Cooking for one or two
Cooking for one without the waste
Freeze half, give the onion a second job, and stop treating a household of one like a failure of meal prep.
By Chris Lee, home cook · 5 min · Updated 2026-10-08
The waste in a one-person kitchen is produce with no plan and a family pack that seemed thrifty. Neither is a character flaw.
Cook dinner for one. If the only chicken at the store is a family tray, freeze the extra in flat bags the same day. Half an onion goes into eggs tomorrow. Write that second job on the planner or it will not happen.
Shop for four days using the small grocery approach. Sturdy vegetables, eggs, yogurt, and a starch you already know how to cook will cover the gap nights.
Cooking for one vs a family batch is the decision. Batch only when the freezer half has a label.