# Cooking for one without wasting food or eating the same thing three days straight

> Portions, groceries and recipes adapted to living alone. How to divide a recipe for 4, and what to do with the rest of the cream.

- **Published:** 2026-08-09 · **Updated:** 2026-09-01
- **Canonical URL:** https://mezze-app.com/guides/cooking-for-one

## The problem with recipes for 4

Most recipes are written for four. Divide by four and you get three quarters of an egg and a third of an onion. So you make the whole thing and eat the same meal until Thursday.

## Ingredients that divide badly

Eggs, cartons of cream, cans, burrata. For those, it's better to choose recipes written for one, or plan two recipes that share the ingredient.

- One carton of cream: vodka pasta Monday, scrambled eggs Tuesday.
- One can of chickpeas: hummus, then the rest in a salad.
- One block of feta: baked feta, then orzo salad.

## Automatic portions

In Mezze, every recipe can be set to "just me". Quantities get recalculated and rounded to something realistic: one egg, not 0.75.

## Related

- https://mezze-app.com/recipes/serves/one
- https://mezze-app.com/recipes/mood/girl-s-dinner
- https://mezze-app.com/guides/what-is-girl-dinner

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Guide by [Mezze](https://mezze-app.com).