Whether it’s by design or due to circumstance dining alone can be a very fulfilling and joyful experience. Many lose interest in cooking for one and end up consuming more convenient foods with empty calories. Solo meals have the potential to be healthy and with just a bit of culinary advice, they can be delicious too.
Make the most of your meals with these tips and you will experience a five-star dining experience with the restaurant to yourself.
Sharpen your skills
Sharpening your skills in the kitchen could make meals more efficient as well as add some flavor to your dish. Pick a time in the day that you don’t feel rushed, especially if you are a beginner. Ensure your equipment is sharpened and clean because nothing slicer better than a sharp knife and nothing will hurt you more than a dull one. Take on a restaurant style approach and prep vegetables that you use often in bulk. Store them in your refrigerator and use them in your next recipe. The easier you make things the more enjoyable it will be.
Plan Meals
Keep a good idea of the foods in your house. Having an ongoing list of ingredients, you need so shopping can be more efficient. If that becomes too overwhelming explore signing up for a meal kit service. These services like “Mom’s Meals” provide a variety of different option and each one contains a complete meal and all you need to do is prepare it.
Delivery from your local supermarket is also a great timesaver, plan in the morning and you will have it at your doorstep before you know it.
One-Serving recipes
Very few recipes are portioned for one person but luckily websites like OneDishKitchen.com specializes in exactly that. They will take any recipe and portion it to a single dish, no overeating because its already in front of you, no need to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. Make every meal exciting and new.
One-Pot Recipes
A new viral internet trend is recipes with a design to be completed all in a single pot. Its not exclusive to a pot, feel free to use a wok, Dutch oven, skillet or sheet pan. Don’t limit yourself to just a stew either, so many different recipes can be created. Fried rice, Pastas and other cooked grains can be done masterfully with just a single pot.
Enhance the Ambience
Try and play the music you enjoy most, set the table, use the nice plates, and anything else that makes it more special to you. Add Elements that make each time you eat an event you can enjoy.
Adjust Over-Time
You will begin to hone your cooking skills and become more adventurous. Buy different cuts of meat, try replacing your favorite chicken dish with fish, see what works. Then you can begin to figure out how to reduce waste and lower grocery bills. Figure out how you can buy bulk portions of proteins and freeze them in easy to thaw methods. Purchase storage container for bulk grains and begin to explore exotic grains like quinoa and freekeh. Different noodles and cheeses can make a pasta dish a completely different experience so go wild.
The 5-star dining experience can be had daily and with minimal effort, if properly planned. The important part is to make the experience your own, cater to yourself and do what you like.
