When it comes to on campus living, most people don’t automatically seem to consider cooking as something that they’ll be doing a lot of. Which is understandable, given the vast amount of options that Commons provides every day of the week, the convenience of the board plan, and all of the great food that can be found around Portland. But sometimes you’re hungry and the only thing that will soothe your pangs is a home cooked (or in this case, dorm cooked) meal. Here are a few kitchen staples that will make college cooking as easy as pie (terrible pun intended).
please don’t do this. please. I’m begging you.
- The Hot Pot: I know it just looks like a glorified kettle. And in some ways it is. But hot pots are great for making quick soups and stews. And all for about $17.00. Let the soup making commence.
The Hot Pot. More than a kettle
- The Rice Cooker: I love rice cookers. Maybe more than any other kitchen device. You can make anything in a rice cooker. Rice, soup, vegetables, shrimp, stew, dumplings–the list is literally endless. And it does all the hard work for you! Just put your food of choice in, press a button, and there you have it! Perfectly made rice, steamed veggies, hot stew, etc. It even keeps your food warm for you! There are entire cookbooks full of quick and easy rice cooker recipes. There’s even a Buzzfeed article (you can make bread. BREAD!) Go get one. Go get one now.
- The Oven Mitt: Dorms (unfortunately) don’t come equipped with these. Don’t do what I’ve been doing and use your hoodie to take your cupcakes out of the oven.
- The Measuring Cup Set: Baking is one of my go to stress relief activities. Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to make soft, fluffy cookies without measuring cups. Get some and ensure cookie making goodness.
You can even get cute ones like these!
- The Magic Bullet: Smoothies are delicious. Milkshakes are delicious. Mini flans seem like something that would be fun to make. Something that is not fun, however, is cleaning out a standard sized blender. This is where the Magic Bullet comes in. All the fun of a blender, just smaller. And with cute little travel mugs. Don’t believe me? Just check out the 30 minute long infomercial.
- The “One Big Knife”: At some point in your college cooking careers, you will have to cut something. Cutting something will require the usage of a knife. I know that there is a knife for every possible food situation, but problem is, knives are expensive. Very expensive. The solution? Buy one big knife. Use it to cut everything. All the joys of a knife set, without shelling out $60.
- The Cutting Board: As evidenced above you will be cutting things. You will need something to cut them on. This is where the cutting board comes in handy. Get a big one.
- The Can Opener: We often take for granted the magic of the can opener. It’s hard to say if there will be one in the dorm, so get one and ensure your access to all the canned goodness in the world.
- The Storage Container: To store all of your delicious leftovers.
Get the ones with the snap on edges. They last longer.
And there you have it! Now you’re all ready to become a campus kitchen pro!
