Stocking a Dorm or Off-Campus Kitchen
To cook healthy meals, you need to have some basic equipment on hand to make cooking easier. Here are the essential “it” lists for basic dorm room set-ups to full off-campus kitchens.
Dorm Room “Kitchen” Must-Haves
Several of the recipes in this book can be made in a dorm room. Here are some items to have on hand for healthy dorm cooking:
- Microwave oven
- Microwave-safe mugs, plates, and bowls
- Electric water kettle (for making tea, oatmeal, hot chocolate, soups, and more)
- Blender
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Basic flatware (forks, knives, spoons)
- Sponge and dish soap
- Paper towels and a dish towel (make sure to clean the dish towel with your weekly laundry)
- Small bin to carry dirty dishes
- Small storage bin to store nonperishable ingredients
- Small leftover containers (with lids)
Off-Campus Kitchen Must-Haves
If you’ve moved off campus or into on-campus housing with a full kitchen, you’ll need to up your kitchen game. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Microwave oven
- Microwave-safe mugs, plates, and bowls
- Blender
- 2 large baking sheets
- 9x9-inch (23x23cm) baking pan
- Mixing bowls
- Colander
- 2 cutting boards (one for raw meats and one for ready-to-eat foods)
- Mesh strainer
- Small paring knife
- Chef’s knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatulas
- Microplane grater
- Meat thermometer
- Metal tongs
- Vegetable peeler
- Whisk
- Wooden spoons
- 10-inch nonstick skillet
- Medium saucepan (with lid)
- Large stock pot (with lid)
- Oven mitts and dish towels
- Can opener
- Basic flatware (forks, knives, spoons)
- Leftover containers (with lids)
- 8oz (225g) or 16oz (450g) storage jars (with lids)
Nice to have, but not essential
These items are really useful to have, but they’re not essential.
- Food processor Really handy for processing items that aren’t easily processed in a blender.
- Rolling pin Useful for making cookies and doughs.
- Handheld mandoline Great for slicing potatoes and other veggies quickly and evenly.
- Cast iron skillet Great for adding a nice sear to foods like steak, and the perfect vehicle for reheating leftover slices of pizza.
- Toaster oven Super handy for heating and toasting. (Try to get one with an air fryer setting.)
- Slow cooker You’ll save lots of time, and you can find lots of great slow cooker recipes online.
- Air fryer Nothing reheats leftovers better than this powerful mini oven.
- Stick blender Really useful for puréeing soups and blending small batches of liquids.
- Rolling pin Use the side of a smooth, sturdy drinking glass or the side of a wine bottle.
- Cookie cutter Use the open end of a drinking glass.
- Pastry piping bag Fill a resealable plastic bag with the ingredient, twist the open end shut, cut off one corner, and you have an instant piping bag.
- Egg separator You can use an empty water bottle to separate the yolk from the white. Squeeze the bottle to remove some air, carefully place the mouth of the bottle on top of the yolk, and release the pressure on the bottle. The yolk should be sucked up into the bottle!
- Olive pitter Use a drinking straw or chopstick to pit olives, hull strawberries, or pit cherries.
- Citrus juicer Use the ends of kitchen tongs or the end of a fork to easily juice citrus.
- Whisk Place two forks opposite each other so the ends of the tines are touching, tape the handle ends together, and you’ve got a quick substitute for a whisk.
- Panini maker/sandwich press Place the sandwich in a skillet, top with a plate, and weigh it down with a 28oz (800g) can of tomatoes.
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.