By Wendy Rosen
Students who made New Year’s resolutions to cook fresh food are often faced with little money, less time, and few kitchen skills. But overcoming these challenges is possible, according to cookbook author Jill Carle, 26, who wrote “College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your Friends” during her junior year at Arizona State University.
“Ramen is cheaper than anything else, but you also don’t want to turn into a block of salt … Just make a couple of big meals and it doesn’t require you to cook every single day, and it’s a lot cheaper in the long run than it would be to just end up going out,” said Carle.
Terrah King, sous chef at Bread and Wine near Irving and Western, said students should cook the childhood favorites that make them feel comfortable and happy.
“If you’re cooking food that you enjoy to eat … it becomes less of a hassle than it does when you’re cooking just for sustenance,” said King.
Prepping
Carle’s first attempt at college cooking was making cookies without a mixer and mixing bowls. She ended up mixing the batter in a pot and baking the cookies in a makeshift pan. The experiment worked, and her roommates loved them.
“As long as you have one or two big pots and a steak knife you can do just about anything,” she said.
Chef David Robin, a Kendall College graduate and owner of the food truck “Hoof and Feather,” suggests a few more kitchen essentials: a cutting board, a sharp knife, a half-sheet tray, a plastic spatula, a wooden spoon and a whisk.
A crockpot is also handy and foolproof, said Stephanie Folkens, 26, program coordinator at Common Threads, an organization that teaches affordable, healthy cooking to low-income families. Simply cut up ingredients, toss them in, and you can make soups, stews, oatmeal and even a roasted chicken.
King adds a George Foreman Grill to the list because it works anywhere – even a dorm room.
“You plug it into the wall, it can grill anything – vegetables, meats, fruits, lettuces for salads – all types of stuff. It’s really a multitasker,” said King.
Once you have picked up some tools, then stocking your pantry will mean less running out for last-minute items.
Carle recommends starting with a few pantry basics: pasta, rice, canned diced tomatoes and chicken and beef bouillon. She suggests keeping Mexican and Italian seasoning mixes on hand to substitute for expensive single spices called for in many recipes. Her pantry list also includes oil, white wine vinegar, soy sauce, flour and other baking essentials.
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Posted By: How May I Help You NC
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