Here's another list of college recipes you can find on my main blog to use!
Agedashi Tofu
This is a traditional Japanese appetizer of tempura-fried tofu. I made this particular recipe Gluten-Free for my sister, but feel free to use your own tempura batter! You won't look at tofu the same way again (boring,bland,etc) after trying this out!
Asian Fried Chicken with Curry Braised Leeks
This recipe may be complex, but it can definitely be pulled off in a college kitchen! It makes use of cheap ingredients, and apart from the marination times, is pretty quick!
Coconut-Lime "Panna Cotta"
This is a vegan version of the Panna Cotta I put in this blog's Valentine's Day Special. Try it out for a more exotic flavor!
More exciting new recipes coming soon!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
RECIPE: Panna Cotta (Valentine's Day Special)
In college, being able to impress your significant other on Valentine's Day is huge, but a little more challenging when cooking at home. This is because ingredients to make a great and fancy meal can run on the expensive side. This Italian dessert is a great way to balance class and cost.
Panna cotta is Italian for "cooked cream," and the name describes the dessert literally. It's pretty simple to make but takes a long time to set. You can also customize it to whatever flavor you wish! I've done lime and chocolate and it's been a huge hit, but you can flavor your panna cotta with anything from brandy to pomegranates or espresso!
One of the things you do need for this dish is a mold to serve it in. However, you can use something simple like a creme brulee dish, a martini glass, or a shallow bowl as well!
This recipe will make about 3-4 cups of panna cotta. This can serve up to 4 people.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: At least 4 hours
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
Flavoring (Here, it's all up to what you want and how much of it. Some good ideas are lime, espresso, fruit, brandy, rum, maple syrup, or mint!)
1 1/2 packets gelatin powder
Cooking/Assembling:
1. Combine your milk and cream into a small pot with the sugar. Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. At this point, add whatever flavoring you want and mix well.
3. While still at a boil, add in your gelatin and stir until dissolved. Take the mixture off of the heat, and pour into your serving dishes/glasses. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
4. Garnish with something cool that goes with your panna cotta! Chocolate shavings or ganache (rich sauce), mint leaves, or fresh fruit are all great ideas!
This dish is extremely simple to make, but it is important to let it chill for at least 3-4 hours so the gelatin can set. The end product should be slightly bouncy but not liquid anywhere. If you can nail this dish, it will be a great and cheap way to impress for Valentine's Day or any other holidays!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home or in your apartment, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy, and get cooking!
Panna cotta is Italian for "cooked cream," and the name describes the dessert literally. It's pretty simple to make but takes a long time to set. You can also customize it to whatever flavor you wish! I've done lime and chocolate and it's been a huge hit, but you can flavor your panna cotta with anything from brandy to pomegranates or espresso!
One of the things you do need for this dish is a mold to serve it in. However, you can use something simple like a creme brulee dish, a martini glass, or a shallow bowl as well!
This recipe will make about 3-4 cups of panna cotta. This can serve up to 4 people.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: At least 4 hours
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
Flavoring (Here, it's all up to what you want and how much of it. Some good ideas are lime, espresso, fruit, brandy, rum, maple syrup, or mint!)
1 1/2 packets gelatin powder
Cooking/Assembling:
1. Combine your milk and cream into a small pot with the sugar. Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. At this point, add whatever flavoring you want and mix well.
3. While still at a boil, add in your gelatin and stir until dissolved. Take the mixture off of the heat, and pour into your serving dishes/glasses. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
4. Garnish with something cool that goes with your panna cotta! Chocolate shavings or ganache (rich sauce), mint leaves, or fresh fruit are all great ideas!
This dish is extremely simple to make, but it is important to let it chill for at least 3-4 hours so the gelatin can set. The end product should be slightly bouncy but not liquid anywhere. If you can nail this dish, it will be a great and cheap way to impress for Valentine's Day or any other holidays!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home or in your apartment, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy, and get cooking!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
RECIPE: Braised Pork Shoulder
Cooking your own food in college can be time-consuming, and it's crucial to spend as little time as possible cooking when you have a whole bunch of other things to do. Things that take either a really fast time to make or that you can slow cook in an oven or pot of some kind are the best dishes to make in college because of this, since they both are easy and simple to do, extremely convenient on time, and delicious!
One of my favorite slow-cooked dishes has to be slow-cooked pork. Pork is definitely a cheaper cut of meat, especially the bone-in shoulder (to give you a point of reference, more expensive markets like Whole Foods charge $4.50 per pound of this cut, which is close to the price of ground beef), and can take on a whole variety of flavors. You can flavor pork with whatever you want, and for this pork, I'm going to use a lot of ingredients that are easier for college students to acquire and utilize.
Basic vegetables such as carrots, celery, and onions are necessary, as well as water to braise the pork with. I'm also going to include some kitchen essentials: garlic, sage, olive oil, salt and pepper, and some spices. When cooking, you should use about an hour to an hour and a half per pound when braising to get the most flavor out of your pork. The sauce makes a great gravy or soup for the pork as well!
This recipe uses a 5 pound, bone-in pork shoulder, and is good enough for at least 10-15 meals.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 hours
Ingredients:
1 5 pound bone-in pork shoulder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to season (about 1 tablespoon of salt per pound of meat and the same for pepper will do)
2 tablespoons dried sage
5 cloves garlic
3 onions, roughly sliced
3 carrots, roughly chopped
4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
5 cups of water (if you have it, replace this with dry white wine to get a deep rich flavor)
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon coriander
Cooking:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Combine your olive oil, salt and pepper, sage, cayenne pepper, paprika, and coriander together. Pierce your pork shoulder a few times, and insert the garlic cloves into these holes. Get them as evenly spaced as possible. Then, rub your spices and olive oil evenly across the entire pork shoulder.
3. In a hot roasting tray or large pot with some olive oil on medium high to high heat, sear your pork shoulder for about 3 minutes on each side to get a nice crust. Take out the pork shoulder.
4. There should be some pork fat left in the pot. Use it to help flavor your onions, carrots, and celery as you add them into the pot/roasting tray. Add your pork back in, then fill up your tray/pot with the water or wine. It should not fully cover the pork.
5. Lightly cover the tray or pot with tinfoil, then place into the oven for 7 hours. The pork will be fork-shred tender when it comes out.
One of my favorite slow-cooked dishes has to be slow-cooked pork. Pork is definitely a cheaper cut of meat, especially the bone-in shoulder (to give you a point of reference, more expensive markets like Whole Foods charge $4.50 per pound of this cut, which is close to the price of ground beef), and can take on a whole variety of flavors. You can flavor pork with whatever you want, and for this pork, I'm going to use a lot of ingredients that are easier for college students to acquire and utilize.
Basic vegetables such as carrots, celery, and onions are necessary, as well as water to braise the pork with. I'm also going to include some kitchen essentials: garlic, sage, olive oil, salt and pepper, and some spices. When cooking, you should use about an hour to an hour and a half per pound when braising to get the most flavor out of your pork. The sauce makes a great gravy or soup for the pork as well!
This recipe uses a 5 pound, bone-in pork shoulder, and is good enough for at least 10-15 meals.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 hours
Ingredients:
1 5 pound bone-in pork shoulder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to season (about 1 tablespoon of salt per pound of meat and the same for pepper will do)
2 tablespoons dried sage
5 cloves garlic
3 onions, roughly sliced
3 carrots, roughly chopped
4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
5 cups of water (if you have it, replace this with dry white wine to get a deep rich flavor)
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon coriander
Cooking:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Combine your olive oil, salt and pepper, sage, cayenne pepper, paprika, and coriander together. Pierce your pork shoulder a few times, and insert the garlic cloves into these holes. Get them as evenly spaced as possible. Then, rub your spices and olive oil evenly across the entire pork shoulder.
3. In a hot roasting tray or large pot with some olive oil on medium high to high heat, sear your pork shoulder for about 3 minutes on each side to get a nice crust. Take out the pork shoulder.
4. There should be some pork fat left in the pot. Use it to help flavor your onions, carrots, and celery as you add them into the pot/roasting tray. Add your pork back in, then fill up your tray/pot with the water or wine. It should not fully cover the pork.
5. Lightly cover the tray or pot with tinfoil, then place into the oven for 7 hours. The pork will be fork-shred tender when it comes out.
This is what you want the pork to look like at the end. Delicious!
The pork doesn't take too much work since the oven is going to do most of it for you, but this pork will be great for just about anything! You can put into sandwiches or burritos to take it on the go to work extremely well, or eat it over rice, in pasta, or leave in the braising liquid and add some potatoes to make a great stew. Whatever you do, this pork will be a star figure in your dish!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home or in your apartment/dorm, let me know how it turns out! Go on and get cooking! =)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
RECIPES: From The Recipes I'm Too Broke to Make
College food is all about being simple to make but being able to last a long time and be on the less expensive side. I've compiled a list of some of the recipes from my other blog, "The Broke College Kid: Recipes I'm too Broke to Make" that fit the bill in that sense. You can view them all here! Click on the name of each recipe below to go to that blog post. Enjoy! =)
Quick Coconut Curried Chicken: A great protein dish that you can make a lot of for cheap and is pretty tasty! Serve with rice or naan bread, both cheap starches that you can easily pick up in supermarkets.
Breakfast Fried Rice: A quick way to mix up breakfast food into rice! Perfect for any meal, and you can customize it based around what you want. To make it much simpler, just purchase your own chicken apple sausage or use a different sausage rather than making your own from scratch. But try making it from scratch if you can, the taste is amazing!
Ma Po Tofu: A lot of people do hate on tofu, but I love this preparation with spicy tofu and ground pork. It's great and really helps tofu stand out a little bit. Also, tofu is extremely cheap compared to other proteins in supermarkets, so it would help your budget out to give it a go!
Cheeseburger Patsitsio: This is a very versatile Greek dish that takes cheap ingredients, like milk, ground beef, cheese, and pasta, and makes them into something delicious! It's very filling, perfect for cold seasons, and can last for a long time! Simply freeze any leftovers, and bake off in the oven once you want to enjoy some more of this Greek creamy comfort food.
Mexican Chicken Fried Rice: Fried rice in general is just a great way to mix together a lot of flavors, be delicious, but also quick enough and affordable for the college cook. Give this Mexican spin on the Chinese classic a go!
Quick Asian Breakfast Frittata in a Cup: This is perfect for those mornings where you wake up and need to get on the road quick! Ready in no more than 10 minutes tops (depending on prep time), and only needs a minute in the microwave to be cooked and ready to eat!
Bananas Foster Cheesecake: If you want to treat yourself to homemade dessert, this is a great and not too expensive way to do it. You don't necessarily need the banana liquer in this dish, so feel free to remove it. If you have some dark rum in your apartment, this is a great way to use some rather than using it for... other purposes.
Picadillo: This is a great, warming Cuban stew that has tons of flavors in it and is the definition of a "one-pot wonder." It's also made with a lot of cheap and great ingredients and is easy to make and reheat. One of my personal favorite stews, and a recipe I've been making since high school.
Vegan Mushroom Casserole: One of my favorite vegan dishes, especially because I love the earthiness and richness of mushrooms. Supermarkets carry tons of them for cheap prices, and the spices behind this mushroom masterpiece just take it to a whole new level. Another great one-pot dish!
Pork Chile Verde: Probably my favorite all-time dish because of the balance of tang, heat, and rich pork flavor that comes out of it. One round of this can last you at least a week, and is absolutely delicious any time of the day!
Watermelon Agua Fresca: A great, simple, and cheap refreshing drink. If you have the fortune of a blender in your kitchen, this is a definitely drink to try out!
Mom's Greek Orzo Salad: My mom's own recipe, and a great quick side dish (or whole meal) to make that can stay in the fridge and just be eaten on the go, hot or cold. (I personally enjoy it better cold). This is the one recipe that you definitely should try in your kitchen!
Vegetarian Chili: Another great stew that lasts for an extremely long time and is perfect for any occasion. A classic chili dish with a little kick that is sure to get you going!
Holiday Double Chocolate Chip Cookies: This follows my personal cookie recipe that I used to get the textures I wanted out of a cookie. It's a little different, but makes a great holiday snack or gift to your friends!
Try one, two, or all of these recipes out! Go on, get cooking!
Quick Coconut Curried Chicken: A great protein dish that you can make a lot of for cheap and is pretty tasty! Serve with rice or naan bread, both cheap starches that you can easily pick up in supermarkets.
Breakfast Fried Rice: A quick way to mix up breakfast food into rice! Perfect for any meal, and you can customize it based around what you want. To make it much simpler, just purchase your own chicken apple sausage or use a different sausage rather than making your own from scratch. But try making it from scratch if you can, the taste is amazing!
Ma Po Tofu: A lot of people do hate on tofu, but I love this preparation with spicy tofu and ground pork. It's great and really helps tofu stand out a little bit. Also, tofu is extremely cheap compared to other proteins in supermarkets, so it would help your budget out to give it a go!
Cheeseburger Patsitsio: This is a very versatile Greek dish that takes cheap ingredients, like milk, ground beef, cheese, and pasta, and makes them into something delicious! It's very filling, perfect for cold seasons, and can last for a long time! Simply freeze any leftovers, and bake off in the oven once you want to enjoy some more of this Greek creamy comfort food.
Mexican Chicken Fried Rice: Fried rice in general is just a great way to mix together a lot of flavors, be delicious, but also quick enough and affordable for the college cook. Give this Mexican spin on the Chinese classic a go!
Quick Asian Breakfast Frittata in a Cup: This is perfect for those mornings where you wake up and need to get on the road quick! Ready in no more than 10 minutes tops (depending on prep time), and only needs a minute in the microwave to be cooked and ready to eat!
Bananas Foster Cheesecake: If you want to treat yourself to homemade dessert, this is a great and not too expensive way to do it. You don't necessarily need the banana liquer in this dish, so feel free to remove it. If you have some dark rum in your apartment, this is a great way to use some rather than using it for... other purposes.
Picadillo: This is a great, warming Cuban stew that has tons of flavors in it and is the definition of a "one-pot wonder." It's also made with a lot of cheap and great ingredients and is easy to make and reheat. One of my personal favorite stews, and a recipe I've been making since high school.
Vegan Mushroom Casserole: One of my favorite vegan dishes, especially because I love the earthiness and richness of mushrooms. Supermarkets carry tons of them for cheap prices, and the spices behind this mushroom masterpiece just take it to a whole new level. Another great one-pot dish!
Pork Chile Verde: Probably my favorite all-time dish because of the balance of tang, heat, and rich pork flavor that comes out of it. One round of this can last you at least a week, and is absolutely delicious any time of the day!
Watermelon Agua Fresca: A great, simple, and cheap refreshing drink. If you have the fortune of a blender in your kitchen, this is a definitely drink to try out!
Mom's Greek Orzo Salad: My mom's own recipe, and a great quick side dish (or whole meal) to make that can stay in the fridge and just be eaten on the go, hot or cold. (I personally enjoy it better cold). This is the one recipe that you definitely should try in your kitchen!
Vegetarian Chili: Another great stew that lasts for an extremely long time and is perfect for any occasion. A classic chili dish with a little kick that is sure to get you going!
Holiday Double Chocolate Chip Cookies: This follows my personal cookie recipe that I used to get the textures I wanted out of a cookie. It's a little different, but makes a great holiday snack or gift to your friends!
Try one, two, or all of these recipes out! Go on, get cooking!
Friday, December 20, 2013
RECIPE: Frittata
| What a completed frittata looks like. Delicious! |
Frittatas are also great because they take only about 10 minutes to make and can last you a couple of days, depending on how big the frittata you make is. They are definitely a dish you should add to your arsenal of college recipes!
Recipe will make enough for at least two meals.
Prep Time: about 10 minutes (TIP: to keep this down, cut all of your vegetables the night before!)
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten
1 chicken apple sausage, diced
1/4 c chopped white onion
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 cup diced mushrooms (any kind will do for this)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 clove minced garlic (if you have a jar of it, use about a teaspoon).
1/2 cup shredded cheese (again, any kind will do)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
Cooking/Assembling:
1. Turn your oven on broil. If it has multiple broil settings, make sure the broil setting is high.
2. Place your frying pan on a burner on medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan. When you just see it start to smoke, add in your onion, mushroom, bell pepper, and garlic.
3. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, and saute (cook in the pan, stirring around occasionally) until the onions turn translucent and are starting to brown and the mushrooms have all browned.
4. Add in your chicken apple sausage, oregano, and basil at this point, and keep sauteing until the chicken apple sausage has color on each side to help get the maximum flavor out of your sausage.
5. At this point, add in your eggs and cheese immediately afterward. Stir the eggs throughout the pan so that nothing is sticking to the bottom and your sausage and vegetables are distributed evenly throughout the frittata.
6. Season the frittata with salt and pepper one more time, then transfer to your oven. Bake for 4-5 minutes on the high broil setting.
7. Be careful taking the pan out of the oven; the handle will be hot! Transfer to a plate by holding the plate upside down over the pan with one hand, then flip both so that the frittata comes out of the pan and lands on the plate. If you're worried about the frittata sticking, go around the edges with a knife quickly to ensure the frittata comes out.
8. Serve!
This recipe shows just how simple and quick frittatas are. You can serve them in the pan as well, if you'd like. They're fully customizable and give you a great boost for whatever meal you serve it as. Frittatas are versatile enough to be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so use it for whatever meal you feel like.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home or in your apartment/dorm, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy, and get cooking!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Quick Tip: Sharpening Knives
A lot of people make the mistake of not having sharp knives in a kitchen. While sharp knives are indeed dangerous, dull knives can even be more of an issue, as they are tougher to cut food with and more likely to slip, causing you or someone around you potentially serious injuries. It's important to get a sharpening steel or other knife sharpening tool to keep your knives sharp and ready to go!
Sharpening steels are a really great tool. Here's a quick video by Gordon Ramsay on how to sharpen a knife using a sharpening steel. Take a look at it, and get cooking!
Sharpening steels are a really great tool. Here's a quick video by Gordon Ramsay on how to sharpen a knife using a sharpening steel. Take a look at it, and get cooking!
Quick Tips to Get Started in the Kitchen as a College Student
As a college student, you most likely live an extremely busy life. You probably take many classes, most of which require tons of studying and work, and probably have some kind of job or internship on top of that. Maybe you even do sports as well. However, NONE of that should stop you from making amazing food that you can enjoy. Good tasting food doesn't always take a lot of time to prepare. If you balance your time and do a lot of prep work before hand, cooking can be fast, quick, and delicious. However, you do need some basic things on top of your cooking equipment. Here are some great things to keep in mind:
1. What Equipment do I need?
You most likely are trying to keep costs down, so keep the equipment to the bare essentials you need to thrive in your own kitchen. A couple of cheap baking pans and a cheap casserole dish will be great for your oven. On the stovetop, you don't need more than a basic frying pan, a saucepan, and a pot. You do need knives for chopping and cutting boards to this one, but cutting boards can be cheap, and you only really need three knives: a chef's knife for chopping, a serrated edge knife for cutting and slicing, and a paring knife for vegetables. Get some cooking utensils, such as tongs, whisks, and cooking spoons, as well to help you cook. Apart from that, you really just need a colander and a couple of cheap mixing bowls, and you'll be set! This stuff can last you for a long time, even beyond college, so if you do want to invest in good quality equipment, feel free to do so! However, you don't need to spend a fortune on cooking equipment. The below set, for example, will cost you under 100 bucks and do pretty much everything you need in a college student kitchen!
Some extra cooking equipment things to consider are rice cookers and toasters. They help cook things quickly, but aren't a necessity since you can steam your own rice and toast with your oven.
2. What basic ingredients should I have in my kitchen?
A lot of dishes and foods are going to use some certain ingredients, so it's key to at least have these in your fridge. Fortunately, they are all cheap. Here's a list of some ingredients I find using almost everyday in the kitchen:
1. Salt and pepper. The two most crucial seasonings known to cooking, they flavor foods and draw out natural flavors in a way nothing else really can. These are a must no matter what you are making.
2. Garlic. Garlic is widely used across most food cultures, and is great for just about any savory dish you are trying to make. The storage life on garlic is great too, and it can help to boost your health! Definitely keep a jar of minced garlic or even frozen cubes of it in your storage.
3. Baking ingredients. These are your basics, like baking powder, flour, and sugar. These can be used in more than just baking, and come in handy in the kitchen a lot. For example, I like to use a bit of sugar to mellow out spicy dishes, and flours are very common in rouxs.
4. Oil. Used in almost all savory cooking and to grease baking pans, this is an absolute must in your kitchen. Have a neutral oil like canola or safflower oil at the absolute minimum to help cook and grease at the same time. If you want to punch flavor more into your savory dishes, also consider getting olive oil and sesame oil, as they both add great flavor to dishes.
5. Starches. Your main source of energy comes from carbs, and having a good amount of these stored up will help making cooking quicker and more effective. Purchase things like rice, pasta, or beans that can keep for a long time in storage and you just need to add water to in order to cook and enjoy.
6. Spices. This could be a whole section on its own, but I'm going to simplify it into this. Spices are extremely important for cooking, because food doesn't have too much flavor otherwise. If you want to make delicious food, invest in some spices, particular dried ones. They can last you for over a year in storage and make dishes so much better. The basic spices you want to get are: Oregano, thyme, turmeric, parsley, rosemary, sage, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and basil. Some great additional spices to get if you can are ginger, curry powder, marjoram, cardamom, clove, allspice, white pepper, dill, cinnamon, garam masala, chili powder, and a whole host more of spices! I personally have around 20 spices in my spice rack at my apartment, and all of them get used frequently.
3. What about perishables?
You can purchase whatever perishables you want as long as you can cook them! There's a great amount of things available, from fresh produce to meats and fish, eggs, vegan products, and more! I cook with all of these things, and will be showing you a lot of my favorite recipes as this blog goes on from all different areas.
4. How do I not spend too much time in the kitchen and more time studying?
Plenty of advanced prep is great. Cutting your vegetables the night before or preparing food before hand is a great way to keep yourself from spending too much time in the kitchen. Slow-cooking and one-pot dishes are also great, as these can last a long time and be made in large amounts so you only have to cook once for the whole week. And stay organized with your prep work, that will definitely be key as well.
Well, that's all I have for tips. Follow these, and making all of the recipes I put on this blog will be a piece of cake and simple! You won't have to spent too much time or break your budget. Get cooking!
1. What Equipment do I need?
You most likely are trying to keep costs down, so keep the equipment to the bare essentials you need to thrive in your own kitchen. A couple of cheap baking pans and a cheap casserole dish will be great for your oven. On the stovetop, you don't need more than a basic frying pan, a saucepan, and a pot. You do need knives for chopping and cutting boards to this one, but cutting boards can be cheap, and you only really need three knives: a chef's knife for chopping, a serrated edge knife for cutting and slicing, and a paring knife for vegetables. Get some cooking utensils, such as tongs, whisks, and cooking spoons, as well to help you cook. Apart from that, you really just need a colander and a couple of cheap mixing bowls, and you'll be set! This stuff can last you for a long time, even beyond college, so if you do want to invest in good quality equipment, feel free to do so! However, you don't need to spend a fortune on cooking equipment. The below set, for example, will cost you under 100 bucks and do pretty much everything you need in a college student kitchen!
 |
| Example of a basic cooking equipment kit of just the bare essentials. From EpicMealTime. |
Some extra cooking equipment things to consider are rice cookers and toasters. They help cook things quickly, but aren't a necessity since you can steam your own rice and toast with your oven.
2. What basic ingredients should I have in my kitchen?
A lot of dishes and foods are going to use some certain ingredients, so it's key to at least have these in your fridge. Fortunately, they are all cheap. Here's a list of some ingredients I find using almost everyday in the kitchen:
1. Salt and pepper. The two most crucial seasonings known to cooking, they flavor foods and draw out natural flavors in a way nothing else really can. These are a must no matter what you are making.
2. Garlic. Garlic is widely used across most food cultures, and is great for just about any savory dish you are trying to make. The storage life on garlic is great too, and it can help to boost your health! Definitely keep a jar of minced garlic or even frozen cubes of it in your storage.
3. Baking ingredients. These are your basics, like baking powder, flour, and sugar. These can be used in more than just baking, and come in handy in the kitchen a lot. For example, I like to use a bit of sugar to mellow out spicy dishes, and flours are very common in rouxs.
4. Oil. Used in almost all savory cooking and to grease baking pans, this is an absolute must in your kitchen. Have a neutral oil like canola or safflower oil at the absolute minimum to help cook and grease at the same time. If you want to punch flavor more into your savory dishes, also consider getting olive oil and sesame oil, as they both add great flavor to dishes.
5. Starches. Your main source of energy comes from carbs, and having a good amount of these stored up will help making cooking quicker and more effective. Purchase things like rice, pasta, or beans that can keep for a long time in storage and you just need to add water to in order to cook and enjoy.
6. Spices. This could be a whole section on its own, but I'm going to simplify it into this. Spices are extremely important for cooking, because food doesn't have too much flavor otherwise. If you want to make delicious food, invest in some spices, particular dried ones. They can last you for over a year in storage and make dishes so much better. The basic spices you want to get are: Oregano, thyme, turmeric, parsley, rosemary, sage, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and basil. Some great additional spices to get if you can are ginger, curry powder, marjoram, cardamom, clove, allspice, white pepper, dill, cinnamon, garam masala, chili powder, and a whole host more of spices! I personally have around 20 spices in my spice rack at my apartment, and all of them get used frequently.
3. What about perishables?
You can purchase whatever perishables you want as long as you can cook them! There's a great amount of things available, from fresh produce to meats and fish, eggs, vegan products, and more! I cook with all of these things, and will be showing you a lot of my favorite recipes as this blog goes on from all different areas.
4. How do I not spend too much time in the kitchen and more time studying?
Plenty of advanced prep is great. Cutting your vegetables the night before or preparing food before hand is a great way to keep yourself from spending too much time in the kitchen. Slow-cooking and one-pot dishes are also great, as these can last a long time and be made in large amounts so you only have to cook once for the whole week. And stay organized with your prep work, that will definitely be key as well.
Well, that's all I have for tips. Follow these, and making all of the recipes I put on this blog will be a piece of cake and simple! You won't have to spent too much time or break your budget. Get cooking!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)