Kitchen checklist for two
Cooking for two? A 10-inch skillet, a 2-quart saucepan, a 6-quart pot and a 3-quart sauté pan cover most dinners, plus a knife and board for each of you.
Start with these
Eggs for two, two chicken breasts, a stir-fry. Which size?
A cup of rice, oatmeal for two, a can of soup. Which size?
A pound of pasta, or soup for four so there is lunch tomorrow. Which size?
Chicken in a pan sauce, a pound of greens to wilt. Which size?
Salmon and vegetables for two on one pan.
Tools
One each, so you can both chop at once.
One each, or one kept for raw meat.
Stirring, scraping and turning.
Halving recipes written for four. More
Draining pasta, tossing a salad.
Chicken and pork cooked through without cutting in.
When you're ready
Chili or stew for two, a small braise, a pot of beans. More
An omelette while the big skillet is busy. Which size?
Pancakes or grilled cheese for two. Which size?
A roast chicken and vegetables; a small turkey on holidays. Which size?
A gratin or a crumble for two.
Two pans going, sized for two
Most dinners for two use two pans at once: a skillet for the eggs, fish or chicken and a saucepan for the rice, sauce or vegetables. Size them for two rather than for a crowd: a 10-inch skillet takes two chicken breasts or three eggs, Made In says, and a 2-quart saucepan cooks a cup of dry rice. Then buy one bigger pot for pasta and soup; a 6-quart boils a pound of pasta in 4 quarts of water.
If you both cook, a second chef's knife and a second cutting board help more than another pan: you can both chop at once. Many recipes are written for four, so measuring cups and spoons, and a quick way to halve the amounts, earn their drawer space.
The halvings that stop people: half of ⅓ cup is 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, half of ¾ cup is 6 tablespoons, and half of 1 tablespoon is 1½ teaspoons. When a recipe calls for an odd number of eggs, beat the last one and use half of it.