Moving to college throws many young people into a world where they fend for themselves for the first time. The frequent partying and the propensity for junk food leads to several repercussions, ranging from lousy skin to failing classes. Student meals then should be an excellent ballast for students, a way to fortify themselves through all the glory of dorm life.
When you’re busy forging your identity as a prime essay writer, food shouldn’t be the primary concern. Tuck into some of these healthy student recipes and rules and make it a breeze.
1) Make enough for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day
Live to eat or eat to live? Either way, making lots of food in one go is a smart move. Cook enough for at least tomorrow, and you’ll save yourself time and money – convenience food is not cheap. Invest in some takeaway cartons and labels, lock off some room in the refrigerator, and sit pretty on a pile of easy college meals.
2) No stealing!
Unless you’ve laid down the ground rules for what is shared and what is not, keep your hands out of the cupboards. Nothing is more irritating than a slowing draining supply of peanut butter or snacks. The ingredients aren’t yours, and you don’t want to be ‘that guy.’
3) Pasta everything and everywhere
A staple food for your cupboard, but it doesn’t have to look the same every night. Learning the secrets of pasta will elevate your cooking abilities and win you many friends. Student recipes often gloss over the finer points of pasta, so here is some insight for free.
- Al dente is slightly hard pasta; cook your chosen shape for around two minutes less than the time on the packet.
- Salt your water and bring it to a rolling boil before adding the pasta.
- Save some of the salty water and add it to the sauce.
4) The dangers of oil
Fried chicken, crispy fries, onion rings – fried food is delicious. However, the process has a bit of a bad rap. If you are going to deep fry something, you should know to never, ever put water in hot oil or use it to extinguish an oil-fire. Suffocate the blaze with a towel, sound the alarm, and be safe.
College student recipes don’t usually incorporate deep frying, but chances are one of your new dorm-mates has some experience in the fast-food industry. Follow along and ask questions if they start to batter some onion rings.
5) Keep it clean
Cleaning up should take place as you are cooking. With the apparent exception of the plates you’re eating from and the pans you’re using. Don’t let the communal kitchen become a breeding ground for new forms of infectious diseases, do it while you are already cooking and active.
Those coming uninitiated to cooking and cleaning will need to brush up on the basics. It might sound silly, but yes, you do need washing up liquid to cut through grease, and no, you can’t get that burnt mess clearer up with just a sponge. Get a metal-wire scourer.
6) A sharp knife is a safe knife
Ignore your knives at your peril. Knives go dull when abused and ignored. Using a dull blade can lead to slips and then trips to the ER. Sharp knives can be dangerous, but they make the experience much more pleasant.
Sharp knives are not a monolithic entity. You may want to purchase a few different types of knives for your kitchen experiments. Consider the many available kinds, a bread knife, a paring knife, a steak knife, something that’s versatile, or extra-fancy, to show off.
7) Make it communal
Cooking is fun when done together. Many hands make light work – whether that’s the chopping or washing up. Everyone can help, and you can learn from one another how to make recipes from other parts of the world you may remember forever.
Cooking, if you’re not already in love with it, is a fantastic way to make friends, keep your brain active, and sustain energy when you’re immersing yourself in college life. The best way to improve is simply to practice. Hopefully, these simple rules will give you a starting point on operating in the kitchen; now go and find some recipes you really want to try out.