ON THIS WEEK’S episode of Dinner SOS, test kitchen director and host Chris Morocco is joined by test kitchen editors Kendra Vaculin and Jesse Szewczyk. This Valentine’s Day they are eschewing heart-shaped cakes, romantic dinners, and, frankly, any mention of the holiday and instead celebrating the pleasure of cooking for one.
To one degree or another, we all must adjust our cooking practices to suit the needs and desires of others. So this week’s episode makes a strong argument that cooking solo can be a form of self-care and fulfillment. The process, and outcome, can be entirely yours! No dietary restrictions to consider but your own and no competing preferences. Kendra and Jesse talk about the relief and joy that cleaning the kitchen before they eat brings them, unburdened by thinking of the chores ahead. For solo dinners, Kendra loves to roast a whole chicken and use it as the starting point for several meals in the form of stock and soups.
For Jesse, solo dinner often means fish or other simply prepared components, like plain vegetables and carbs, which he then dresses up with store-bought sauces and condiments. Chris reflects on the way cooking pasta has evolved for him from when he was cooking for himself vs. cooking for family members with different dietary restrictions and needs. They go on to take listener questions, like from caller Julia, who is looking for some guidance on how she can be health-conscious, earth-conscious, and adventurous when cooking solo and avoid waste from products geared more toward families. Chris, Jesse, and Kendra all agree that Julia should start buying tomato paste in a tube, which lasts longer and is better suited to solo cooking. Jesse also recommends getting creative with how she remixes her leftovers. Embrace the leftovers! Turn leftover pasta into a crispy egg pasta frittata the next day!
After becoming an empty nester, caller Bea has lost the motivation and inspiration to cook. Raising a healthy human and being healthy herself was incredibly important to her, so she’s looking for ideas on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle after losing the motivation to cook.
For Bea, Chris references a story called “Big Batch Entertaining” from the brain of Amiel Stanek, a Bon Appétit contributor and former staff member. He suggests that Bea, like in the story, treats big-batch cooking as a way to get ahead on meal prep. If what Bea loves to do is cook for people she loves, why not approach cooking for herself as if she were cooking to entertain. As a result, she’ll have stuff to lean on in the week when she doesn’t feel like cooking. Kendra also suggests that it might be useful for Bea to set a goal of learning a new technique or skill in the kitchen each week and invite others to share in her discovery.
Listen now to hear Chris, Jesse, and Kendra’s insight on cooking for one,