Cooking well for 1

[Kevin86]

Hey everybody

So I have done batch cooking and family dinners and all that and I like to cook.
I’m currently building a new place so I’m staying in the camper. So I only have a stove to cook on. But, there is no chest freezer or stocked pantry, etc.
What do you guys do for single meal fresh cooking and not just eating out of a can or eating bread like crazy?

Thanks for the advice

 

[dragnlaw]

Hi Kevin, good to see you here again.
Well I do have a freezer but I only have two burners to cook on, luckily I also have a micro-wave and a toaster oven. That being said I can only use one appliance at a time on high or two on very low setting.
How many burners do you have? A micro-wave or toaster?
Another question: Are you cooking for 1 - 2 or 3?
Do I remember correctly? You like to make soup? Which you can easily also make stew. You can make a soup or stew that will give you perhaps two or three meals for the week. Don't have to eat them all in a row. Alternate with something.
Perhaps a pot of rice, again divided up into 2 or 3 meals, re heat with a gravy or little bit of stock when the rest of the meal is ready.
Boil up some potato and in the last few minutes throw in some corn or green/yellow beans.
On the other burner of course, is your meat. And a gravy?
I'll try to find and link some meals done in pretty much one pan.

 

[dragnlaw]

@Kevin86 Onions Pork Chops in a skillet. Lightly season and brown your chops on both sides, remove from pan. Brown up some sliced onions in the skillet with the rendered fat, adding more fat if needed. Make a pan gravy with the fat/oil in the pan (with flour and beef stock). Throw in some thyme (2 tsp fresh, 1 tsp dried) Taste for seasoning. Return chops to pan, cover and let simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Then, if you'd like, you could grate some Gruyere Cheese on the chops to melt - yummmm.
Assuming you have a 2nd burner you would do some potatoes or rice and add some canned vegies (corn/green beans/peas?) to that or onto the gravy to heat up.

You can do the same as above with chicken breasts, thighs (simmer a bit longer), either with or without skin. Use chicken stock rather than beef.

 

[Badjak]

No chest freezer,but do you have a fridge?
If so, then meals stay good for a couple days
I generally cook for one, on a 2 pit stove.
I'm thinking a sauce, onion, tomato, garlic, ground meat.
No spices
Enough for a couple of meals.
When done, divide in tupperware, leaving one portion in the pan.
Now we spice it up
- mixed herbs, oregano, maybe capers, salt, pepper & pasta
- chili, ginger, extra garlic, fish or soy sauce to give it an East Asian slant. With rice, or noodles
- a bit on bread, topped with cheese, in a skillet with lid on low fire for a sandwich, bread-pizza thingy
- Add liquid and make it something soupy
- Break an egg in it for another meal
Etc

And when you cook rice, cook some more, let it cool down and make fried rice the next day

Good luck with buillding.
I lived in a dome tent, no power, fridge, just a little stove for 6 months when I was building

 

[Badjak]

Oh forgot.
You can start by making rice, then after 5-10 minute soft soft boil, take it of the stove and cover with a duvet, jersey or so.
It will stay hot and gets cooked. You just need to get the water-rice balance right

 

[dragnlaw]

@Kevin86 You can do the above with any kinds of meat and vary your gravy. It would be easier to simmer them on the burner if you have a heat diffuser but otherwise check frequently to make sure there is still enough liquids.
You could even make the gravy a little bit more liquidy and throw in some raw rice letting it cook with everything until the rice is done.

Edit: x 2!
I was referring to my post, LOL didn't even see Badjak til after I replied.
And I just reread the title - again, my bad - take out my question of how many you are cooking for.

 

[CharlieD]

cooking for one is a challenge, especially with no freezer space, and I assume not a lot of refrigerator space either. Basically goin to store every day and buying one pork chop, or one chicken breast. Sorry, I have no advise.

 

[boom]

cooking for 1 is a challenge. cooking for 1, without leftover storage options is really challenging!!

reminds me of deer hunting camps. i ate a lot of burritos. egg ones for breakfast. pan fried meats for dinner.

 

[dragnlaw]

Even if it is an ice-box and replenishing the ice every other day - been there - done that. You can still store a meal for a day or two. Plus here in Ontario it is starting to get cooler so by keeping the cooler outside in the shade the ice lasts even longer.

@Kevin86 hope you have a hard-top camper (helps keep the heat in) and the roof is on the building before we start getting snow!

 

[HeyItsSara]

there are great cooking for one type cookbooks at the library. i have one for baking because i'm diabetic but still want to make treats for dh.

 

[Andy M.]

With a fridge/freezer you can do quite a bit if you can ensure there is room in both. It's not hard to make a recipe for two and wither freeze or refrigerate the second portion for a couple of days later. Also, if you can plan to pick up perishable a few times a week, you can add a good amount of variety to your menu.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Try moving your cooking outdoors a couple nights each week.

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[Kevin86]

Hi Kevin, good to see you here again.
Well I do have a freezer but I only have two burners to cook on, luckily I also have a micro-wave and a toaster oven. That being said I can only use one appliance at a time on high or two on very low setting.
How many burners do you have? A micro-wave or toaster?
Another question: Are you cooking for 1 - 2 or 3?
Do I remember correctly? You like to make soup? Which you can easily also make stew. You can make a soup or stew that will give you perhaps two or three meals for the week. Don't have to eat them all in a row. Alternate with something.
Perhaps a pot of rice, again divided up into 2 or 3 meals, re heat with a gravy or little bit of stock when the rest of the meal is ready.
Boil up some potato and in the last few minutes throw in some corn or green/yellow beans.
On the other burner of course, is your meat. And a gravy?
I'll try to find and link some meals done in pretty much one pan.

Hey bud good to be back I’ve been off for a bit.
You do remember right I’m definitely a soup guy! In fact tonight I made a sausage & bean soup that’s likely to last me the whole weekend.

I did pick up a few things to make pan tortilla pizzas and pizza based things as well.

Adding the rice, etc I have thought about I have those tortilla bowls that a nice hot rice mix would be great in

 

[Kevin86]

Even if it is an ice-box and replenishing the ice every other day - been there - done that. You can still store a meal for a day or two. Plus here in Ontario it is starting to get cooler so by keeping the cooler outside in the shade the ice lasts even longer.

@Kevin86 hope you have a hard-top camper (helps keep the heat in) and the roof is on the building before we start getting snow!

Thanks man. I’m actually in NFLD right now just east of St. John’s so keeping things cool isn’t a big issue however cooking out side right now it rains a lot

 

[Kevin86]

there are great cooking for one type cookbooks at the library. i have one for baking because i'm diabetic but still want to make treats for dh.

I have been making the YouTube rounds on this to lol. But I thought a little conversation about it wouldn’t hurt either

 

[Kevin86]

No chest freezer,but do you have a fridge?
If so, then meals stay good for a couple days
I generally cook for one, on a 2 pit stove.
I'm thinking a sauce, onion, tomato, garlic, ground meat.
No spices
Enough for a couple of meals.
When done, divide in tupperware, leaving one portion in the pan.
Now we spice it up
- mixed herbs, oregano, maybe capers, salt, pepper & pasta
- chili, ginger, extra garlic, fish or soy sauce to give it an East Asian slant. With rice, or noodles
- a bit on bread, topped with cheese, in a skillet with lid on low fire for a sandwich, bread-pizza thingy
- Add liquid and make it something soupy
- Break an egg in it for another meal
Etc

And when you cook rice, cook some more, let it cool down and make fried rice the next day

Good luck with buillding.
I lived in a dome tent, no power, fridge, just a little stove for 6 months when I was building

I have a camper on site but same as you no power. Small propane stove. Luckily precooked roasted chickens are always easy to find now though.

Luckily I should only be a month or so til I have a shell. Then the wood stove install is top priority lol.

 

[dragnlaw]

Ummmm Kevin? Hate to burst your bubble but I don't think that's rain. I think it's called the ocean. Not too much east of St John's but water.
Yeah, a wood stove is going to be a welcome source, not only for heat but even to cook on. I'm hoping you will (eventually?) have power?

 

[caseydog]

Hey everybody

So I have done batch cooking and family dinners and all that and I like to cook.
I’m currently building a new place so I’m staying in the camper. So I only have a stove to cook on. But, there is no chest freezer or stocked pantry, etc.
What do you guys do for single meal fresh cooking and not just eating out of a can or eating bread like crazy?

Thanks for the advice

I've been cooking for one for years.

Like Aunt Bea said, get a grill. Weber makes a little grill called a Smokey Joe that I've used for camping for many years. That, and an Iwatani butane stove have fed me many, many times when camping. Put there, you would be better off with propane, because butane saves don't work below about 40F.

I keep single portions of meats in vacuum sealed bags in the freezer, but since that is not an option for you, you may have to think of the local grocery store as your fridge/freezer. Pick up a steak, pork chop or piece of fish, bring it home and toss it on the grill. All the pantry you need for that is some salt and pepper.

I also have a really good marine cooler that can keep food cold for 4 days in the summer, and longer in the winter. I just have to put it in my car at night so the raccoons can't get to it.

Another thing I learned camping is that flour tortillas are your friend. You can turn just about any protein and veggie combination into tacos. Corn tortillas are not as "shelf stable" as flour tortillas.

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CD

 

[Steve Kroll]

Hi Kevin,

I've been flying solo for years and I try to keep most meals pretty simple if it's just for me.

Breakfast - I aim for something protein heavy that doesn't require cooking. A lot of mornings it's yogurt mixed with berries, granola, hemp seeds, and nuts. Other days I eat low fat cottage cheese with avocado and chopped tomato. On weekends I usually try to have some eggs.

Lunch - on Sundays I make up a pot of beans, lentils, or soup of some kind. And rice (I do have a rice cooker). This will usually provide lunch for 4 or 5 days.

Dinner - I often have a piece of fish and veggies. I also have leaned heavily into stir fries or noodle dishes. You can buy fresh packaged noodles that will cook up quickly in a pan of marinara sauce (no need for water). Stir fries come together quickly with pre-chopped veggies, a protein, and a jar of Asian sauce. I serve it over some of the rice I cooked on Sunday.

I have one basic rule when cooking for myself... if you have to dirty more than one pan, it's not worth it. I am also my own dish-doer and maid.

 

[rodentraiser]

Do you have an oven? Because there's a lot of stuff you can cook in an oven. Also, do you do any crock pot cooking? They have these small crock pots now, maybe one quart, that will hold a single chicken breast or a couple pork chops and if you have any access to electricity, that would be a game changer. I'm assuming the guys working on your house can use their electric tools?

If you don't have a fridge, a couple bags of ice will keep things cool (not frozen) for a while, too.