Recipes are written for four, groceries come in family sizes, and leftovers pile up. Cooking for one means planning around portions and variety so you eat well without waste.
Scale recipes down
Most dishes scale cleanly to one or two servings — learn how to scale a recipe so you're not stuck with four portions of the same thing.
Cook components, eat variety
Batch a grain and a protein, then turn them into different meals across a few days — a bowl, a wrap, a stir-fry. It's the meal-prep mindset, sized for one. See meal prep for beginners.
Shop to avoid waste
- Buy loose produce in the exact amount you need.
- Use the freezer aggressively — bread, proteins, and portions of cooked food.
- Plan two meals around any perishable you buy.
CookBuddy turns any recipe link or YouTube cooking video into a clean, cookable recipe — then helps you plan, shop, and cook hands-free. It's free to start. Scale any recipe down to one serving, plan just the meals you need, and let it suggest dishes from what's already in your fridge.
Embrace 'planned leftovers': cook two portions, eat one now, refrigerate one for a no-cook lunch tomorrow. Cooking for one works best when one session covers two meals.
