In the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures 24.4% of households in Australia are single households and another 34% of Australian households have just two people.
That means that 58% or the majority of Australian households are small households.
A Hidden Majority!
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) latest data shows that the proportion of single households has rapidly increased since 1961 when they represented 11% of Australian households. By 2011 they represented 24%.
The ABS estimates that by mid-century almost 70% of households will have only one or two occupants. This change in population figures to smaller households comes at the expense of households with five or six people.
The trend is towards smaller households, yet if you looked at most cookbooks today you would believe that we are still cooking for the household sizes of the 1920s. Most recipe cookbooks provide recipes for 4 to 8 people. For a small household, this equals food waste!
A suggestion that is frequently made to small householders is to make the whole recipe and freeze the leftovers for another time. Somehow to me, the frozen meal is never as enticing as a freshly cooked one. After years of experience freezing the leftovers for ‘another time’, I find that ‘another time’ never comes and I end up cleaning out a freezer full of meals I thought I was going to eat and never did.
I’m really using my freezer as a waste bin, not a pantry.
Since I am a household of one, I decided to explore the challenges of cooking just for me. Knowing that I was not alone, that a quarter of the households in Australia are in the same situation was encouraging but it didn’t make the challenge any smaller (or easier).
When I reflected on cooking just 4Me I realised it was about more than just finding recipes for one.
This site is where I share my thoughts, experiences, recipes, and tips about cooking just 4Me.
What’s your main challenge when cooking just for you?