How do you cook?

15 comments

1. Bread and eggs i guess . Buy a rice cooker also

2. >It seems like

   You’ll never know unless you actually write down and calculate your expenses.

3. Rice cooker, toaster oven, learn to cook meals in a way that is efficient for one burner.

4. Japan has plenty of cheap restaurants and first-foods. If you are single, relying on these outside meals might be the best option.

5. I cooked for two for a year in one of those tiny 1k kitchens.

   You learn to be creative. I’d cover the sink space and use that as my prep area and I’d put prepared ingredients literally wherever there was space in the apartment.

   Having a rice cooker will definitely help. I also had a pressure cooker so I could have something cooking in there as well.

6. There are things you can do, like getting a cutting board or tray that will fit over your sink and doing prep on that, getting a combo oven/microwave, learning how to time your stove use so that things that need the burner get it in the right order…

   …but honestly the only real solution if you want to cook is to move. Japanese apartments seem to have been mostly designed with the assumption that no one who is single should ever want to cook. It’s quite sad that capitalistic design exerts that much control on what interests a person is allowed to have, but that’s where we are.

7. Quick and frequent grocery trips. Just think of the groceries as your secondary storage. 😅

8. [This old thread has some tips](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/9fex79/what_does_everyone_do_to_cook_in_such_a_small/).

   But start by upgrading your fridge to a taller/larger one.

9. depends on how much you value your time and how good a cook are you. cooking your own food has hidden costs that will only be negligible if you always cook. then there is the time. time to think what to buy, cook, etc. then are you even good at cooking? sometimes just buying bento maybe what is good for you.

10. Buy a microwave/oven combo. Buy a gas bombe stove. Store food wherever you can. Buy a new fridge. Most importantly, don’t get an apartment with a tiny kitchen. Rice cooker. Buy shelves. Shop daily or every other day. Shop around instead of buying close to the station or in more ‘oshare’ places (more expensive)

11. My first Japanese apartment was much the same. My trick while cooking was to put hot pads (trivets) on the floor and alternate between pots. Of course, be careful not to kick one over. The other thing you can do is to buy an electric skillet (Zojirushi makes some nice ones) or butane stove and cook in your dining area. Again, be careful.

    Edited to add, oh, and do a web search for one-pot meals. They save time and money.

12. I do my food prep on the table because no counter space. Also even if there are counter space it’s too low and it hurts my back. Honestly cooking (and cleaning up afterwards) in a small space sucks so I don’t do it every day, but it’s doable. Buying ingredients can get expensive if you don’t use it in time and it becomes food waste. Best to buy fresh ingredients right before cooking instead of stocking up a ton in the fridge. It will be cheaper (and healthier) than bentos if done right.

    Do you have a rice cooker? That stuff can be used for cooking too. Toaster oven is also an option.

13. Theres comments about space and tools, but im not seeing comments about food preservation. But, this only really works if youve got even a letterbox size freezer.

    You can cook for yourself for the evening, use more ingredients and meal prep for a few days, anything not used or you dont have space for preps can go in the freezer rather than fridge (blanching is better but im too lazy). Remove beers and any unnecessary stuff from your fridge.

    I use rice, noodles, potatoes, frozen veg bags largely, then other extras for variety, maybe mushrooms, peppers etc. The one time purchase is more expensive than a bento for sure, but it lasts you so much longer, especially rice. Go to a cheaper supermarket like Summit.

14. It can be done, but it’s a pain in the ass. If you actually like cooking and see it as a hobby (in the way some people may take baking, bread making, grilling, etc seriously) you will either have to move or repurpose some of your living space.

    When I had this setup I pretty much gave up on western style dishes (unless it was something where the cooking process could be staggered such that only one thing was on the stove at a time) and bought a rice cooker. I didn’t have a microwave and just reheated things on the stove.

    ​

    >It seems like buying ingredients is more expensive…

    I mean, it WILL be more expensive if you are buying a lot of fresh fruits or foreign imports. Look up some recipes and price out things you want. Make enough for more than one portion so you can save the leftovers and bring it to work in bento (as generally there are microwaves there lol).

15. Now that we live in a nice apartment in inaka we have a wide kitchen with enough space to cook. But back when we lived in Yokohama years ago it was a drama to do anything.
    If you live alone, and you calculate that the costs are really lower, as others recommended perhaps it’s best to prioritize buying bentos outside.