Cooking for one with a small appetite: a proper meal, made smaller
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When it's just you at the table, and your appetite is small, it is easy to ask whether cooking is worth the bother. A bowl of cereal or a slice of toast wins by default. This guide is about keeping a small, proper meal in the week without it turning into a chore.
What the science says
A Newcastle University study, published in the journal Appetite, spoke to 46 adults aged 80 and over. Some women who had cooked for their families for decades lost their motivation once they were living alone. They simplified their meals or leaned more on convenience foods, because cooking had been tied up with looking after other people (Good Housekeeping UK (opens in a new tab)).
The same article reports a study in which skipping supper was linked to poorer intakes of vegetables, beans, dairy and protein foods. Another found that older adults eating fewer than three meals a day were less likely to meet their nutrient needs, even when they snacked more. The article notes that these studies were fairly small, so they show a pattern rather than prove a cause. The practical point is a kind one: a small meal that you sit down to still counts.
Scale it down, don't skip it
- Think "one of everything". One egg, one fillet, one handful of greens, one small potato. Most recipes for four divide neatly by four, and a few spoonfuls of a sauce will cover one.
- Cook once, eat twice. Make two portions and have the second tomorrow. That saves a whole round of chopping.
- Choose pots over pans. A single bowl of something like our mini chickpea curry or lentil pesto pasta with peas means one pan and very little washing-up.
- Use the freezer as a pause button. Freeze leftovers in single portions, in small labelled pots, so a meal is always ready.
- Eat at the table. Laying a place, even with a small plate, makes it feel like a meal and not a snack.
Freeze and reheat safely
The Food Standards Agency says cooked leftovers should be cooled and put in the fridge within one to two hours, and eaten within 48 hours or frozen. Dividing food into smaller portions helps it cool faster. Reheat only once, and make sure it is steaming hot all the way through, stirring in the microwave to avoid cold pockets (GOV.UK: cooking your food (opens in a new tab)). Rice needs extra care, so cool it quickly and put it in the fridge or freezer within an hour (GOV.UK: chill, freeze and defrost food safely (opens in a new tab)).
When cooking feels flat
It is normal for the enthusiasm to dip. Choose food you actually like, and make the same favourite dish more than once in a week without apology. If you'd like company, cook with a friend and split the portions, or share a meal with someone once a week. If you find you're regularly skipping meals or your appetite has dropped, mention it to your GP.
One small habit
Next time you cook, make double and freeze one portion in a small, labelled pot. Within a fortnight you'll have a few meals you can pull out when you can't face cooking.
Handy kit
- Small freezer pots for single portions. View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)#ad / affiliate
- Small ceramic bowls that make a modest serving look generous. View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)#ad / affiliate