It's the fall semester and you're FINALLY moved out of the communal dorms (hallelujah). You've moved into a furnished apartment or suite-style dorm with a kitchen, which is nice and all, if you know how or like to cook. For the rest of us, it's a daunting task, but a learning curve as well. Here's 8 things you should expect to realize along the way:
1. It's actually not as hard as you think it may be.
It's intimidating when your cooking expertise only goes as far as boiling pasta and pouring cereal, but cooking full meals in a kitchen isn't rocket science. It takes a lot of patience, a definite virtue when you're used to having your meals prepared for you by either your parents or by your dining halls. But, the results are always worth it. Don't try to rush recipes or cut corners -- it works sometimes, but most of the time you're just going to end up disappointed.
2. You can have a lot of fun experimenting with food.
Cooking your own meals gives you a lot of free rein. If you like your burgers as black as a hockey puck, you can cook it that way. If you like putting apple sauce on your mashed potatoes or ketchup on your mac 'n' cheese, or your pizza (don't knock it 'til you try it, people), who's stopping you? Try different pairings, like chocolate almond milk in oatmeal, a healthy yet sweet kick to an otherwise boring dish. It's very easy to tweak and customize recipes to your liking, something not offered in your dining hall.
3. However, you're going to make mistakes.
You're gonna bite into a burger that wasn't cooked all the way through, and you're going to burn your noodles and incorrectly measure portions, entirely ruining dishes you spent a lot of time preparing. Did you know homemade chicken noodle soup has to cool down to room temperature before you can refrigerate it, otherwise bacteria forms on top? I didn't, until I made three -- yes, THREE -- ginormous batches of soup in a row, burning the first one by using the wrong kind of pot, refrigerating the second one too early and opening the pot the next day to find a gross white film over my soup, and making the third one, finally, correctly. It's okay. Breathe. Curse under your breath. Call your mom and complain. Go back to the store and buy everything over and try it again when you're ready.
4. It can be expensive, so know where to look.
Grocery shopping sucks. Like, I'm not even going to lie to you. It can be horrible sometimes, maneuvering your cart down crowded aisles, screaming internally, because even the store-brand aluminum foil is $6. Pots, pans, and utensils can be pretty pricey sometimes too. While you can get away with buying store-brand everything for a lesser price, I want to offer you one word that can change your life: COUPONS. Every Saturday, you need to open up those ancient things...what are they called again? Newspapers? Because they have free money inside! Clip those babies out, organize them (my mom and I have a $1 accordion folder that we use for ours), double them up if you can, and watch the savings pile up. Different stores run different deals, so you need to do your research in advance if you're dedicated to the cause. Also check online for coupons on sites like Coupon Sherpa and Coupon Suzy for extra printable coupons.
5. It beats a meal plan by a mile.
Meal plans are convenient, there's no doubt about that. Walk in, swipe a card, get your food. However, many of them are only open during normal business hours (usually 7am-8pm), so your late dinners or midnight cravings are at a loss there, and you're most likely going to have to spend some cash on a trip to your local 24/7 convenience store for a snack. There isn't much wiggle room when it comes to dining hall options; it's usually always the same stuff with one or two highlighted entrée(s). They're also very pricey - meal plans can cost anywhere from $400 to $900 a semester depending on the number of meals you receive a week. You don't even get any of that money back at the end of the year for unused meals. Most times, you won't spend more than $200 on groceries for yourself every 2-3 weeks. Having a kitchen and your own groceries at your disposal any time of the day will have you kissing the dining halls goodbye!
6. It's easier to eat healthier.
Similarly to No. 2, because you have so much free rein with your meals, it's easy to cut a lot of unhealthy things out of your food. Cooking with fresh veggies, meats/fish, grains, etc., will really help your diet and you can have a lot of fun doing it. Dining hall foods are overflowing with sodium, unhealthy fats, preservatives, and other yucky things you really don't want to be consuming, and while they try to cater to every student's dietary needs, you're really just better off cooking for yourself. It tastes better and you'll feel better about eating it.
7. It's also easier to eat terribly.
By the same token, it's also easy to eat nothing but Ramen, Oreos and lemonade and try to live off that. I understand just as well as any college student that food is expensive, especially the healthy stuff like meat and fish. But, one day your metabolism is going to slow down, and you're REALLY going to regret eating nothing but Movie Theater Butter Popcorn and Gatorade for dinner every night in college. You just have to grin and bear it sometimes: satisfy your body with the good stuff it needs and worry about the cost later. Money is nothing compared to your health!
8. Pinterest will become your friend!
You can find tons of yummy, healthy, and easy-to-make options on the website, which has a cult following when it comes to recipes. You can find anything, from paleo and gluten-free to smoothies to extra-cheesy meat masterpieces along with a variety of decadent desserts. There's themed recipes, no-bake recipes, simple one-dish recipes...Pinterest is truly a gold mine for new cooks and it's free! The options are limitless, so you're not making bland, repetitive meals every day.
Happy cooking, reader!
