Setting up your kitchen, no matter what your living situation: Introduction and Dormitories

 

We all have to eat, and unless a never ending diet of fast food tickles your fancy, we all have to cook sometimes. Having lived in dorms, duplexes, tiny apartments, and town houses (and all of the above with and without roommates!), I have learned to streamline what exact cooking necessities are needed, depending on the living situation. Hopefully, this series can be useful to those of you moving into your first (or not so first) place! I have divided the suggestions by type of living situation. If you have roommates, housemates, or significant others living with you feel free to split the cost on some of these things. TIP:  If different people are buying different things, be sure to specify that they can take those items with them when they leave. Less headache for you. Trust me on this! Each section is separated into cooking, prep, and dining. J

First up Dormitories/Residence Halls!

Dorms- So, you are living in the dorms! College is a blast and I lived on campus for several years. I perfected my Ramen-cooking skills there. (I actually won round 2 of the 2010 Ramen cook off for my German/Italian Cabbage dish – Recipe to be posted later) Space is at a minimum and cooking/storage options are slim to none. First thing I suggest is finding out what type of common cooking areas, are available to you in your particular residence hall. For example, my first dorm had a microwave on every floor located in the laundry room, while my last assignment had a full, albeit small, kitchen you could sign up to use.  I will work under the assumption that you will have at least access to a microwave.

Cooking- These items will make your life easier; however, they are by no means necessary.

·        Toaster-  optional. Very handy for toasting bread for sandwiches (grilled cheese comes to mind), toaster pastries and of course, toast. Be sure to check with your residence hall first, as many places do not allow toasters.

·        Blender- optional. Great for smoothies, iced coffee, and other beverages

·        A hot pot or electric tea kettle – these are invaluable. Whether making tea, instant coffee, ramen, broth, and a host of other “just add hot water” foods:  also, very good for sanitizing your toothbrush after an illness.

·        Mini Fridge- truly valuable.  Allows you to keep Ice cream, milk, sandwich meat, leftovers, water, soda, cheese, butter, jam, ice(!), and a myriad of other foodstuffs cool/cold, and additionally, it keeps food safe from bugs/mice which can sometimes plague dormitories. These can range in size from small cubes to larger ones that can double as a nightstand. I , personally, have had both. The cube is serviceable, but the larger one allows you to have ½ gallons of milk/tea and usually includes a tiny freezer for ice/ice cream.

Prep/Essentials- Very little prep supplies are necessary for dorm living, but I do recommend the following:

·        A small paring knife- great for peeling fruit from the dining hall and opening packages.

·        A steak knife- great for cutting/chopping leftovers and splitting portions. Also handy for fully separating slices of pizza from the whole pie.

·        Paper towels- handy to prevent splatters in the microwave (your floormates will thank you).

·        Can opener/bottle opener

·        Pot Holders- saves your hands when carrying a hot dish down the hall and back to your room.

·        Zip-lock bags/small Tupperware- holding leftovers or things swiped from the dining hall.

Dining

·        A microwavable plate- Try it out before packing to make sure it doesn’t get nuclear hot or melts. You do not want to find this out at 10 P.M. when you are starving!

·        A DEEP Bowl- for soup, cereal and rice. Same rules as above for microwave.  A deep bowl keeps it from sloshing hot soup on your hands while walking and allows you to boil rice without overflowing.

·        A full set of metal flatware – Spoon/Fork/Butter Knife- you will appreciate it, trust me.

·        A tall coffee mug- Microwavable of course, good for all types of beverages and some soups/broths. You can also make a cake in one ( Recipe to follow)

·        A small tub to hold all of the above. Makes washing dishes in a bathroom sink much easier.

I hope that helps those of you getting ready for college. All of the above should fit comfortable]y in the small tub mentioned. Shoebox plastic totes work great.

Next in the Series – Apartments!

Any other tips for Dorm Dwellers? Leave them in the comments!