Cooking for one

A growing number of Americans are warding off the stigma of preparing meals solo.

from the April 27, 2007 edition

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On most nights, Jo Anne Sitjar, a 40something construction project manager who lives alone in Glendale, Calif., faces a familiar question – to cook or not to cook?

"I usually deal with it by eating out," she says. If she's not dining with friends, she'll pick up takeout sushi or citrus-soaked grilled chicken from Pollo Loco – "the lesser of the fast-food evils." The costs, she acknowledges, add up, and the fare is not always as healthy as she'd like.

But eating at home presents its own challenges. "I did the crockpot thing for a while, but the food stays around forever and I got tired of it," Ms. Sitjar says. "I did the Lean Cuisine thing too, but that's really dull, and microwaved food has too much sodium."

These dilemmas ring true to many who live by themselves, which, according to census statistics, now compose more than a quarter of American households – outnumbering those made up of married couples with children. Since few people can afford to eat out every night, a growing number of cooking-for-one classes and solo-serving cookbooks is addressing the shift in demographics, offering not only practical advice but also a sense of camaraderie when it comes to fending for oneself in the kitchen.

"People have a psychological block about cooking for themselves," says Toni Lydecker, a cooking instructor and the author of "Serves One: Simple Meals to Savor When You're on Your Own." "They tend not to bother, instead of thinking of being alone as an opportunity to eat what they want."

Ms. Lydecker and other cooking-for-one instructors and writers take as their starting point the manifold possibilities of preparing meals solo. Having no one but oneself to consider, they say, gives one freer rein in the kitchen and greater license to experiment.

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