Small plates and portion kit that make eating easier
Photo: Regina Tommasi / Pexels
A big dinner plate with a small portion on it can look like a failure. The same food on a side plate looks like a meal. This guide is about the kit that makes small portions feel normal.
Why size matters when your appetite is small
Restaurants are catching on. Restaurant Online reports that operators are offering half-size formats and shorter menus, with portions 20% to 50% smaller (Restaurant Online (opens in a new tab)). At home you can do the same with a few bits of kit.
Our small-portion kit list
- Side plates (about 20cm). A finished side plate feels better than a half-eaten dinner plate. Amazon link coming soon
- Small bowls (about 300–400ml). Right for soup, porridge or a mini curry. Amazon link coming soon
- Digital kitchen scales. Handy for seeing what a portion really is, especially for pasta and seeds. View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)#ad / affiliate
- Silicone egg-bite moulds. Bake a batch of mini breakfasts once and eat them all week. View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)#ad / affiliate
- Small glass pots with lids. For yoghurt, overnight oats and leftovers. Amazon link coming soon
- Freezer portion pots. Batch-cook beans or curry and freeze single portions. Amazon link coming soon
How to use it
- Batch, then portion. Cook once, split into small pots and freeze. Our mini curry is ideal.
- Weigh once. Weigh your usual serving of pasta or oats once or twice, then you'll know it by eye.
- Serve the protein first. Put the protein part on the plate first, so it doesn't get squeezed out by the rest.