Using up the pack

The rest of the pack has to go somewhere.

Supermarkets sell food in quantities built for households of four. Cook for one and every shop leaves remainders: half a tin, most of a bunch, four spare chicken thighs. Here is what to do with each of them.

• A bag of spinach

  A 200g bag is about five handfuls and one recipe uses two. Here is how long the rest keeps, what to do with it, and how to plan so it never goes soft in the drawer.

• Half a tin of tomatoes

  Tins are 400g and a single portion wants about half. Here is how to store the rest safely, five things to do with it, and how to plan so the other half is already spoken for.

• A bunch of coriander

  A recipe wants a small handful and the shop sells a bunch. Here is how to keep it alive for a fortnight, five things to do with the rest, and how to plan it into more than one dinner.

• A pack of chicken thighs

  Packs hold four to six and a dinner for one takes two. Here is how to freeze the rest properly, what to do with them, and how to plan the pack across a fortnight.

• Half a tin of coconut milk

  A curry for one takes a third of a tin. Here is how to store the rest, five things to do with it, and why planning the second use beats improvising it.