Setting Up Your College Kitchen
You can't cook so much as a can of soup without the right equipment, so the first step in your quest to become a great college cook is to take inventory of what you have already and make a list of what you need. Of course, what you ultimately decide to bring with you to college will vary according to your own personal circumstances.
For example, residences with communal kitchens often provide pots, pans, and other cooking essentials for residents. Some college kitchens, on the other hand, are only equipped with the more basic appliances, such as a toaster oven, in which case there would be no point in spending money on a heavy-duty frying pan.
So, taking into account your own kitchen situation, review the following lists of basic items and mix and match according to your needs:
BOWLS, POTS, AND PANS
A few mixing bowls for combining ingredients and serving noodle and salad dishes
A few good pots and pans of various sizes
A plastic or metal colander for draining washed, blanched, and boiled food
One metal cookie sheet for baking cookies or warming up rolls
One or two glass baking dishes for use in the oven
UTENSILS AND TOOLS
One or two wooden spoons for stirring and mixing
A heatproof rubber spatula for mixing ingredients and turning food during cooking
A few good knives, including a serrated bread knife, a sharp chopping knife, and a small paring knife
A plastic or wooden cutting board for cutting, chopping, and mincing food
A vegetable peeler
A can opener
A grater for grating, shredding, and slicing cheese and other foods
A wire whisk for whisking eggs and sauces
A set of measuring spoons
A set of measuring cups
Some college residences allow students to keep small electrical appliances in the dorm or the residence kitchen. A coffeemaker allows you to have a cup of java ready as soon as you wake up in the morning. Tea drinkers will want a kettle for boiling water. Along with a toaster or toaster oven, these items will help make your living quarters seem more like home.
When it comes to larger appliances, definitely consider a microwave if your budget and college regulations permit it. Although it can't completely replace a standard electric oven, a microwave can be used for everything from making popcorn to preparing an entire meal. Compact microwave and refrigerator combinations, designed specifically for dormitories, are also available. Some even come with a small freezer attached.
BARGAINS FOR YOUR BUDGET
If you're like many college students, you probably don't have all kinds of extra cash to spend on kitchen gadgets. No problem! Before you go away to school, ask friends and family members if they have any older mixing bowls, utensils, or other kitchen items that they don't use anymore. Hand-me-downs may not be as pretty to look at, but they'll work just as well as expensive new ones. Also, hit up discount home goods stores and even garage sales before you head back to school. Someone's old but perfectly good $5 blender could be your gain!
Many recipes call for food to be beaten, blended, whipped, processed, or crushed. If your budget is limited, hand tools can perform many of these functions; for example, a manual hand mixer is fine for beating eggs. And nothing beats a mortar and pestle for grinding and crushing nuts, herbs, spices, crackers, soft fruit, and almost any food that will fit into the mortar (that's the bowl-shaped part).
However, if your budget permits, you may want to explore some higher-tech options. For example, a blender is perfect for harried but health-conscious students. Compact, inexpensive, and easy to clean, a blender will do everything from liquefy smoothie ingredients to purée vegetables.
