Food shopping and cooking for one

[Ronnie_dog]

Hi all, need advice on how to food shop and cook for myself without food waste.
I don't like the taste of defrosted food and you can't buy single portion vegetables. Also, if you need variety then you buy many things which ultimately get thrown away.
How do I buy just enough? Is there a cookbook or program that guides you how to do it?

Good point. What about having a cooking session once a week. Each week buy enough for say 4. Cook a dish, eat one portion and freeze the other three. In a few weeks you’ll have a tasty stash of good home cooked food. There are many specific keto freezable recipes. Also, no need to cook whole recipes, just parts of them and then make up the rest fresh. Google freezable keto recipes. Also, do you have a friend or family member close enough to share. You cook a meal for 2 and give one portion to them and vice versa.

 

[LMJ]

If you shop in stores / shops with a large turnover you will not see many low use by dates.

Have to disagree. In my experience the larger stores are an issue as lengthy warehouse storage accounts for short sell by dates at the point of sale, despite pulling from the back to get a later date item hence part of the reason for end of aisle promotions.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi all, need advice on how to food shop and cook for myself without food waste.
I don't like the taste of defrosted food and you can't buy single portion vegetables. Also, if you need variety then you buy many things which ultimately get thrown away.
How do I buy just enough? Is there a cookbook or program that guides you how to do it?

Aly - Can I ask what it is about defrosted, reheated food that you don't like?

I know sometimes something like a chilli or curry will "mature" a bit when frozen, bringing out the flavours even more. Actually, we tend to quite like that, but then we like strong flavours, and heat.

Should we (just the two of us here) make, say, a plain casserole for day 1, then the leftovers will usually be on day 3 or 4. When they come to be consumed, there will quite often be herbs or spices added, just to ring the flavour changes, and add more varied tastes to even the same dish.

If we can maybe understand what it is you don't like, maybe we can be focused in our attempts to help?

 

[TJR56]

I find homemade hearty soups (lentil, pulses, veg and stock), small casseroles, stews, anything cooked in a tomato based sauce (e.g. chilli, bolognaise) freeze well and don't suffer noticeably in taste or texture as long as not left too long, so I cook a two portion meal and just revive after gradual thawing with some added mushrooms, fresh herbs, whatever suits the dish if I have any to hand. Have another go - but I agree not everything freezes equally well.

 

[NicoleC1971]

Where are you? It sounds like some post-apocalyptic world.

Back in the USSR pre Peristroika? Britain 2020?

 

[Mr_Pot]

Back in the USSR pre Peristroika? Britain 2020?

I see what you did there!
I was in Moscow 20 years ago and food shortages hadn't been forgotten. They couldn't understand why my vegetarian colleague didn't want meat if he could afford it.

 

[woollygal]

Does the taste not change towards the end of the week and do they actually stay for an entire week?

No idea but to be honest I don’t have a choice. I can’t get to the shops and I can’t cook every day so I have to put up with it.

if it means I have good then it’s fine. I guess you have to make a choice. At the end of the day I work long hours so for me as long as it dies it’s job and fills me up that all I need.

I’d love to be able to cook something different everyday but I can’t. Yes it’s boring but it’s either that or following such a strict diet becomes even harder and my health suffers.