There’s something undeniably daunting about cooking for just yourself — especially once you’ve experienced the ease of delivery and frozen meals. Convenience is hard to beat when time is short or motivation is low, but cooking for yourself can be surprisingly freeing. It gives you the chance to slow down and create something with your own hands. The start-to-finish process of putting together a home-cooked meal provides not only necessary sustenance, but also a sense of accomplishment that makes the effort worthwhile. At its core, cooking for one is an experience of self-care, and it provides nourishment and comfort that are hard to come by on a delivery app.

“At its core, cooking for one is an experience of self-care, and it provides nourishment and comfort that are hard to come by on a delivery app.”

Before moving into my first apartment on my own, I hadn’t stopped for a minute to think about how difficult it would be to cook for only myself. Mealtime was the last thing on my mind when I made the decision to live alone. Very quickly I’d fallen victim to the effortlessness of apps without even being fully aware of it — but once I realized that I was missing out on the intricacies of mealtime, I knew something needed to change. It was a slow and extremely necessary process, and it wasn’t long before I saw the beauty in cooking for myself. I was able to discover new things about my tastes and my skills, and most importantly, it became a new way to put myself first.

Here are some practical, and some more existential, observations I’ve made while tackling the kitchen for myself. Read on for my tips, tricks, and thoughts on cooking for one.

Plan ahead 

The first step — and perhaps the worst step — is to plan ahead. Take your time to go through those many, many recipes you’ve saved on your social media of choice and find one thing that you’ve been craving. Whatever that is, list the ingredients as the basis for your grocery list.

“Green onions can be added to more than one meal, or your leftover tofu can be made into a scramble in the morning.”

From there, consider what items could have multiple uses: Green onions can be added to more than one meal, or your leftover tofu can be made into a scramble in the morning. Sticking to one more complex recipe, and using the excess ingredients elsewhere means you’ll love the components of your meals and you won’t be inundated with food to use up at the end of the week.

And, when choosing a recipe to focus on, take into account what pantry items you already have…which brings me to my next point.

Kitchen staples

When stocking your kitchen, think less about what specific meals you would like and more about what would make your life easier. It can be expensive to stock a kitchen so it’s important to remember that it doesn’t all have to be at once. Take your time building a pantry of the necessities: Pasta, rice, stocks, canned beans, and vegetables.

“When stocking your kitchen, think less about what specific meals that you would like and more about what would make your life easier.”

And, while I have the floor, we have to break the stigma around frozen vegetables. There should be no shame in opting for the reasonably priced, more convenient, and surprisingly nutritious option — and yet it can often feel as though you’re doing something wrong in choosing frozen over fresh. Try to keep a healthy mix of your favorite frozen veggies handy whenever you can — they’re a simple way to turn a low-effort meal into something a little more special (and clutch for those days when you just can’t make it to the store).

Similarly, you can consider investing your time in making your own kitchen staples like big batches of stock to freeze. You’ll find that your life is a little bit easier and more delicious when you’ve got these things on hand.

Try new things

Though it can be easy to default to your favorite meals, let this be a time to discover something new about yourself. If your favorite vegetable is an enoki mushroom, search for recipes that incorporate them that you’ve never tried before! Finding an excuse to try something new while sticking close enough to home will turn cooking for yourself into a fun activity rather than something just for necessity. The act of trying something new purely for its own sake is incredibly liberating.  

“The act of trying something new purely for its own sake is incredibly liberating.”

For myself, I like to think of each new recipe as a lesson in self-discovery. More than learning a new recipe or a new cooking technique, I’m learning about my own abilities and tastes in a way that I wouldn’t have before. If I see someone online talking about a new way they learned to prepare an egg, I’ll make it a challenge to try this myself (and now, I can make the perfect poached egg!) because it’s about more than just cooking a meal — it’s about getting out of my comfort zone.

Invest in your kitchen

Small, versatile appliances will become your best friend. Air fryers didn’t become trendy for no reason — it’s because there’s little that you can’t do with one. It’s the perfect way to make yourself a good, healthy meal with minimal strain on yourself. Like a one-pot meal, you’re able to cook your meat and vegetables together, helping to save on time and make cleaning up painless. Most importantly, with the air fryer’s quick cooking time, you won’t have to wait long to enjoy your meal, making it ideal for busy days or when you just don’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen.

“Air fryers didn’t become trendy for no reason — it’s because there’s little that you can’t do with one.”

Similarly, a rice cooker or instant pot can make all of the difference. You’re able to make these same one-pot style meals but with the added bonus of not having to cook your grain separately. The ease of a rice cooker is hard to beat — often coming with a setting to switch to ‘Keep Warm’ after a certain amount of time, making it easy to toss the ingredients in and come back when you’re ready. Adding some rice, frozen veggies, and chicken in with your favorite seasonings will give the satisfaction of a home-cooked meal with none of the stress.

Store-bought shortcuts

Now we’ve talked about frozen vegetables, but it doesn’t have to stop there. The most intimidating part of cooking dinner for me is always the chopping — a task that the professional home chef makes look so quick and easy but can take a ton of time if you don’t have the perfect technique. Finding out that my local grocery store sells pre-cut fresh vegetables was the greatest stroke of luck, taking away the main excuse for my procrastination. When you’re there, look for premade kits as well! Instead of just pre-chopped onions, there may be a kit that comes with other vegetables to help you branch out of your comfort zone in a low-stakes way. But if you’re worried about the plastic these pre-cut veggies usually come in, you can consider a push chopper for your appliance drawer.

“Finding out that my local grocery store sells pre-cut fresh vegetables was the greatest stroke of luck, taking away the main excuse for my procrastination.”

In the same vein, there’s likely a pre-seasoned option in the meat section if you’re unsure of what to make. This can help save cost when considering buying new seasonings or sauces that you may only use once or twice, but also helps to save time. In taking a little shortcut with the meat, it gives you the freedom to spend more time and energy on the sides of your meal. It allows you to make that extra effort scalloped potato recipe you’ve been saving for who knows how long and have a little more fun with your dinner. Not having to do it all can allow you to invest your time and energy into excelling at one thing.

All of these tips have one thing in common: Simplicity. If you’re like me and burn yourself out by jumping too far ahead, take it slow. Begin with the low-effort meals and get yourself into the swing of things, and then let it get more complicated.

“All of these tips have one thing in common: Simplicity.”

Cooking can be a cathartic activity if you let it. So often we rush to care for others and forget to care for ourselves the same way. There’s so much in cooking for oneself — from learning to savor an experience alone to prioritizing nourishing yourself and experimenting creatively. Feeding yourself isn’t just about necessity, but giving yourself the same care and effort that you would give to someone you love — yourself.

Sara Jin Li is an essayist, playwright, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. She is also the founder of Heretics Club, a literary salon for creative writers. You can find her on Instagram at @sarajinli.