Cooking Solo: The Joy of Cooking for Yourself

by Klancy Miller

100 delicious recipes to make meals for yourself with style, sophistication, and the occasional indulgence

At a time when 31 million American adults live alone, Klancy Miller is here to show that cooking for one is something to embrace. While making single servings from other cookbooks means scaling down ingredients, adjusting cooking times, or being stuck with leftovers, Cooking Solo  gives readers just what they need to make a delicious meal—all for themselves. Among the few other “cooking for one” books, this is the first by a hip young woman, whose vibrance and enthusiasm for cooking for herself comes through in the 100 attractive recipes like Tahitian Noodle Sandwich, Smoked Duck Breast Salad, Spicy Pork Burger with Coconut, and Mackerel with Lemon and Capers. Klancy also includes a chapter on entertaining at home, because being single still means having fun with friends.
 

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Food and Drink

225 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2016

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up because I live alone and am always on the lookout for recipes that can be easily scaled down so I'm not eating the same thing for a week or stuffing my freezer with leftovers. Unfortunately, I wasn't totally enamored with this one. There's a strange mixture of recipes here, many of which are simple/basic to the point of being boring, while many others involve quite specific ingredients that I'm frankly never going to stock--quinoa flour is used in multiple recipes, for example. I also thought it was a bit frustrating to have the largest section of the book dedicated to "group" recipes, aka, not the point of the book. This one also has my pet peeve of probably at least half of the recipes not having photographs. Mostly, though, the recipes just didn't strongly spark or inspire anything for me. I bookmarked a couple, mostly because they sounded decent and I appreciated the smaller # of servings, but it's not anything that I'm super excited to go out and make.

Recipes I've Made
Red Cabbage Slaw - Super quick and easy, though I would say this 100% makes more than a single serving, especially as it's a side dish. I got at least 3 servings out of it and I didn't even make a full batch since I was just using up bits and ends. Fine, but I have other go-to slaws I prefer.
Soy-Lime Beef Stir-Fry - I'll admit, I made this one sort of reluctantly, but it ended up being really flavorful and delicious! But it's also literally just steak, marinade, and some arugula, and I did need a carb to round this meal out.
Curry Sauteed Kale - Simple, but nice for a slightly different twist to my usual sauteed kale.

[Dna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simply idiotic. Single people don't tend to keep fancy ingredients on hand in the event they're going to make one douchebaggy meal for themselves. And some recipes are simply a collection of different berries in a bowl, or avocado on toast. Avocado on toast? Really? Get the heck out of here. Who published this? Cooking Solo should be a smart, usable cookbook for people who live alone and are looking to reduce waste and spend money wisely.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do you have to use ingredients that single people would never buy by choice? Certain kinds of cheese, heavy cream, figs, sprigs of rosemary. Are you kidding me? Where are the simple recipes with simple ingredients?

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit all over the place in terms of scope but I’m glad this cookbook exists nonetheless. I wish Miller had written it from the assumption that single people don’t need to be convinced that they should cook for themselves. The recipes are all over the place, from the extremely simple to those requiring duck confit. There’s also, confusingly, a section of recipes you can make for a crowd/party.

At the same time, this gave me what I need: recipes with only one or two servings. I am a fan of leftovers but it does get tiring to eat the same thing night after night. The smaller portion recipes will be great to incorporate into the mix. It would have been helpful had some recipes been grouped together by ingredient. If you only need a quarter of a cabbage for one recipe, for instance, what do you do with the rest of it? I try to do my meal planning around that concept so the omission was confusing here.

Note: there is unfortunately a strain of diet culture infused in the pages, with a lot of emphasis or jokes about things being healthy or unhealthy.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate cookbooks for singles, but most of the recipes were not ones I would consider even trying. They required ingredients not normally kept in my pantry and if purchased the remainder would sit unused!

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

My third and last foray into small batch cooking. Everyone knows you can make eggs or a sandwich. Disappointing.

[Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klancy Miller gives us a simple, fun book aimed at those who cook just for ourselves, with the goal of getting us to rise above takeout or joyless meals eaten over the sink. Her recipes are simple enough for most people with basic skills to create lovely, tasty meals for one.

The book falls short in a few ways, unfortunately. While the recipes are simple, Miller has an obvious bias towards certain ingredients - sundried tomatoes and kale, to name two of the main ones - that appear in many dishes. If you don't like them, it will seriously limit the utility of the book. I was also disappointed that there was not a photo for each recipe. This isn't just aesthetics; there are some recipes, like the La Dolce Vita Cake, that really needed a visual to help clarify what it was you were doing.

Finally, and this is a personal nitpick, the stories that accompany each recipe were so shaded by her privileged life that it was off-putting. From studying in France to buying grass-fed beef in Brooklyn butcheries to travels with friends in Italy and beyond, Miller has led a fortunate life that others can only dream of. For me, at least, it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth that an Only In Season Tomato Salad wouldn't wash away.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept of this book if not the recipes themselves. Encouraging the lone eater to actually cook meals rather than surviving on salad bars + take out is a concept that will appeal to many a Foodie flying solo.
I tried a few recipes, such as beet-apple-carrot potage, a blended soup which required alot of doctoring to be edible. I added maple applesauce, cinnamon and nutmeg then garnished heavily with sour cream. The spinach-feta quiche recipe was a bit scanty as it only called for 2 eggs; I would double that if making it again. The soy-lime beef stir-fry was a delight; follow her recommendation and buy high grade, organic beef. You won't be sorry.
I recommend this cook book if you are looking for quick meal ideas (think sandwiches and light fare) and are not afraid to experiment with basic recipe suggestions.
Enjoy!

[Jbussen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked it up based solely on the title. As a long time single I was intrigued. Absolutely ridiculous. There are recipes that "are simply a collection of different berries in a bowl, or avocado on toast. Avocado on toast? Seriously?" WTF. Hey I know, I'll buy some Feta cheese to use in a single recipe, and the rest of it? Will have to be used somehow, (Author doesn't say) but will probably rot in my fridge. "Cooking Solo should be a smart, usable cookbook for people who live alone and are looking to reduce waste and spend money wisely."

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing much special about this, I picked it up based solely on the title. I would describe most of the recipes as Mediterranean, heavy on the meat and dairy, not a good book for your vegan or dieting friends. There's also not too much special on solo cooking that's not a bit daft, I'm unlikely to fire up my oven to roast six baby carrots. There are some unusual and tasty sounding recipes (roasted grapefruit!) so it might be a fun skim for someone looking to break out of their food rut.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitely a cookbook for foodies who are single. I was hoping for recipes using daily staples that I could whip up quickly or freeze to take for lunch. Instead I got hour long recipes for a single serving. Ain't noone got time for that! One star for the lovely pictures and the concept.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not find any recipes in this book that I had to have. I think they were a bit too high class or time consuming for me.

[Tayler.Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good recipes, but for someone living in a small town without fancy grocery stores it was hard to find some of the ingredients.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was lovey. I think the joy of cooking for yourself is a great subtitle for this book because that’s what these recipes are. They’re meant to bring you joy. Take care of yourself through cooking. Yes a lot of the recipes contain things I wouldn’t normally buy, but that’s part of the indulgence. I’m kind of looking forward to buying some of the more rare ingredients for the recipes and then will find fun ways to use the remainder before they spoil.

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always looking for a decent solo cookbook because I'm the only one I cook for. Reviews and recipes are subjective. The author and I have different appetites. I found only a handful of recipes I would use and one tip (chocolate ganache for hot chocolate) that I'm going to incorporate into my own kitchen habits.

[Janet Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

a Great book for Foodies Wandering Off the Beaten Path

I love the author’s voice and food journey. The recipes are off beat enough to be interesting but also simple enough to be doable. My husband and I usually share a meal when we go out so these meals seem like they would be enough to satisfy two.

[Glitta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid but not great cookbook. I wanted more variety in cultures and recipes. I liked the interesting ingredients, but I only got excited about the true miniature brownie recipe and a dairy-free chocolate mousse.

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful book for figuring out proportions for cooking (and especially baking) smaller amounts of food, but unfortunately offers no suggestions for obtaining small amounts of the ingredients it wants you to use.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the idea of small recipes - cooking for one can feel so depressing- was disapointed that a lot of the sweet recipes were for 10-12 servings. some good basics but not much that really got me excited about solo eating.

[Rachel Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic descriptions, personal anecdotes, photographs, and accessible recipes. A few of them are a bit adventurous for me, though.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was getting super board of my regular meals, so I was excited to find this book

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. Nothing earth shattering. It’s the portions that are important.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really great recipes here - I love the smaller sized recipes.

[Sharon LaCrosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up a couple of good ideas, even for 2.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good recipes.

[Andressa Da Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite cookbook but great for small batches for friends

[A Poste · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few really good recipes to try from this book. On the to buy list.

[Susan Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, I'm not the target demographic for this cookbook -- most of my cooking is done for a family of four instead of a solo supper. However, there are plenty of recipes that are already portioned for 2 or more, and the collection is worth its weight in gold for the singleton breakfasts/lunches alone. I've snagged a few recipes to put into rotation for the family, and several more to keep in my back pocket for when I want a little something more indulgent than a cold ham and cheese sandwich.

If you're cooking for one or two, I highly recommend this book. If you're cooking for a family with finicky kids, there's still a lot of useful stuff here, but you will have to sift through and adapt to your needs.

[Natasha Holecz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book on sale in the grocery store and was intrigued and I love love love it! I'm not a single person, but my husband is away for work 4 days out of the week and it's hard sometimes to figure out what to cook for just me. This book is beautiful and the recipes are clear and nicely photographed. This book really inspired me to take the time to cook nice food for myself and reminded me that it's worth the effort.

[Emily Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really an enjoyable collection of recipes that are wide ranging and influenced by Klancy's globetrotting. Her tone is very chatty and fun throughout. The recipes are easily conquerable on a work night. Though I swear does every cookbook need a recipe for avocado toast??