When you first arrive at university, it can be intimidating to imagine having to prepare all of your meals on your own. Cooking will become lot more pleasurable (and less expensive!) after you get the swing of things and feel comfortable in the kitchen.
You can save a lot of money by avoiding splurging on pricey takeaways and restaurant meals. You might also host dinner parties for your pals and demonstrate your talents there. It takes some time and patience to become an exceptional cook; it doesn’t happen immediately. Fortunately, the advice and methods for students listed below will be quite helpful.
Cooking Tips For College Students
Use More Food Seasoning
One of the finest and simplest culinary advice for college students is to, well, spice things up. We’re telling you, a little seasoning can make even the most boring cuisine extraordinary. A little seasoning can really spice up a 15p can of beans or a 12p pack of noodles if you embrace the grocery downshift and start shopping for “basics” when you do your weekly shopping. Even while salt and pepper are a must-have in any kitchen, it’s important to discover which other spices and herbs you prefer. They may entirely alter your eating and cooking habits. Adding a little cayenne pepper, paprika, or chili powder will give almost any dish a pleasant kick. On the other hand, dried oregano and basil are fantastic in any pasta dish made with Italian ingredients (we’re looking at you, Bolognese lovers).
Stock Up On Basic Cupboard Supplies
You’ll begin to realize that many recipes employ the same basic components as you cook more frequently.
Stocking up on these is a good idea because it makes putting together meals much simpler when you know you have the majority of the ingredients on hand. Fortunately, we have a thorough list of necessities for students’ kitchen cabinets that will point you in the right path.
At first, it could seem like a bit of a cost to spend, but they will endure for years and end up saving you money.
Learn An Easy Tomato Sauce Recipe
Discover how to prepare a straightforward but delicious tomato sauce, and you’re set! You may use a base like this to produce wonderful enchiladas, stews in the Spanish manner, casseroles, Bolognese, chilli con carne, and other foods in addition to pasta dishes. Everyone makes tomato sauce in their own unique style utilizing their own flavors and spices. Once you have it down, you may add any meat and/or vegetables and serve it with whatever other seasonings you desire (like couscous, rice, pasta or potatoes). In addition to being healthy, tomato sauce is also inexpensive to create and gives some diversity if the components are changed. It also stores well in the refrigerator and continues to taste wonderful for days.
Buy The Right Kitchen Pans
Most people believe that having a larger variety of pans will help them cook better, but you really only need two pans. Try to purchase one decent and one affordable one, if you can. We advise purchasing a decently made non-stick frying pan with a lid and some depth. In a pan like this, you can cook just about anything besides soups. Non-stick cookware is also incredibly simple to clean. For the previously mentioned soup cooking, we’d suggest acquiring an inexpensive, deeper pan as your second pan. Additionally, it is advantageous to cook two halves of a meal simultaneously.
Use A Microwave More
Underrated is the microwave. Yes, they have produced some abominable, wicked meals that you would never eat, not even after the worst hangover. But if you know what you’re doing, the microwave may be a reliable partner in creating a dinner of the highest caliber.
It’s true that a microwave will never be as effective at cooking food as a stove or an oven. However, using it is more easier and produces a lot less dishwashing. From poppadom to salmon to caramel sauce, this list of items you didn’t know you could cook in the microwave is packed with undiscovered gems.
Start Freezing Food
The fight for freezer space is one of the largest culinary disputes that a student is likely to run into. This is due to the fact that freezers may extend the shelf life of your food by many months, which is a blessing for students who are living on a tight budget.
A tip is to use freezer bags rather than boxes because they take up much less space. Even single servings of soups, sauces, or other foods can be spooned into separate bags. They can be defrosted as and when needed. There are many items you can freeze that you probably weren’t aware you could because food doesn’t often survive long in a family household before it is consumed.
