A few of the small upgrades that made the biggest difference
I would make a huge pot of chili (enough to feed 12 people). I would roast vegetables on a sheet pan (enough for 2 people to eat twice). I would buy a huge pack of chicken thighs at Costco (enough to feed an army). And I would do this despite knowing full well that the leftovers would languish in the fridge for days, weeks, maybe forever. As if my kitchen was still bustling with activity. As if the world still revolved around feeding people.
And of course, my kitchen wasn’t helping matters. It had been designed with a family in mind, with huge pots and pans that seemed ridiculously oversized when preparing meals for two, a twelve-cup coffeemaker (we drink, what, three cups between the two of us?), and even a quesadilla maker that had not seen use or even the inside of a cabinet in at least nine years. I stood in that kitchen on cold tile floors for an hour every night and my knees let me know what they thought of that arrangement. But I resisted changes for what I’m now embarrassed to admit was a fairly lengthy period of time.
But little by little, I started making changes around here. Not overhauls, just changes. It’s not drudgery any more, and it’s not sad little meals that are the sad little remnants of the meals we used to make. Cooking is fun again. Here are the things that have made a difference: some of them are objects, some of them are attitudes, and some of them are simply letting go.
A smaller pan, finally.
In terms of pans, I’ve always gravitated to the larger sizes, particularly the twelve-inch skillet. It’s the pan I reach for most of the time. It’s the pan I use to brown a pound of ground beef or cook four pork chops at a time. So imagine my surprise when I plopped two chicken thighs into said pan and watched them turn gray. They weren’t browning because there wasn’t enough meat in the pan to release enough moisture to keep the surface temp down.
But since the kids visit, I still have my trusty big skillet around for special occasions. For everyday meals though? I cook in this one instead. And it makes ALL the difference. My wrists don’t ache from hefting up a full skillet of food and oil (which, let’s be honest, adds pounds). Fish fillets, of which I can fit an appropriate number (two, not four or six) in the pan, actually get to brown properly. I can make an omelet that actually resembles an omelet. Food doesn’t just end up plopped haphazardly in a pile because there’s nowhere else for it to go. This is the best kitchen purchase I’ve made in ages.
SENSARTE 8-Inch Nonstick Ceramic Frying Pan
A genuinely lightweight 8-inch pan that’s induction-compatible and PFAS-free. The size is exactly right for two eggs, two chicken thighs, or a small omelet, and the handle stays cool. This is the one I reach for almost every morning now.
Check Price on Amazon →The quarter sheet pan I wish I had bought sooner.
The biggest one, and this seems small, but it’s changed weeknights for me. I got a smaller sheet pan. The twenty-year-old pan I used to use is gigantic. It’s made for roasting Thanksgiving’s worth of vegetables. When I tried to roast broccoli on it, just enough broccoli for two people, the broccoli was limp. It didn’t roast; it steamed. The pan took too long to get hot enough with so much surface area. It wasn’t the broccoli.
A quarter sheet pan is half that size. I love my quarter sheet pan(s) (I own two now and use them constantly). They’re the perfect size to roast a protein (say salmon) and veggie (like asparagus) dinner for two (toss the veggies on one, cook the salmon on the other, and they’ll both easily fit in your oven). And since there’s less surface area, whatever you’re roasting on a quarter sheet pan will actually get nice and crispy. Bonus: They’re small enough that you can hand wash them in your sink (no weird side-tilting business trying to get that pesky corner under running water).
A sharp knife, singular.
I own a knife block. There are eight knives in the knife block. Most of the knives are dull. I use the medium sized one to saw through tomatoes and other projects and mutter under my breath. When you’re cooking for a family, you just make do. You don’t have time to contemplate your knives. Cooking for two is different. Slower. Quieter. More meditative. And a dull knife is the difference between a pleasant evening and everything else.
I recently made the decision to purchase a new knife for my kitchen. After much deliberation I purchased one good chef’s knife, had it professionally sharpened and (clumsily at first) have since learned how to properly sharpen it myself. What a difference. No longer is chopping onions a battle between me and my adversary. Rather the knife glides effortlessly through each layer. I’ve since passed on my trusty knife block to my daughter (I suspect they’re being used as drawer dividers, but hey, that’s none of my business.)
HENCKELS x Emeril Lagasse 5.5-Inch Prep Knife
Razor-sharp German steel from a brand that has been making knives forever. The 5.5-inch length is the sweet spot for cooking-for-two — small enough to feel nimble, big enough to handle anything you’d actually cook on a Tuesday. Comfortable handle, dishwasher safe.
Check Price on Amazon →Storage containers that match the new math.
All that extra Tupperware. Do you remember how we used to need so much of it? When we fed a family of five, we needed the giant containers that could hold a casserole or a whole lasagna to take to work or school or that held enough leftover lasagna to feed us all again on Wednesday night. Now I make one dinner that becomes two people’s lunches the next day. Two servings of soup instead of eight. Do you have a drawer full of Tupperware like I do? Mine has way too many of the big containers and too few of the little ones (that have matching lids.).
Cooking once and eating twice feels less like leftovers and more intentional (and I’m over feeling guilty about leftovers.). I toss most of my Tupperware (RIP; it felt sacrilegious) and invest in small glass containers with snap on lids that can go from the fridge to the microwave to the dishwasher, stack nicely and don’t retain stains (looking at you, tomato soup). My Tupperware drawer finally makes sense.
GULFLIN 24-Piece Small Glass Storage Containers
A 24-piece set of 1.5-cup glass containers with airtight snap lids — the perfect size for one or two leftover portions. Microwave, oven, fridge, and dishwasher safe. The lids actually stay matched to the bases, which I know sounds basic but feels like a small miracle.
Check Price on Amazon →A coffee setup that doesn’t waste eight cups a day.
I’ll admit I was slow to see that twelve cups every morning for two people who drank three total meant a lot of bitter coffee being dumped in the sink at noon. But I did eventually invest in a smaller coffee pot. My old coffee pot made twelve cups. We used it for almost thirty years. When the kids were home we could burn through four cups before nine in the morning so it made sense. It wasn’t until after the empty nest, however, that I realized we didn’t need that many cups and wasted a couple of years buying too much coffee before I finally addressed the issue.
I’ve found a French press to be perfect for weekday mornings in our small kitchen for our small family, makes just enough for two nice mugs with no waste and I like the slightly more involved process of pushing the plunger down each morning. We still break out the coffeemaker on weekends when our daughter is visiting and we need more than two cups, but otherwise the French press just makes sense.
Secura Stainless Steel French Press (34 oz)
Double-walled insulated stainless steel, so the coffee stays hot for an hour without a warming plate. Comes with two extra mesh screens — a small detail that matters when the original eventually wears out. Makes about two generous mugs at a time, which is the cooking-for-two amount almost exactly.
Check Price on Amazon →The toaster oven comeback.
Last summer it occurred to me that I’d been preheating the oven for fifteen minutes so that I could put fish in for eight. That’s two pieces of fish. In the middle of summer. For eight minutes. I don’t know when that became my normal, but once I saw my habits from the outside, I realized how much energy I was wasting, how much extra heat I was creating in my kitchen, and how much longer I was waiting than I needed to be. My solution was to start using the toaster oven for smaller quantities of food, which is the equivalent of driving the minivan instead of the school bus when you’re running errands around town.
My oven? Twice a month, maybe, for holidays or special dinners (like sheet pan dinners for when we have company), tops. I got an air fryer/convection toaster oven that can bake, broil, toast, etc. etc. that heats up in two minutes flat. It’s been incredible. It’s held up to 90% of our meal cooking (fits two chicken breasts and a tray of veggies, but the tray is kind of small). I love that I can literally unplug it after I use it (and plug it back in when I need it), keeps the house cooler, cooks quicker… I’m sold.
NuWave Bravo 12-in-1 Countertop Convection Oven
Air-fries, bakes, broils, toasts, dehydrates — twelve functions in one machine that fits on the counter. Wide temperature range from 50° to 500°F with one-degree adjustments, which sounds excessive until you cook a salmon fillet at exactly 375° and watch it come out perfect. Replaces the full oven for almost everything when you’re cooking for two.
Check Price on Amazon →An anti-fatigue mat (my knees send their regards).
I’ve been chopping for about forty-five minutes and my knees are starting to complain. I wonder if it’s time to invest in one of those anti-fatigue mats for my kitchen. A friend mentioned hers the other day and I hadn’t given it much thought but I’m intrigued. I do a lot of my cooking standing at the counter and my kitchen floor is tile. Which seemed like a great idea thirty years ago but is a bit less so at fifty-eight. It’s cold and unforgiving on my aging body.
Cushioned Kitchen Floor Mats: Best kitchen upgrade I never knew I needed. I’ll admit when I first saw these cushioned kitchen floor mats I was a bit skeptical and thought it was one of those products that’s best used when you’re ready to throw in the towel. Boy was I wrong. I’ve been using one for a week now and by the end of my stint in the kitchen my knees aren’t aching and neither is my lower back. I loved it so much I went back out and purchased another one to place in front of my sink. These cushy little floor mats are great in the kitchen because they’re easy to clean (simply wipe them down) and give your poor exhausted legs and knees some much needed relief. If you’re over the age of fifty-five and still brave enough to tackle your own cooking (I mean who wants to admit defeat at that age right?) and do it standing up, you need to check these bad boys out. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.
ComfiLife Anti-Fatigue Kitchen Floor Mat
Three-quarter-inch thick foam with a non-slip backing and a beveled edge so you don’t trip on it. Wipes clean with a damp cloth, doesn’t curl at the corners, and makes a real difference for tired knees and lower backs. The kind of purchase that seems silly until about day three.
Check Price on Amazon →Better lighting where you actually chop.
One evening as I was chopping up some garlic, I looked up from my cutting board to realize that I’d been hunched over with my face just inches from the garlic (squinting, no less.) for quite some time. It occurred to me that my eyesight hadn’t been what it once was for about the last decade and I hadn’t thought to rearrange anything in my kitchen to compensate. The light above my counter wasn’t particularly bright, and I was standing right in front of it, blocking it from casting its light directly on my cutting board. I realized with some surprise that I’d been preparing my food, all these years, by the light of my own shadow.
Invest in some under-cabinet lighting if you don’t already have it. My eyes aren’t what they used to be and neither are my reflexes. I was nicking myself all the time until I got some stick-on LED strips (they take about twenty minutes to install) under my upper cabinets. There are battery operated as well as plug in versions. You’ll be glad you did. If you’re like me and your reflexes and/or eyesight aren’t what they used to be, get some under cabinet lighting. It’ll help a lot. I was getting small cuts on my fingers all the time from poor lighting. Now I can see what I’m doing. It’s inexpensive insurance against minor accidents.
Hand-saving tools, without apology.
The lid wouldn’t budge on the jar of pickles. I sat down on the counter top with the jar between my knees and tried again. Wouldn’t budge. I grabbed a dish towel and tried again. Wouldn’t budge. I thought I might have muttered a quiet prayer and tried again. Wouldn’t budge. On my fourth try the lid came off easily enough. I opened the drawer and stared at my little jar opener, my easy-pull can opener and my ergonomic peeler. I’d bought them all at the same time thinking, Those are for other people. Not me. Those are for old people. Who am I trying to impress?
I resisted these simple gadgets for years, thinking that using them would mean giving up or fighting a losing battle, but using them actually increases my enjoyment of cooking. Instead of suffering through a fight with jars, cans, and peeling vegetables, I accept help from a soft-grip peeler, jar opener, and can opener with an oversized turning handle. I’m not giving up, fighting a losing battle, or admitting defeat, I’m just using tools that make my life easier. Using these kitchen helpers has decreased my cooking time by about ten minutes and saved my hands from a lot of aching.
One beautiful cutting board, not five plastic ones.
Plastic boards warp. I have several in a drawer, warped to varying degrees, and use them somewhat resentfully, fishing out the one on top each time I need a cutting board. A few years ago for my birthday my husband surprised me with a big wooden one. Heavy, with a groove around the perimeter to catch juices and a handle on each end for carrying to the sink. It’s too pretty to put away, and has lived on the counter ever since. I admit I was a little annoyed at first; annoyed I didn’t have somewhere to put it. But now it’s just part of the landscape.
The garlic and lemons go in that little bowl next to it, and it lives out there all the time. Which means, of course, that I cook more because it’s out there beckoning to me, looking beautiful and useful. Even making a simple batch of mashed potatoes (for one.) seems special instead of drudgery. I’ve given the five mediocre cutting boards I used to own to the local thrift shop and I don’t miss them one bit. The kitchen actually looks like a kitchen now even when I’m not actively cooking in it. Lesson learned: better to have one great cutting board out on the counter than five mediocre ones languishing in a drawer.
Letting go of the appliances you don’t use anymore.
I’ve been decluttering my kitchen and getting rid of all the small kitchen appliances that just aren’t getting used much. A few examples include: The quesadilla maker (that was only used twice) The bread maker (used about twice in 2009) Pasta attachment for stand mixer (I’ve never actually made any pasta with it) Slow cooker (we still have a smaller one that I use all the time for slow cooker chicken and other comfort foods, but I just don’t cook as big of batches any more so we don’t need the extra large one any more) Food processor (we had a fourteen cup one that we used to make large batches of pesto with when we had a ton of basil and lots of kids over all the time, but we just don’t need that big of one any more) I’ve been getting rid of them since they just take up so much counter and cabinet space.
I’ve given most of the appliances away to charity shops, my daughter and a couple of neighbours that actually wanted them, and my cabinets are feeling a lot emptier. Which somehow makes me feel emptier too. I love the feeling of walking into a kitchen that’s been decluttered of all the stuff you used to use regularly but don’t any more. It doesn’t cost you a penny but it’s probably the best kitchen makeover there is.
Eleven small changes, no tool belt required None of these were major renovations, and I didn’t have to invite a contractor into my home for any of them. Most just required one (albeit sometimes pricey) purchase or simply learning to live without something. But these small changes made a huge difference in the way I cook, and therefore eat, and in a very real sense, spend my evenings. Cooking for two isn’t a sad attempt at cooking for four, it’s its own animal, with its own rhythm. My kitchen is no longer bigger than it needs to be, it’s just the right size. And that makes all the difference. More cooking for two recipes I have a few other dinner recipes that have been favorites for cooking for two that you might want to check out. My kitchen isn’t perfect, and there are changes I’d still like to see happen. But I’m happy to admit that I actually look forward to cooking for two again, which I don’t think I did before. And that’s worth a lot.