Staying alone gives you privacy and freedom, something we all love and cherish! Moving away from home for a job can come with other changes as well like learning how to cook and manage your meals. A lot of times you may neglect to eat healthy as you might find it easier to eat something from outside or at the office. However, this can lead to issues like unhealthy weight gain in the long run. Not to mention the drain on your wallet!
Instead, why don’t you try setting up a simple kitchen with basic equipment? This can help you get started with easy cooking. If you already cook, then you can continue to develop your skills and learn more!
Look out for single-serving recipes
These recipes prevent wastage and give you exact portion sizes. They go into detail of how many ingredients you need and in what amounts. This can help you eat fresh and wholesome foods every day.
Plan ahead
Once you have your recipes in hand, start shopping for the things you need. Keep in mind that certain foods can be bought and stored, while others need to be bought fresh! You can store whole wheat flours/ multigrain flours for chapathis, brown rice, millets, Dalia, pulses like Sabut Channa, Rajmah, dried peas, cowpeas etc. Soy nuggets can also provide added protein in your diet. Go to the bulk bins for these items, so you can buy exactly how much you need.
Fresh produce needs to be bought on a weekly/ bi-weekly basis. Hardy vegetables like onions and root vegetables can be bought and stored. Fresh vegetables like tomatoes, gourds, etc. can be bought at the beginning of the week. Fruits like apples, pears, oranges, Mosambi can also be bought and stored for 3-4 days. For green leafy vegetables/ ripe bananas etc, you are better off buying them fresh. Shopping this way minimizes the need for a fridge.
While shopping for these, remember to stick to your plan and not deviate into the junk food aisle too often!
Budget
Maintaining a budget for the month’s groceries or your weekly vegetable shopping is a great way of saving and managing your finances effectively. It also prevents you from buying anything unnecessary.
Invest
A simple one-burner electric stove or 2-burner gas stove is sufficient and space saving. This can help you churn out tasty meals. In addition, you need some storage containers for dry foods and spices, etc. It would be wise to invest in a few cast iron/ non-stick pans and dishes too. This can help you cook without too much oil and also make the clean up easier. You can also buy a hand blender which can help you make soups or grind masalas. This again makes clean up easier since your blending is done in the same vessel. A small 2-litre pressure cooker is a handy item to keep with you. It can make Daals, curries, pulao, and steamed rice in a jiffy and using minimal oil.
Batch cooking
If you have a fully functional kitchen, one that includes a fridge, you can even try batch cooking. In this way, you may not need to cook every day. You can prepare curry masalas over the weekend and over the weekdays use them for quick veg/ non-veg dishes. Or you could even knead and store dough to make into chapatis later on in the day. This can help you buy and stock up on perishables like milk, eggs, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Improvise
Chop vegetables for both sabjis and salads: this way you don’t need to wash up twice. Using leftovers creatively is also helpful when you cook for yourself. If you have sabji left over from dinner, try wrapping it in a chapathi for the next day’s breakfast or using it as a sandwich stuffing.
Start slow
If you are not a master chef in the kitchen, that’s okay! Start slow!
If you still need to order from outside for your meals, try this instead, cook brown rice, Dalia, millets at home and only order a curry or daal from outside to accompany it. Chop up some veggies like carrots, beetroot, cucumber, tomato for a healthy salad, and you are good to go! Gradually, you can experiment with recipes so that you can start cooking on your own.
Cooking for yourself is a healthy decision that will benefit you in the long run. Not only do you have control over how your food is being prepared in terms of portion size, taste, amount of salt, sugar, oil, and the ingredients being added, but you also feel the joy of cooking a healthy meal for yourself.
And keep in mind that cooking for one does not mean adding hot water to cup noodles or that 2-minute Maggi!! Go beyond! Get creative!! Eat wholesome food!! Eat healthy!!
References 1. 12 tips that make cooking for one person a breeze. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.thisisinsider.com/cooking-for-one-person-tips-2018-9#get-creative-with-leftover-produce-and-meals-12 2. Cooking Tips for One or Two. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.eatright.org/food/planning-and-prep/cooking-tips-and-trends/cooking-tips-for-one-or-two 3. Easy Cooking for One or Two: Recipes and Tips. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/easy-coooking-for-one-or-two-recipies-and-tips 4. https://www.realsimple.com. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/cooking-for-one 5. Just 16 Helpful Tips If You're Cooking For One. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/terripous/helpful-cooking-tips-for-one 6. Tucker, A. (2019). 18 Essential Tips For Cooking For One. Retrieved from https://www.self.com/story/18-essential-tips-for-cooking-for-one