Cooking In At College

[kateee]

Does anyone have any good recipes that are easy, and cheap? I am getting really tired of eating in the cafeteria and there is an oven/stove in my dorm for student's use. I need things that don't cost too much money to make. I am having a lot of trouble planning a menu because I want to use recipies that use similar ingredients (it's kind of a pain to store an open 5lb bag of flour) so that I can use up ingredients quickly. If you have any cheap/delicious recipies please let me know!!

[Tulip86]

Onion, garlic, tomato paste, dried herbs and dried pasta are great staples to keep in your dorm. You can make all kinds of dishes with those as a base (from easy mac n cheese, pasta in red sauce, pasta bake to enchiladas.)

[AZTheta]

Any interest in using a crock pot? I sure get a lot of mileage out of mine. LMK and I will share some easy recipes for you.

I also swear by a pressure cooker BUT I know many people aren't confident/comfortable using one.

[kateee]

Tulip86 thanks those are great ideas
AzTheta, I would love to have a crock pot. Right now I don't own one, but can ask for one from my mom haha she has three.
I've never used a pressure cooker.

[honeychile]

You might need to check with your school about crock pots. They weren't allowed in dorms at the college where I was advisor (stupid rule!).

[AZTheta]

good point, honeychile. I was hoping that, since there was a kitchen facility (kateee said there was an oven/stove for use), there'd be a place to plug in a crockpot. kateee - better check.

[DubaiSis]

Look at www.kraftrecipes.com and other brand name websites. In my experience, they are tasty, relatively few ingredients and regularly use entire packages in the recipe. And when I've used them (I've used TONS of Campbell's soup recipes), I've found them to be really good. They test kitchen those recipes to death.

As an example, on the Kraft website I clicked on their Taco Soup recipe. It uses nice round numbers so you don't have half a can of whatever left over. One drawback is it serves 12 1 cup servings (probably a 2 cup serving is a more realistic meal), but you can make some friends and share or get some Gladware and freeze them if you have access to a freezer. Don't forget to label the container with what it is and when it was made.

Crockpot.com also has recipes. When you're shopping for one, think SMALL. They are misleading and I can picture you ending up with a huge one because the box doesn't seem that big.

Good luck!

[kateee]

I am not sure if we are allowed crock pots. I am going to have to ask. I know we got yelled at for deep frying earlier this year but we did set the kitchen on fire and have to call 911 so that was deserved haha. We aren't allowed microwaves in our room unless they are the kind that are directly attatched to the fridge and shut the fridge off when you start the microwave (energy savers). But it says nothing about a crock pot. DubaiSis that site is awesome! Thank you!!

[pshsx1]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

Onion, garlic, tomato paste, dried herbs and dried pasta are great staples to keep in your dorm. You can make all kinds of dishes with those as a base (from easy mac n cheese, pasta in red sauce, pasta bake to enchiladas.)

I would add tortillas, cheese, salt & pepper (especially for reheating leftovers), and chicken.

Chicken is super cheap, so it's okay if you mess up a few times. :P

I also like keeping ingredients around for salads, which is especially useful between shopping trips.

[Gusteau]

Are you on Pinterest? It's a great resource for recipes!

You can do a lot out of a college kitchen. When I was a sophomore I catered an anniversary party for my friend's parents and forty guests out of a kitchen with a half sized oven and about three feet of counterspace!

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by kateee

I am not sure if we are allowed crock pots. I am going to have to ask. I know we got yelled at for deep frying earlier this year but we did set the kitchen on fire and have to call 911 so that was deserved haha. We aren't allowed microwaves in our room unless they are the kind that are directly attatched to the fridge and shut the fridge off when you start the microwave (energy savers). But it says nothing about a crock pot. DubaiSis that site is awesome! Thank you!!

Um... kateee... um... are you sure you want to cook?

yeah to pinterest - way to go, Gusteau. You could probably do a White House dinner for 200 with just a can opener, knowing you. Just sayin'...

[kateee]

AzTheta, we learned our lesson quickly about how easy it is to catch stuff on fire when deep frying haha

Gusteau, you must be really good at cooking. As evidenced above, mine are kind of sub-par right now haha

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I recommend Half Assed Kitchen for quick and easy recipes. I am also in love with Jacques Pepin's 'Fast Food My Way'.

[kateee]

Thank you! I will look into both of those

[aephi alum]

I would recommend The Absolute Beginner's Cookbook by Jackie Eddy. My mom gave me a copy when I left for college (even though I was far from an absolute beginner, even back then), and there are some tasty (and easy!) recipes in there.

My dorm was set up in suites, each of which had several bedrooms, a bathroom, a lounge, and a full kitchen. The cafeterias were horrible. (Aramark SUCKS!) We had a declining-balance meal plan (so instead of signing up for, say, 21 meals a week, you put a dollar amount on your card, and whatever you didn't use, you got back at the end of the year). So I kept a couple hundred dollars on my card so I could grab a bagel and coffee in the morning ... and I cooked. A LOT.

Pasta is an easy one. Just buy some dried pasta and follow the directions on the package. Either buy a jar of sauce, or make your own if you're feeling adventurous (tomato sauce and spices are no less difficult to heat up, and arguably less expensive than a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce).

Stir-fry is easy, too, and very flexible. Get a chicken breast or some beef or pork or whatever (unless you're vegetarian, obviously) and cut the meat into strips. Get whatever veggies you like (onions, bell peppers, broccoli, etc.) and slice them up. Heat up some oil in a saucepan, throw in the meat and veggies and some spices if you like, stir-fry it up, and you're done. Make up some instant rice if you're pressed for time, or cook up some white or brown rice.