Cooking for one.

[Hilary B]

Making your own micro-meals (as you have done) is a good option, cook once (batch), and store in the freezer until needed!

[Bigmallly]

Thanks again for all your kind comments.

[Seahorse]

I love cooking but rarely bothered when it was just me. It's not the same as the satisfaction of feeding others, is it?

I cook for 5 or 6 now (depends who is 'in'). It takes me almost no longer to make a meal for six than one (bit more chopping mebbe but the actual cooking time is the same). It would take a few weeks to make it work properly but if you cooked a big dish once a week and saved six out of seven portions, in the end you'd have one 'fresh' meal and 6 'ready' meals a week. I'd also recomend a slow cooker. You really can just bung a load of stuff in at breakfasttime and when you come home from work, you only need a bit of crusty bread or some quick pasta/rice/spuds and you're there. And of course if you get a good sized one you can freeze lots for later too.

[Bigmallly]

That's what I was thinking of doing with the Halogen as it as a one hour timer. Prepare at night, switch on when I leave for work & warm it up again when I get in, or maybe put a portion in the microwave & divvy the rest up. Not sure yet, it's all a learning curve.

[veggiechicken]

Be careful if you're leaving meat unrefrigerated overnight. Don't want you poisoned!

[binley100]

If you've got the oven on then fill it . Chuck in a tray of toms or other veg to roast at the same time then they can be used for the base of pasta sauce or soup ......Any leftover veg can go into making soup , they're already cooked so it makes it quick .

[Bigmallly]

Be careful if you're leaving meat unrefrigerated overnight. Don't want you poisoned!

Some would say that could be a blessing in disguise...............

[veggiechicken]

Well I wouldn't Can't speak for the others though!

[Bigmallly]

When I said prepare the night before, I of course meant veggies then add the meat in the morning.

[veggiechicken]

Thats OK -You'll probably survive! To be sure, why not cook it all the night before and refridgerate it, otherwise, your cooked meat will be cooling off through the day and that might not be a good idea either.
Caveat: I am not a food hygeineist (or whatever they're called) so could be talking a load of old twaddle)

[binley100]

You'd need to cool it before it goes in the fridge tho' .......

[Bigmallly]

Now your confoosing me.............my mind is fuddled enough as it is..........

[veggiechicken]

Someone should invent a refridgerated oven that keeps uncooked food cool until the timer comes on to cook it.

[binley100]

BM you can't put warm food in the fridge cos it raises the temp of the fridge which could put other food at risk whislt the fridge is working overtime to bring the temp down .....It needs to cool down to room temp first.

[Bigmallly]

Sorry Bins, that was me teasing............I know not to put warm food in the fridge or cooked meat near raw meat but nice of you to be concerned.......