When you are cooking for only yourself...

[Ned Hamford]

is the meal better as you are able to cater to yourself alone, and who knows you better than that, or worse as why would you put in the effort for a single person and a single meal, especially when its just little ol you?

My own standards plummet dramatically when its bachelor chow time. 

How about you folks?


[Count Lemongrab from Adventure Time is of the later category]
This image is what started my pondering. 

[wuluf]

Cereal.  It's what's for dinner....

[Boomhauer]

I hate cooking just for myself

[Hawkmoon]

I don't especially enjoy cooking for myself, but when my wife is traveling I eat a whole lot healthier because I can cook only what's good for me, and only as much as I need.

[bedlamite]

I usually make enough that I'm not interested in leftovers after a couple days.

[Bigjake]

Usually below the par of what I'd cook for "us".  I take pride in making tasty food the wife enjoys. 

Just me?  ( SWMBO's gone for the week to visit her sister?)  I'll either cook easy brainless food or stuff she's not into that I wouldn't otherwise bother cooking for just me.

[dogmush]

Yeah, i don't put any effort into it just for me.

Unless i'm doing something special like a hunters sammich or scotch eggs

[ArfinGreebly]

There are a number of things that I like which the spouse creature does not.

Consequently, when I'm on my own (which is not often), I will indulge some of my personal tastes.

Some of these indulgences include . . .

• a large and widely varied veggie platter (she's not a fan of certain veggies, e.g. squash)
• certain salads (again, our veggie tastes are different)
• certain cuts of meat pan-fried rare, often done in sizzling bacon fat (she doesn't care for pan-fried)
• various soups (she's uber-picky on soups, doesn't like barley, stuff like that)
• thin-sliced pre-baked potatoes crisped in bacon fat (actually, she likes those)
• yogurt blends (she hates yogurt)
• certain cheeses (our tastes overlap, but it's not an identity set)
• home-made muesli (which she detests) made with random grains, fruits, and nuts . . . noms
• baked-in-butter veggies (that veggie thing again)
• anything that might include spam   =D
• large platter of sautéed mushrooms

When we did our two-stage move in 2007, I spent 3.5 months on my own.

I got to experiment with all kinds of things.

I ate very well, yet very economically.

And I never had pizza .  Not even once.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Solution: don't actually cook.

I'm pretty big on microwave dinners, hotpockets and other forms of prepackaged single servings that require no more prep then take out of box, put in microwave and push buttons.
Unfortunatly, that's 'spensive. So I try to do more large batches of stuff and freeze leftovers.

I used to cook meals for me and Dad, but now our schedules are both so wacky, we never eat at the same time.

As for acceptable meals... do potato chips and dip count?

[BlueStarLizzard]

There are a number of things that I like which the spouse creature does not.

Consequently, when I'm on my own (which is not often), I will indulge some of my personal tastes.

Some of these indulgences include . . .

• a large and widely varied veggie platter (she's not a fan of certain veggies, e.g. squash)
• certain salads (again, our veggie tastes are different)
• certain cuts of meat pan-fried rare, often done in sizzling bacon fat (she doesn't care for pan-fried)
• various soups (she's uber-picky on soups, doesn't like barley, stuff like that)
• thin-sliced pre-baked potatoes crisped in bacon fat (actually, she likes those)
• yogurt blends (she hates yogurt)  
  
• certain cheeses (our tastes overlap, but it's not an identity set)
• home-made muesli (which she detests) made with random grains, fruits, and nuts . . . noms
• baked-in-butter veggies (that veggie thing again)
• anything that might include spam    
  
• large platter of sautéed mushrooms

When we did our two-stage move in 2007, I spent 3.5 months on my own.

I got to experiment with all kinds of things.

I ate very well, yet very economically.

And I never had pizza .  Not even once.

Your wife is wise.

(thanks AG )

[T.O.M.]

On those rare occassions when I'mm cooking solo, I tend to stick with the grill.  Steak, fish, etc right off the grill, with salad.  Simple and easy, with fewer dishes to wash.

[lupinus]

Both, depending entirely how far the laziness meter has pegged.

When it comes to food, I come from a mostly Italian and German background. Some flavors and dishes, to those who weren't raised on the stuff, can be a bit...off putting. And then there are some ingredients I am fond of, like peppers fennel artichokes and wursts, that my wife very much dislikes. So these things I reserve for bachelor nights when she's visiting her sister. Some are dead simple, some a bit more elaborate, either way they're things she hates so I reserve them for me time.

Other times, I'm just lazy and toss things together that she'd never consider a "meal". Sometimes things get the double whammy of lazy/poor/busy Italian and she REALLY wouldn't eat.

[ArfinGreebly]

(why can't I get the bold to turn off where I want it to?)

If you're going to bold a portion of a bullet list, start the bold after the bullet markup.

Like this:

• (this line begins with a star in brackets)
• (so does this one) but I can bold it
  
• and I can bold this, too if I want.
  
• I just have to make sure I don't start bolding before the star-in-brackets.

See?

[Azrael256]

I watch an episode of Nigella Lawson's show for ideas.

Then I order pizza and watch a couple more.  

But seriously.  I usually grill up a steak.  Get the grill screamin' hot and cook it Chicago style.  

[Bigjake]

Both, depending entirely how far the laziness meter has pegged.

When it comes to food, I come from a mostly Italian and German background. Some flavors and dishes, to those who weren't raised on the stuff, can be a bit...off putting. And then there are some ingredients I am fond of, like peppers fennel artichokes and wursts, that my wife very much dislikes. So these things I reserve for bachelor nights when she's visiting her sister. Some are dead simple, some a bit more elaborate, either way they're things she hates so I reserve them for me time.

QFT.   Well said.

[Lee]

Funny that you should ask. USPS just delivered my new pressure cooker today. I'm cooking a beef roast conncoction as I type...and drinking a Bohemia or two. My wife and kids will probably sample it tomorrow, but not really dig in. If I want to eat real food, I cook it just for me. Given a choice, they would live on cold cereal fruit and yogurt- not me.

[Scout26]

I prefer to cook for more than just me.  On the nights Robert's here with me we eat well as he's not a picky eater and I enjoy making a well balanced meal.  Generally , a meat, a starch, a vegetable (or two) and fruit for desert.   Mostly fresh made.

On the nights I'm here by my self, think "Nuked Burritos".

[Ron]

Chili, pasta with homemade sauce, lasagna from scratch, roast a chicken, make a chicken pot pie from leftovers, pork chops, various chicken breast recipes, frozen pizza, homemade pizza, pizza delivered, bread with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and a bottle of wine, etc.

As a single guy if I don't cook I don't eat. If you look above most of what is mentioned also keeps well as leftovers, crucial for me. Eating in restaurants and fast food is too expensive. Truth be told what I cook is usually better than most restaurant meals anyway.   

[Jamisjockey]

Steak.  Or fish. 

[Monkeyleg]

I just go with frozen or packaged food. It's actually better nutritionally then when my ex cooked, as she'd make stuff that was good, but was through the roof in cholesterol and calories.

I'm a good cook, but I'd rather do something else than stand in front of the range for a couple of hours.

[lupinus]

I'm a good cook, but I'd rather do something else than stand in front of the range for a couple of hours.

Depends on my mood.

Sometimes I'm like that. Other times I'm fine with work in front of the stove, I enjoy it.

I don't know many other people that make themselves home made pasta, roladen and spatzle, etc.

[cosine]

When it's just me I usually just rummage through the fridge/cupboard for anything that can be thrown together in five minutes or less.

[cambeul41]

I like cooking for my wife and will eat almost anything, so when she is home I let her decide what is for supper. ["Dinner"is necessarily a major meal  .]  Last night it was Japanese spaghetti with sea urchin sauce sprinkled with sea weed.

When she is away on business, mostly Korea and Japan where she gets to eat all kind of goodies, I cook large quantities of a few things that she is less than keen on: potato salad (I like my own better than any I have had away from home) served with whatever kind of sausage is in the house and sausage gravy served on potatoes or rice. My wife claims she does not object to sausage gravy, but is never quite in the mood for it.. Not once in 21 years.

If I am not up to that much effort, I make sandwiches, hotdogs and beans, or heat up some frozen buffalo wings.

My one food prejudice (and at this time of my life it is just stubbornness) is that I do not eat cold commercial cerial. The last bowlful I had was in June 1955. It was Cheerios.

[MrsSmith]

Depends on mood and time. Tonight I had cookies and milk (because I'm a grown-up and I can), last night I had bacon and a glass of chocolate milk. The night before that, I made chili relenos, rice, and guacamole salad.

I'm more likely to cook a real meal on the weekends when I can start it earlier and finish earlier. Weekdays are more likely to be quick and easy with the least amount of clean-up possible. I've also tried spending a couple hours on Sundays cooking up 2 or 3 meals and packaging them to eat over the course of the week, but that doesn't happen as often as it should.

If I get in the mood for something really elaborate, I'll invite friends over and cook for them.

[Boomhauer]

I'm more likely to cook a real meal on the weekends when I can start it earlier and finish earlier. Weekdays are more likely to be quick and easy with the least amount of clean-up possible.

Same here. On the days I work, especially when Im also in class I go for least fuss and muss. Gas grills are a godsend on such nights...preheat while quickly prepping the meat and throw it on...