Products that make cooking for one so much easier

I’ve been cooking just for myself for approximately seven years. At the ripe age of 18, I became a vegetarian and started cooking my own solo meals separate from what my family was eating. Initially, I attempted eating their sides with my own vegetarian protein, but there was something incredibly sad about having a plate of chickpeas while my family was noshing on steak and potatoes—so I had to get creative.

But I’m grateful for it. It’s what made me actually learn how to cook and start experimenting with veggie-filled meals. As a (still) single woman all these years later, I’ve gotten this whole cooking-for-one thing down pat. Not only have I perfected getting ingredients that I can use in multiple meals so I’m not eating the same thing every day, but I figured out which cooking gadgets I need in my arsenal to get the job done without taking up too much space in my small apartment kitchen.

Here are 10 things I highly recommend for anyone who’s cooking for one, including a cult-favourite pressure cooker and containers for all the leftovers.

1. The cult-favourite Instant Pot

This gadget is perfect for single people. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love my Instant Pot. It’s truly a gadget that has changed my life as a single person. It has so many cooking settings like sauté, slow cook, rice cook, and, my personal favourite, pressure cook. It allows me to batch-cook grains and comforting soups, and because I can just dump the ingredients in and press a button, I can shower or catch up on work while my meal cooks. It’s truly amazing and everyone should own one.

Get the Instant Pot 80 Duo 8L / 8Q Electric Multi-Function Cooker at Amazon for £99.99

2. One really good knife

If you only have one knife, make sure it's this one. Credit: Reviewed / Lindsay D. Mattison

Having a knife set is nice and all, but if you’re cooking for yourself, you really just need one trusty knife. Even though I have a few knives in my drawer, I almost exclusively use my large chef’s knife for everything from chopping veggies to slicing fruit. This Zwilling is the best chef’s knife we’ve ever tested as it’s durable and easy to handle—so you won’t end up slicing your digits. If you’re going to get one knife, it should be this one.

Get the Zwilling 20cm Chef's Knife at Zwilling for £104

3. Containers for all the leftovers

Meal prep with the best. Credit: Amazon / Pyrex

When you’re cooking for just yourself, leftovers are inevitable. Whether you’ve batch-cooked some quinoa, made a meal large enough for a family of five, or ordered too much pad Thai, you’re going to need to store your food. These glass containers from Pyrex are made of sturdy glass, are leak-proof, and have a vented lid for microwaving. They’re great for meal prep, too.

Get the Pyrex Cook & Heat Set of 5 from Amazon for £58.95

4. Baking sheets for sheet pan dinners
Roast all the veggies. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

One of my favourite easy dinners is sheet pan meals. Simply chop your veggies, add your protein, add all the spices, and throw it into your oven. No babysitting a saucepan for 30 minutes before you have a meal. For even heating, you’re going to want a good sheet pan. The Nordic Ware half sheets are our favourite baking sheets for this reason. Though, we do recommend pairing parchment or a silicone mat with it to prevent sticking.

Get the Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet, 2 Pack at Amazon for £33.34

5. A blender for personal smoothies

Ideal for smoothies and dips. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

Smoothies are my go-to breakfast because they’re so easy to make. You just toss all your ingredients into a blender and you’re good to go. Since regular blenders can be bulky and annoying to clean, I prefer to use a personal blender. We loved the Ninja Slim and named it the Best Overall when we tested personal blenders. It’s fast, durable, and you can drink straight from the blending cup, which means less cleanup. You can also use it to blend sauces and dressing—though I will warn that when hot foods are blended, the steam makes it harder to open.

Get the Ninja Slim Personal Blender at Amazon for £49.99

6. Sustainable wraps to store your food

A sustainable way to wrap your food. Credit: Reviewed / Ruby Smith

When it comes to storing food, I always feel a little guilty wrapping my sliced pepper or avocado half in plastic wrap—which happens a lot considering I don’t use all of one ingredient while just cooking for myself. It’s so wasteful! That’s where Bee’s Wrap comes in. It’s a reusable cloth covered in a layer of beeswax that allows it to stick to itself or objects. It’s great for covering your bowl of dip you couldn’t finish or wrap a few snacks in to eat on-the-go.

Get the Bee’s Wrap, Set of 3 at Amazon for £9.79

7. A waffle maker for single servings

Smaller waffles just taste better, okay? Credit: Dash

Waffles are one of my favourite things to make on the weekend and it always feels like I’m treating myself. But when making waffles for just one, it feels like a waste of space to have a full-sized waffle maker in my already limited cabinets. That’s why I love the Dash mini waffle maker. It’s cute and compact and actually works pretty well—though you need to keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Get the Dash Mini Waffle Maker at Urban Outfitters for £22

8. A toaster oven to bake small things

It's pretty much a smaller oven Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser

Even if you have a full-sized oven, a toaster oven is a great addition for solo meals. Because it’s smaller, it heats up much faster than your standard oven, meaning you can roast vegetables, bake biscuits, and—obviously—toast bread much quicker. We love the Sage Smart Oven Pro and named it the best toaster oven we’ve ever tested. It’s basically a powerful mini-oven, and we found that it had the most even heating of all the toaster ovens we tested—plus, it has a convection option.

Get the Sage Smart Oven Pro at Amazon for £249

9. An air fryer for quick crisping
You need one of these Credit: Cosori Similar to the toaster oven, an air fryer is incredible for quickly crisping up vegetables or making slightly healthier versions of your favourite fried foods. Seriously, it’s one of my favourite ways to make tater tots or heat up frozen foods. Cosori makes our favourite affordable air fryer because it performed similarly to high-end models for about a third of the price. It’s a bit bulky, but you’re going to want to make room for this incredible cooking gadget.

Get the Cosori Premium 5.5-Litre Air Fryer at Amazon for £84.99

10. An easier way to strain pasta

A game changer for pasta. Credit: Kitchen Gizmo

One of the easiest meals you can make for one person is pasta, but straining out the water can become a chore. You need to pour your precious noodles into a colander, only to put them back in the pot to coat with a creamy sauce. It seems like a waste of time to me. That’s why people love this strainer, which snaps right onto the pot and eliminates the middleman. It’ll also take up less space in your kitchen cabinets than a full-sized colander. Reviewers say it works for everything from heavy noodles to draining out beef grease.

Get the FineGood Silicone Snap Strainer at Amazon for £11.98

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.