A Grad's Advice- Cooking

When I was (*tear*) a student I spent my first year at home so I never really got the experience of living alone until second year. I went in older and wiser to my student halls thinking I’d be the sagely older student who could give advice about what to expect. This didn’t happen for various reasons that I won’t go into but one of my downfalls was cooking. Prior to moving out I didn’t cook, I could do the basics and when I attempted more complex stuff some random slip up would mess it up (I accidentally put the blade protectors from the food processor into a cake on mother’s day) so when I had to cook for myself it was daunting. Having grilled a pizza one too many times by third year I decided living on pasta would no longer suffice and kicked things up  a gear and by now I’m pretty damn good if I say so myself. So here’s a couple of tips on how to begin to cook when you’re out on your own for the first time.

Get a cook book

I know you can look it up on the internet or can find your recipes on Pinterest but I like having a hard copy of a book in front of me especially in cooking (I don’t want oil or sauce on my phone). Getting one targeted at students is even better. I used Nosh for Students by Joy May and it is full of simple and easy recipes which serves more than one so you have leftovers for the next day. Its cheap, its easy, it measures everything is mugs or spoons so you don't need scales and it is a good basis for the simple recipes that are staples to surviving halls. 

Fill your cupboard

And not with pot noodles. There are several things that should be kept in a cupboard in case of emergency. For me it was herbs and spices (nothing too fancy), chopped tomatoes, sauces like tomato and BBQ, stock cubes, rice, pasta, beans (baked and cannellini) UTH milk, sugar, flour, oil, pasta sauce and cereal. The versatility of these items makes them key to cooking because everything can be used to make a meal. Beans, chopped tomatoes, add an egg and maybe some sausages or pancetta and you have breakfast for dinner but baked in the oven. It’s simple and if it’s been an awful day you can’t go wrong with pasta, its 29p for penne in Tesco.

Get the basics down

Learn how to wield a decent knife, how long to cook things, learn how to fix a problem if you accidentally add too much spice. Google this, use youtube tutorials, use your cookbook for advice, it is very easy to learn the basics. By having the knowledge behind the actual cooking when it comes to the actual cooking just follow the recipe and you’ll do fine.

Love your freezer

Leftovers are amazing and it’s something I learned only recently when some freezer space became available. Having leftover pasta sauce/stew/curry whatever, in the freezer which you can throw in a pot and serve is an actual godsend when its chucking it down, you’ve had a crappy day and just want a hug. By prepping bigger batches of food than need in advance it is the past you giving future you a hug and makes life so much easier.

Have a go

It’s much easier to balls up a cake than a curry. Everybody thinks they can bake but cooking is ten times easier so put down the sieve and grab the big pot and sauté something. If you don’t give it a go then you’re going to be living off pasta. Follow the recipe add a bit of your own spin and it’ll be alright. Just make sure things are in date and defrosted. You’ve seen nothing until you’ve seen your roommate try and separate two frozen burgers with a spatula while cooking them in a frying pan. Just use your wits and read the instructions and you’ll be grand.