Recipes always for four people!

I am going to be really unhelpful but I really do not understand your problem.

I have never had a problem cutting recipes for four down to two. Often I make the full recipe and freeze half of it for later. It means I have a constant supply of home made ready meals for two in the freezer.

I always taste food as I am cooking so that I can add adjust the seasoning if it is required. That is the best way to deal with the seasoning problem.

I am not sure what you mean that food is a bit wet when defrosted, what kinds of food are you cookin?. Usually, as the wetness will have come from the food I just stir it back into it. I cannot see why a bit of dampness means the fod has to be thrown away.

I am on my own now, so I always have to make allowances (you don't see many recipes for one!) but the freezer is my friend. I often cook double portions (all you have to do is halve the quantities of a recipe for 4) and freeze one portion for another day. I find that most stews, soups, casseroles etc actually taste better when reheated after freezing, and there's always an element of surprise as I can't remember exactly what went into the dish. It's very reassuring in this bad weather to know that if I don't want to go out shopping, there's always something tasty in the freezer. I don't understand the issue of wetness either, surely the frozen item will be of a similar consistency before and after freezing and thawing?

After years of cooking for 7 then reducing it as one by one they left home I can usually manage to adjust quantities to achieve a satisfactory result. But I must admit it is rather tricky to half an egg!!

Jamie Oliver, BBC Good Food and Delicious all have interesting recipes for 2 that you might like.

I use BBC Good Food recipes - they are usually for 2 so I have to double up the ingredients as there are four of us.

I find that there are loads of Magazine recipes for two nowadays. They know that lots of people live either on their own or with just one other person nowadays.

I make recipes for four. I’ll have a quarter of it, my husband half and he’ll have the other quarter for lunch the next day.
If he doesn’t it goes in the freezer for another day

How you reheat after freezing may also play into food being watery- And if not packaged properly it can collect a lot of frost, adding to the watery-ness-

I can empathize tho in the area of access to small portions- Packaging practices prevents it-

Here's a cunning secret: divide the amount by two.

There are a number of cook books for two on Amazon. And if you google ‘cooking for two’ there’s loads of recipes online.
www.google.co.uk/search?q=cooking+for+two+recipes&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari

I don't always freeze the rest. It's fine in the fridge for a day or two, so there's never a problem.

I dont bother to freeze. Cook for four, eat half then eat the rest the following day! Just put it in the fridge and warm up thoroughly. I hate cooking so it’s great not having to cook the next day And DH doesn’t seem to mind eating the same meal two days running!

Taste as you go.

I often freeze half for another time; some dishes may sometimes look rather watery when they thaw but that could just be a bit of frost from the freezing process. When reheated very thoroughly and stirred it will be fine.

I prefer to reheat dishes such as stew, bolognese sauce etc in a saucepan on the hob, keeping on stirring, not in the microwave.

I prefer to cook small amounts. I hate feeling obliged to eat something next day (unless its leftover pizza). And often frozen food doesn't look that appetising. And sometimes you forget its in the fridge as today when we realised we had cooked four turkey breast fillets on Tuesday and left two in tinfoil for sandwiches. Now in the bin with left over tinned rice fresh pesto stewed apples......and more.
Sometimes when reducing recipes its difficult. Like if I want a few fresh scones, dividing the quantity of buttermilk and egg ( half an egg?) Or 1/4 teaspoon of herbs, spices, lemon juice etc.
Having said all that I often find recipes for two online.

I always half the recipe and cook for two
If I cooked for four, intending to freeze some, experience has shown that DH will have a very large portion. Leaving only enough for one. I once made a very large lamb casserole. He ate all the meat out of the bit destined for the freezer.

The Green Roasting Tin has a lot of recipes for 2 . Available on Amazon for £7 .

(I can’t link it for you because it shows all my orders )

Or there is Delia’s One Is Fun which you could double

Miguel Barclay £1 meals are all for one and can be doubled plus they are easy and delicious as well as money saving.Personally although there are 2 if us I always cook for 4 and freeze what is left over.I always have a meal ready in the freezer for the nights when I work.I have never had any problems with what I freeze but I always date and label them. I love getting a nice curry at chilli etc from the freezer and only needing to heat it up later

I use Nigel Slater's cookery books a lot. His recipes are usually for two and are absolutely delicious. He doesn't go in for tons of ingredients either. I've never forgotten spending nearly £40 on condiments for a recipe once and they sat around in my store cupboards for months afterwards, looking reproachfully at me.

I bought a recipe book for one person. Amazon has a brilliant selection for two people.

I like Nigel Slater too, he often suggests slightly different combinations of ingredients that are very interesting. But to be fair I find that once you've made a recipe you can make it again without having to follow the exact quantities.
I went from cooking for six or more to cooking for two and still find that I tend to buy and cook too much, but just freeze the left-overs in single portion sizes if the food is suitable. I use small bags and tip them into the cooking pan or dish to defrost (the bags or boxes can be reused).
Fortunately DH is easygoing on what he will eat, so if I cook a joint we're happy to eat the leftovers either with jacket potatoes or in a new dish such as risotto, fajitas or curry.
We both love fish and it is so easy to just buy enough for two portions so no problems with left-overs.

My husband always cooks for about 4, he eats a meal on the night he cooked it, one meal goes in the fridge for the next night and another goes in the freezer. Yes I know that only comes to three lol he’s a big eater

I live alone but often batch cook and freeze meals, or if there isn't room in the freezer just keep in the fridge. I've been known to eat the same thing three or four times in a week as it isn't always possible to buy small enough quantities for single meals without going to a butcher, as supermarket pack sizes are usually designed for families. If I only ever cooked single portions I'd get much less variety in my diet.
Whenever my family visit I like to make a meal for us all with enough left to freeze for later. Having a home-cooked ready meal in the freezer is a delight especially after a tough day at work.

I can't remember when I last followed a recipe. I have so many favourite dishes that I cook from memory that I don't see the point of trying something new that I might not like.

Now that I am on my own I usually still cook for two and am happy to eat the same meal two days in a row.