Everyday Systems

hi

been thinking about how to save money and at the same time get great qualtity food. that is easy with the normal dishes, i can cook something that will last 2 or 3 days and im ok with it. hunger makes most foods delicious, so i dont mind repeating the same or a similar dishe a couple of days. but with desserts things change.

most dessert recipes are for too much quantity. i know i could give away part of what i cook but the point is also to save cash. So one can not be giving most of the dessert one cooks every week, specialy when they are made with good quality ingredients (which i think is a must) . the ideal thing would be to be able to cook only ny portion (if you live alone like me) or a little more if you live with one more person.

so whats your advice to cook small portions in a small electric oven, (it reminds me of the oven toys they give little girls to make mini cupcakes jajaja) have you done it? do you just use the 8th part of a normal recipe? do you know of any cookbooks that address this?

i know i would spend more in electricity to do less food than when more is made, but its only ones a week and most desserts are ready in less than an hour, and thats when they need heat (im thinking of how to do only one portion of chocolate mousse, no oven there)

it also makes the dish more special when done by yourself

A big thing I've seen lately are dessert mug recipes like these:
http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/02/ ... g-recipes/

They are done in a microwave. If you are not a fan of microwaves, I suspect that you could also cook them in an oven or toaster oven (one year I was given a Christmas gift set that was just that - coffee mug brownies that you baked in the oven), but you will have to search the internet for timing. I imagine it would be similar to making cup cakes.

Here is an interesting site I found that has some more complex single serving desserts:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/arielknutson/si ... st-for-you

Hope these help.

thanks a lot harmony

the recepies look awesome, specialy the ones in buzzfeed, and i think the amounts and times in those recipes help calculate the transformations from more traditional ones

thanks again!!!

I live alone and make desserts weekly. Most recipes can be cut at least in half and some reduced by even more. I have some smaller baking dishes and smaller dishes and pie pans can be purchased through Wilton.

If you go to http://tasteofhome.com and search "cooking for two" you'll get over 2500 results, many of which are desserts. Also there is a cookbook called
Small Batch Baking. Apparently I've lost my copy, but it has recipes and techniques for baking smaller amounts. The author has also written a small batch book with only chocolate recipes. There are LOTS of cookbooks for one or two and most have desserts.

Finally, search online for what you need. I guarantee you aren't the only one dealing with this. You may not be able to get single servings, but you'll definitely get smaller batches.

Hi,
A while ago Noel Figart posted this http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... &start=100 in the quest for smaller desserts.
Hope it helps

I rarely make desserts, but now and then I make apple crumble, because we love it in this household! I use small ramekins for each person, use one apple, and make a very small amount of crumble mixture (a bit of flour and butter rubbed together, mixed with crushed bran flakes and sugar). There's no need to make a full quantity. It would also be possible to use ramekins for other small desserts, or tarts or pies - or perhaps use a bun tray (I don't have one), to cook individual small tarts and pies.

I always felt that I have the oven on, I have to put plenty in it, to "save" energy. Actually, there's no reason why I can't make one or two (UK-style) scones or flapjacks, for instance, instead of a batch. (I do have a smallish gas oven). If I'm doing something like apple crumble, I tend to do it when I'm already cooking the main meal in the oven, and that feels less wasteful!

How about making the recipe portion but freezing the leftovers in portions--not necessarily separately wrapped, but at least pre-cut, to be able to pull out a single portion easily at a later time?

Not sure if it's laziness or efficiency on my part to go ahead and make a dessert in its entirety, but once put away in the freezer, it's out of sight, out of mind. And making it once means "tasting" the batter only once!

Freezing works for me -- and it's really nice to have dessert in there for the family, if you have one.

For me, it's not tempting because you have to wait for it to thaw, and if I'm having a temptation I want it NOW.

I'm not a fan of freezing because I think it affects the quality in a negative way. However the plainer a dessert is, the better I think it freezes.

There are a lot of ideas on Pinterest for "desserts for two."

This would all be playing with fire for me, but mazel tov! Do let us know how it goes.

harmony wrote:A big thing I've seen lately are dessert mug recipes like these:
http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/02/ ... g-recipes/

I made the single serving chocolate chip cookie recipe from this site tonight. This one's for the oven, not the microwave.

http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2012/09/ ... chocolate/

Not sure if it was the recipe or the brand of chips I bought (Guittard), but this was possibly the best cookie I've ever had.