Some of us wait for the first day at the dorm with an excitement and plan the life there beforehand. Others wish this moment would never happen. They are afraid of difficulties, which are a usual part of living at a dorm. Of course, one of them is cooking. For the majority of young people, college years are the first period of their independent life without parents. While living in their native town with the family, they used to get everything prepared, including meals. As a result, very few freshmen know how to cook something with their hands. The major part of them decides to eat at cheap canteens or buy half-stuff. It leads to worse health conditions and a lot of diseases: from gaining an excess weight and acne to cancer and heart attacks. Moreover, an inappropriate way of cooking may cause a lot of foodborne illnesses. We understand that none of the students want to encounter such troubles and present some good tips for cooking at a dorm.
Get Some Specific Appliance
Sure, a dorm room is not big enough to have thousands of various devices for cooking here. However, it is a nice idea to get at least several the most important things or cooperate with your roommates: you will save some space and money. For example, a blender can make your cooking much easier and microwave may help you to prepare dishes quickly and without any efforts. Choose a compact and effective appliance: you will see the difference between doing everything with your hands and using these devices. As a result, you will have more time for writing a college essay instead of spending it for chopping vegetables.
Do Not Be Greedy
It is true that during your dorm life you will meet lots of students, who will ask you for some help. As a rule, they need some cooking devices, products or spices. It is essential not to be greedy and support them in a case of an urgent need. In this way, you may get some new friends. However, be careful with people, who try to use you for a benefit. You should learn how to say “No” as well if you do not want to waste all your money for someone else’s well-being.
Learn Basic Recipes
You should know several simple and quick recipes before you move from your house to a dorm. In this case, you will be well-prepared to independent life and will not ask everyone around about the usage of all these cooking appliances. For example, you can train at home in making pasta with your favorite sauce and learn a recipe for a tasty salad. As a result, you will be able to vary these meals a bit and add something new every time. You can ask your family members to share some traditional recipes with you.
Organize Your Budget
A lack of money is a common reason why students eat unhealthy food and then suffer from various illnesses. How to deal with it? Before going to a supermarket, you should carefully plan your budget. You should never do shopping without a list of purchases and while being hungry. If you create a correct plan, you will never have problems with cooking at a dorm. Start with the most important things and do not buy too many products at once: they may become inappropriate for eating very soon and you will have to throw them into a rubbish bin.
Check Labels
It is essential to buy not only cheap but healthy food: do not choose the price as the main point while shopping. You have to read labels and be aware of the substances of which a certain product consists. Moreover, you will know a date when it was made. Such an approach will save you from foodborne illnesses and its unpleasant symptoms. It is better to read some information than waste your time at a hospital after eating something not fresh.
Plan Your Meals
It is important to plan what you will cook beforehand. It will give you a possibility to prepare all necessary products and find specific appliances. It is better to have a certain menu for each day in order to avoid some unpleasant situations: for example, when you wake up in the morning and realize that there is nothing to eat except a frozen meat in your fridge. As a result, a student has to stay hungry during the whole day at college or have a quick meal in cheap cafe.
All in all, many students find that cooking is too complicated for them. However, this is not as difficult as you think: preparing a simple meal is easier than writing essays for college. There is no need to waste hours on it and learn thousands of original recipes. You can start with something simple and vary the dishes from day to day. The main point is that your meals should be healthy and safe for your health. Be careful while cooking: inappropriate conditions at your kitchen or wrong methods of saving products may cause foodborne infections. We hope that our tips are useful for you and cooking is not a big problem anymore.