• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

One Dish Kitchen logo

  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • Store
  • About
  • FAQ
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • Store
  • About
  • FAQ
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • Store
  • About
  • FAQ
×

Home

Frequently Asked Questions

Hello! I created this page to answer some of the questions that I get asked most often (that would be FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions 🙂 ). I hope you find this a helpful resource when you have questions about our recipes or our site.

Joanie Zisk laughing in the kitchen with friends.

Let's get started...

What baking dishes do you use?

Great question and I get asked this almost every day.

With each recipe, I reference the baking dish or bowl I use and often provide a link to purchase it from Amazon or from another retailer in each recipe post. The size of the dish used in the recipes at One Dish Kitchen is very important. The recipes are developed and tested using the dish that is recommended. That being said, other similar-sized dishes can work well too.

The baking dish I use most often is a 5X5-inch baking dish that is 1 ¾-inches deep. This dish holds about 1.5 cups and has a base area of 25 square inches.

A 4×6-inch baking dish that has an area of 24 square inches will work for those recipes as well. You can also use a 6-inch round baking dish with the same results.

I also use a 10-ounce ramekin that measures 4-inches in diameter and is approximately 1 ¾-inches tall.

We have had success with dishes as large as 6x6-inch square and 5x7 inch rectangular dish. Keep in mind that as the base of the dish gets larger, the same amount of mixture will fill less of the dish (being a bit thinner) so it will cook faster. So if you use slightly larger dishes, I would recommend checking for doneness a few minutes earlier than shown in the recipe.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on your baking dishes. I have found great quality dishes at Home Goods, Target, and Amazon.
One thing to remember, the size of the baking dish you use is SO IMPORTANT. This is why we link directly to the products we use so they are easy for our readers to find them.

How Can I Avoid Wasting Food When Cooking For One?

Avoiding food waste is so important to us all and can be an issue if you cook for yourself. One thing we do is provide "Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients" in each of our recipe posts. In this section, we list other single serving and small batch recipes that use the same ingredients. This section is great for meal planning and can help to use up leftover ingredients. You can find this section in every one of our recipe posts towards the bottom of the page.

Can I double or triple your recipe to increase servings?

First of all, I only develop and test my recipes to serve one. I test these recipes many times before they are published on One Dish Kitchen.
Most of our recipes can be doubled with success and I know this because I have tested them.
If I know that a recipe can be doubled successfully, I will state it in the recipe notes. Here's the thing - when you alter a recipe from the way it is written, the results will differ. If you have doubled or tripled a recipe and it worked out great, please let us know.

Can I substitute one ingredient for another?

I post recipes that I have made using the ingredients listed in the recipe. You can certainly try a substitution if you would like, but I don't know how it will turn out. I only test recipes as you see them written.

How do you come up with your recipe creations?

I take personal, family favorites, and newly discovered recipes and alter or develop them from scratch to create single serving versions of those recipes.
I also take requests, if you have a favorite recipe and would love to see it made into a single serving version, let me know at joanie@onedishkitchen.com and we will add it to our list of recipes to possibly work on.

I made your recipe and it didn't turn out right. What happened?

I am so sorry that happened! Unfortunately, every kitchen is a bit different and there are a few variables that could influence the outcome of a recipe.

> The biggest variable could be your oven. Is your oven calibrated?
> Back to the baking dishes, what size did you use? Remember, if you use a dish that is substantially larger or smaller than the one recommended in the recipe notes, chances are the results won't be the same.
> Has your baking powder/baking soda expired. Surprisingly, expired ingredients will often alter the outcome of the dish.

Where are you from?

I grew up just outside of New Orleans, in a little town called Slidell. I was exposed to the fantastic food we have in New Orleans and have since traveled throughout the US and beyond and discovered great and wonderful dishes.

About 20 years ago, my family and I moved to the Houston area, which is probably the most international city in the US.  Check out Anthony Bourdain's story here to see what I mean.

Last year, after our youngest daughter went away to college, my husband and I moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina and absolutely love it here.
Joanie and EJ in kitchen

You mean you aren't single? Why do you make single serving recipes then?

I first started making single serving recipes when my oldest son went away to college. He lived on microwave rice and ramen and I wanted him to be able to enjoy his favorite recipes while away (and also I wanted him to learn to cook a little). After creating a few single serving recipes, I found that I loved the process of scaling down recipes. As I posted the recipes to our site, other people discovered them too and wrote to tell me how much they were enjoying the recipes. From college students, young professionals just starting out on their own, professionals traveling away from home, a mom who wants to eat "real food" rather than the kids' favorite mac and cheese, to those who are living on their own by choice or happenstance, there are a lot of us out there who want to enjoy preparing and enjoying a single serving meal.

Where did your travel posts go?

Before One Dish Kitchen, all of our recipes were on our other site, ZagLeft. ZagLeft was our first home where we wrote about travel and recipes.  And it was on ZagLeft that we ventured off to explore and develop single serving recipes.

The "Cooking For One" section of ZagLeft became so popular that in early 2017, we launched our new site One Dish Kitchen (where you are now), and decided to devote our recipe development to strictly single serving and small batch recipes.

We continue to write travel-related posts on ZagLeft and it will be a growing source of information on interesting places to travel, whether traveling solo or with others.  Also, we have years of favorite recipes for families on ZagLeft that continue to be popular and that we continue to nurture.

I love your recipe for _____ and would like to feature it on my site, or I think your picture of _____ is awesome and would love to share it on my website, do you mind?

First of all, thank you. I'm flattered - truly I am and the short answer is Yes, but please credit me (One Dish Kitchen) when using the photo and include a link to the recipe webpage.
Also, please never share a full recipe without my permission. It takes hours to create a recipe and take the photographs and if a recipe is cut/pasted and placed on your site, even though you think you're paying a compliment, you are really just violating copyright laws.
Instead, would you please snap a picture of your version of our recipe, or use our photo with a link back to us directing your readers to the original recipe on the One Dish Kitchen site and write about your experience with that recipe. Thank you.

Who takes care of the running of your website?

That would have to be my husband EJ. He's the glue that keeps One Dish Kitchen running smoothly. A year ago, he left his corporate job to help run our business.

Not only does EJ handle the back-end blog stuff, but he is also our videographer and editor for our recipes on YouTube, he is the chief recipe tester, sometimes dish washer, and always my biggest supporter. Without EJ, One Dish Kitchen would not be what it is today. I'm a lucky girl!

Do you have any partnership opportunities?

I work with a variety of clients and offer my services by way of sponsored posts, recipe development, and food photography. I believe in 100% transparency and will always disclose if a post on One Dish Kitchen is sponsored.

I only work with companies that I truly love and trust. If you are a brand and would like to talk a little more about working together, please get in touch, email joanie@onedishkitchen.com.joanie smiling with camera in hand standing above vegetables.

Primary Sidebar

Your Cooking for One Source - Because you are worth it - info graphic
joanie zisk leaning on a counter in the kitchen.

Welcome to One Dish Kitchen, I’m Joanie and I’m incredibly happy you’re here! Our aim is to inspire individuals with access to single serving recipes, education, and a supportive community that will enable them to enjoy the preparation of a meal that will nourish both body and soul.

More about me →

Our Store

red and ecru 5-inch baking dish advertisement

Keep Warm Recipes

  • Pork Stir Fry For One
  • Banana Pancakes For One
  • Cashew Chicken For One
  • Pork Tenderloin Recipe
  • Bacon, Egg and Cheese Cup
  • Chicken Caprese For One
Newsletter signup graphic

Popular Recipes

  • Easy Small Batch Banana Muffins Recipe
  • Fluffy Pancakes For One
  • How To Make A Small Loaf Of French Bread
  • Mini Pound Cake Recipe

Featured On...

Logos of publications that One Dish Kitchen has been published

Cooking for One Tips

Cooking For One - Tips To Eat Healthy and Save Money - Whether you live alone, you're a parent that wants to indulge while the kids enjoy their favorites, or you have a partner who travels, you're sure to find these simple tips for cooking for one and tasty recipes helpful. | One Dish Kitchen

Footer

↑ back to top

One Dish Kitchen

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Statement
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contact
  • Work with Us

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Food and Recipes

  • Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Cookbook
  • FAQ
  • Store

Copyright © 2023 One Dish Kitchen