I derive a lot of comfort from cooking. Bringing together separate ingredients to create a mingling of enticing flavors and aromas is soothing, inspirational even. And when I set a plate of delicious food willed by my two hands in front of a grateful dinner guest, few things feel more gratifying. So how does someone who enjoys cooking and exploring new recipes regularly end up eating variations of the same meal and spending as little time as possible in the kitchen?
Like many people, I rarely put in as much effort when cooking for myself. But whether we’re cooking for one or cooking for a crowd, shouldn’t the food itself provide us with the same kind of pleasure? In fact, when considering the benefits of preparing a meal for ourselves, it can be surprisingly more satisfying than the alternative.
The Joy of (Solitary) Cooking
As much as I enjoy hosting dinner parties, they aren’t stress-free events, and I spend plenty of time planning every detail. Even once dinner is served, I feel as though I can’t truly appreciate the meal because I’m wondering how well it’s going over with my guests. When we make a meal in solitude, we only have one person’s tastes to worry about—and since we already know what we like and don’t, it shouldn’t be too hard to accommodate those tastes. We can fully absorb the meal instead of worrying about someone else’s review.
Along those same lines, when we prepare food for ourselves, we can eat whatever we want. For example, if there’s an ingredient you love but your partner can’t stand, his or her business trip is the perfect time to experiment. Similarly, we can cook as much or as little as we feel like, and the meal can be as varied or monotonous, as colorful or monochromatic as our desire dictates. When we cook alone, we’re free to be completely selfish. How often can we say that outside of the kitchen?
Embracing the One-Pot, One-Bowl Method
Eating exactly what we’re in the mood for, balanced or not, is one of the best reasons to embrace solitary cooking. When asked what they enjoy cooking for themselves, most people mentioned various one-pot meals, such as fried rice or casseroles. One friend cited pasta with canned tuna, grated parmesan cheese, and olive oil as her go-to dish. Mine is scrambled eggs with spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers smothered in ketchup and black pepper. Another person questioned also prefers eggs, but in a bowl with black beans, salsa, and cheese. (Perhaps eggs are the solitary person’s staple?) These are the kind of meals that are almost too simple to serve to others, but far too enjoyable to remove from our meal rotation.
