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"Solo dining needn't be dull
dining" — according to Kate Fraser of New Zealand's The Press — 8/28/08
Here's an excerpt:
"I am confident not too many solo diners rush home of an evening to fix themselves roasted duck breast
with pomegranate sauce, but another meal of baked beans straight from the can? How sad is that.
Please, people, do your body, your taste buds, and your sense of gratification (all right, greed) a favour and
make a proper meal."
Kiwi or no, you may find Fraser's tips on cooking for one just the inspiration you need to spark at home eating..
Several terrific recipes will send you out the door to the nearest super market!
Check it out: "Solo dining
needn't be dull dining"
Waste Management Tips
Vaccum-sealed leftovers can extend freshness fivefold. Stores like Target and Sears carry topselling mechanisms
like FoodSaver and Seal-a-Meal; prices start at around $50.
A Days Ago digital counter will take the guesswork about the number of days leftovers have sat in your fridge.
Affix it to a storage container and it will display the elapsed time. $10 per pair at The Container Store or Whole
Foods Market or at www.howmanydaysago.com.
AARP Magazine, January & February 2008
Looking for books on cooking for one? Visit: cooking4one
When eating alone at home, how do you eat? At a table, on the floor before a coffee table? In a chair with
a tray balanced on your lap? Anything approximating gentility?
New from Dansk (featured in the New York Times
— 9-13-07 and in the October 2007 issue of Bon Appetit) is:
Cafe Blanc Urban Picnic — Item#: 784307A — $40.00
What is it?
A portable, compact instant table setting, comprising: a porcelain divided plate, bowl, salt & pepper and
bud vase (Don't you love it?). A bamboo tray is included.
P.S. Porcelain is microwave- and dishwasher-safe.
Would you enjoy sharing recipes (for one or two) with other people?
Check out Recipe Link.com's message board: Cooking
for One Or Two
Do manners "matter" when you're eating alone at home?
Judith Martin, "Miss Manners," weighs in:
Dear Miss Manners:
How much can manners be disregarded when eating alone at home? Can the soup dish be tilted, can a dish be scraped,
can the fingers be used under circumstances that would be deplored in public? [Sinkie.com — The International Association of People Who Dine Over the Kitchen
Sink — to the rescue!] Does any of these things really matter?
Gentle Reader:
No, they don't matter when you eat at home alone. Go hog wild. Use your hands. Use your feet. Smear your food over
your face. Etiquette has to do with behavior that affects other people, and when there is no one around to be affected,
you are, so to speak, home free. The only reason Miss Manners can imagine for your using manners under those circumstances
would be self-respect.
If it impacts solo/single supermarket shopping, Carol Ann Johnson will
be on it!
Here are tidbits from several of her finds:
"Baffled by Beef: Meatpackers hope to boost sales by educating clueless shoppers" — Columbus Dispatch
— May 26, 2006.
"Cargill Inc., the agribusiness and one of
its units are starting a marketing campaign that features labels that help consumers figure out what to do with
a particular piece of meat, online promotions and advice, and cuts that make sense for small households and single
people."
A practical book for grocery shoppers!
"What to Eat: An Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Good Eating" by Marion Nestle
"A visit to a large supermarket can be a daunting experience: so many aisles, so many brands and varieties,
so many prices to keep track of and labels to read, so many choices to make. No wonder. To repeat: An astonishing
320,000 edible products are for sale in the United States, and any large supermarket might display as many as 40,000
of them..." (from the first line)
To purchase, click: wise supermarket
shopping
Sooner or later, EVERYONE — business and pleasure travelers, singles, those divorced
or widowed, very-marrieds whose spouses are on the road, harried moms and dads, etc. — faces the challenge of eating
out alone!
THE How-to Booklet of Solo Dining Tips & Strategies:
The Art and Satisfaction of Dining Alone — REVEALED!
Richard Decker, 51, cooks almost every night — sometimes for friends but often just for himself.
His secret is his Food-Saver, a home vacuum-packaging system. He buys whole-beef tenderloins, which can be
less expensive than individual steaks, and cuts them into fillets; vacuum-packs them; pops them in the freezer
and uses them as the craving arises.
"There is something liberating, in cooking for yourself. It's not like you've got to feed five other people
and please them. It's a chance to figure out what you like and go beyond the old standards. It's a little way to
take care of yourself." Kristin Bagnato, editor in chief of Cooking Smart.
Tips for storing and using leftovers:
* Separate bacon into 2-slice portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap, then store in a plastic bag in the
freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator to use in a sandwich or . . .
* Store leftover canned tomates in plastic containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer
for months. Use atop pasta or in stews and soups.
* Store the unused portion of an onion tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for up to three days.
(They don't cause as much tearing when they're refrigerated.)
* Store other vegetable pieces (like bell peppers) tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator. Use on sandwiches
or in salads.
Cookie sales have taken a dive according to: "Big Cookie Makers See Sales Crumble" — USAToday
— April 15, 2005
However, the big cookie manufacturers' woes may prove to be a good thing for solos/singles:
". . . Keebler is introducing Gripz — tiny, round Chips Deluxe pieces. They're about the size of M&Ms
and come in single-serve packs."
"Nabisco also is touting 'portion control' with 100-calorie, single-serve packs of (creamless!) Oreos
and Chips Ahoy Thin Crisps."
"Nabisco is introducing Oreo Twins — single-serve packs of two Oreos sold in boxes of 24."
"The 100-Calorie Snack Attack" — Newsweek — August 14, 2006
" . . . food giaants have been scrambling to emulate Kraft's [Oreos and Chips Ahoy] success — from Coke's
minicans to Frito-Lay's Mini Bites to Hershey's upcoming 100-calorie candy bars. In the first six months of 2006,
42 new 100 calorie products hit the market — as many as in all of last year, says Tom Vierhile, director of Datamonitor's
ProductScan."
The Sacramento Bee published, "Table for One:
Just because you're cooking solo doesn't mean you have to skimp on fresh food"
In the body of the piece, Anita Kobuszewski, senior corporate dietitian for Albertsons,
offered these shopping and meal-planning tips when cooking for one or two:
"Buying smaller sizes can cost more when you figure the price per ounce, but if you buy the larger size, you
won't save money if you end up throwing things away."
"Try to find a neighbor or friend who will split bulk purchases with you. You will have fun shopping together
and you'll both save some money."
"Plan ahead to freeze unused portions to eat later. Or, if you must buy larger quantities, separate them into
smaller portions and freeze them in single-serving sizes."
"There is a lot of benefit to buying frozen entrées, especially if you don't enjoy cooking whole meals.
Supplement your frozen entrée with a fresh salad or vegetables. It will still be less expensive and better
for you than going to the drive-through."
"Research shows that people tend to eat better when they have someone to eat with. Invite a friend over. Share
a meal or make it a potluck."
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