it to the white room of precious preservation, it's a good dish!

Never really realised that before now.

I know where you are coming from and I have a family. I do have some itty bitty cookware I absolutely love but it’s all from different places. I have a non stick square pan that makes exactly one grilled cheese sandwich and the sides are about 1/2”.
But - try IKEA. Their toy section used to have teeny tiny stainless steel cookware that you could actually use for cooking! I have one but Lord knows where all the bits are!