Meal planning for one: cook well without the waste

Cooking for one comes with its own problems. Recipes are written for families, ingredients come in big packs, and it's tempting to skip cooking entirely. With a bit of planning, it can be one of the cheapest and most flexible ways to eat well.

Cook once, eat in different ways

Rather than eating the same dish four nights in a row, cook a component and reuse it differently. A tray of roast chicken thighs can become a salad on Monday, a wrap on Tuesday and a fried rice on Wednesday. A pot of lentils can be soup, a salad base or a curry.

Make your freezer your friend

• Freeze extra portions of soups, stews and curries in single servings
• Freeze sliced bread and take out what you need
• Keep frozen vegetables, fruit and fish for nights when the fridge is empty
• Freeze leftover fresh herbs chopped in a little oil in an ice cube tray

Shop smaller and smarter

Buy loose fruit and vegetables so you get exactly the amount you need. Choose ingredients that keep well, like carrots, cabbage, apples, eggs, tinned beans and frozen veg. Plan two or three recipes that share perishable items, so half a bag of spinach or a bunch of coriander gets fully used.

Halve recipes the easy way

Most recipes scale down well. Halve the ingredients, keep the cooking times similar for things like roasting vegetables, and check doneness a few minutes earlier for smaller portions of meat or fish. Baking is the exception, since it relies on precise ratios.

Make it worth it

Cooking for yourself is a chance to eat exactly what you like. Set a table, use a nice plate and try the recipe you've been saving. In Mealful, set servings to one and the grocery list works out the right quantities for you, so you only buy what you'll use.