College cooking thread
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Topic: College cooking thread
Posted By: SSOK
Subject: College cooking thread
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 12:21am
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I'm heading into my fourth year of college and I will now have an apartment-type dorm, and with it, comes a kitchen. woo! Thing is, I really don't know how to cook for myself. Sure, I could make a decent meal for a few people, but I am having issues planning on what to cook for myself, or how to do it. Since many of you are a few years older than me (although a few people used to think I was 40, or something) and have probably cooked for yourselves at some point, I would like some advice. Recipes, suggestions, etc. I want something other than taylor ham, frozen hamburger patties and canned corned beef hash. Bonus points if the ingredients don't need to be refrigerated or frozen. Freezer/fridge space is prime real estate and I'm sure I am going to get salmonella one day from poor preparation of chicken. TL;DR: Recipes for cooking for one person, please. I can't live off of doritos. ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: procarbinefreak
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 12:51am
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I find it pretty tough to cook for one. I used to cook up a lot of meals that revolved around pasta. chicken parm is fairly easy, pound out a chicken breast a little bit, bread it, cook it through, toss that on top of some spaghetti with some sauce and cheese. I used to eat a lot of pork chops too since they seemed to go on sale often. I would grab one of the bottled marinades that are near the ketchup in the grocery store for those, or just salt and pepper. I used to do that, then bake a potato and load that up. One of my favorite go to meals is a crock pot meal, but it's not for one person at all. you take a chuck roast... about 3-4 pounds, add one can of cream of mushroom soup, a packet of onion soup mix, and a soup can full of red wine if you have it. throw it all in the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours or so. When its done you can just shred the beef in the pot and serve over egg noodles or bread. If you have room for leftovers, it reheats well so you can eat it for a few days.
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Posted By: trytokeep_TEMPO
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 1:40am
| ...I grew up in a broken home so I know a thing or 2 about cheep food for 1. lets start with the geto basics :) hot dog-now u can vary this resiepe any way u want 2 lol ketchup mustard or if ur really feeling crazy u can throw a bun on the sucker lmao :0 but seriously just be broke and ud be amazed at what u come up with...left overs are the key though try 2 keep them simple so that u can change them up ie. if u make food with grownd beef try to make the beef plain or lightly seasoned so that tacos can become an extra topping on the next pizza u order not the best example but u get the point, hamberger helper is great as far as Im concerned and yes I remember no fridge room(try creags list for a miny fridge)but they reheat great ull get the jist of it-if its a lil old throw some water in it and cover it with a paper plate while u nooke it. but the dry food-BE CREATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!-I cant stress that enough.-chilly its good just plain, or eat it with crackers, throw some graded cheese on top,cut up hot dogs and chuck them in there, there are currently like 4 difrent kinds of chily in my cubbard-hot-reg-walla walla onion-thick- be creative and make something that sounds good. now on 2 the pe-est-A-resist-on-ce romen.....romen is ur friend it comes in all different flavors and is quick easy and CHEEP!!! now let me drop some roman knoladge on u- plane romen is grubben but if u take it after u cook it (before u throw in the saus packet) and drain out all the water then sprinkle the packet over the cooked romen mix it in a bit take some beens-chilly whatever ur taste is bite a beef jurky stick into chunks and wrap it all into a tortilla oh man is that good, its a bit much 2 make and takes some time but once u figure out how u like it its soooooo good but most people would rather just get taco bell than try that, roman with egg,roman with peanut butter(sounds grose I know took me a few mo. to actually try it)just like a halfa spoon full per bag if that-mix it in. raveolies are ok,chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese,TV dinners(ya I know) u will get it down pat in a few mo. Im sure. |
Posted By: BARREL BREAK
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 2:00am
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Cooking is cooking, college or not. Buy your vegetables in season, learn to love beans (buy em dried and in bulk), rice, and stir-frying. If your grocery store has reasonably priced bulk quinoa it is an excellent base, as along with some beans it provides a full protein load as well as essentially filling in on all rice-related duties, and it's extra-easy to cook to boot, just put it in a pot with twice its volume in water or stock, spice, bring to a boil and then cover and put on low until done. Top with roasted or stir-fried vegetables, beans, lime and some variety of sauce and you have a complete meal. http://www.seriouseats.com/ http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/ are a couple good places to just browse around and look for ideas. Especially like http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/dinner_tonight/ |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 2:01am
This! Hell, it's even tough to cook for two. I'm about ready to go ahead and have kids just so we don't waste so much food! Seriously though, I'd get together with your roomie and figure on cooking a few nights a week (maybe 2 or 3?) and planning what you guys want so you can actually save money on food instead of buying enough to feed 4 but only eating half of it. Start with pretty basic stuff and work your way up from there. PCF's Chic Parm suggestion is a good one. Also, remember that you don't have to cook stuff from scratch. It's just good to "doctor" RTU (ready-to-use) sauces and dishes. Most church and Jr. League-style cookbooks are based around that idea anyway. You aren't going to become a great chef, or even a restaurant quality cook, by cooking for yourself and a roomie or two, but you CAN become proficient enough to actually enjoy the process and both get better sustenance than you would at the dining hall and save some money in the long run. Also, you will need to make sure you have Goya Adobo Seasoning in your kitchen and a cheap spice set from Macy's or some such with Italian seasoning, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and herbs de provence if possible. Herbs (fresh or dried) make a world of difference. So does a little kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
procarbinefreak wrote:Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 2:05am
Actually, you don't need beans to complete the protein with quinoa like you would if you were using rice. Quinoa is the "miracle grain" in the fact that it contains all 20 amino acids necessary for a complete protein as well as abundant quantities of the 9 necessary for human dietary needs. That said, stick to white quinoa. Red and black take a lot longer to cook and can be less flavorful and a lot crunchier even when fully cooked. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: BARREL BREAK
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 2:07am
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Tried to edit this into the first post but it got eaten by the s--m filter. The class of food I recommend the most when cooking for one is soup. You can make a whole lot at once and it gets even better sitting in the fridge for a few days (in most cases). They range in difficulty from 'brain-dead slow cooker chili or beef stew' to 'pretty easy' in general. My go to meals in winter are Leek and Potato soup and Borscht, both are easy and cheap.
Ah I was wondering about that. I do eat it without beans a lot, white quinoa has formed the base of my diet for the past year and a half and I keep finding new things to do with it. |
Posted By: mbro
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 3:16am
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I hate cooking for one because I have to eat the same thing three days in a row. It would be four days but I lift 100k lbs a day so I eat a lot and am still in great shape. My GF made me homemade mac and cheese this week and brought to my work. It was amazing but crap inducing befcause it had 3k kcal in it. ------------- 
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos. |
Posted By: RoboCop
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 10:07am
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I lived in a house this past year while in college. This coming year, I am glad to be in the dorms again (RA job) and getting free food. We have really tasty food here and I need to make sure to portion it correctly to fulfill my fitness plans. For food, I definitely used frozen food a lot. It's probably not the best thing for you, but it worked for me very well because there would be days I didn't have to cook. I would go to walmart and grab a big bag of frozen vegetables and frozen chicken breast. I would usually cook the chicken breast on the stove or use a george foreman grill. Cut it up or pre-cut it and put some sauce on it and mix it with vegetables. That was my go-to meal. I also had a lot of pb&j sandwiches. It sounds weird, but I would add a lot of baby spinach in the pb&j to give it more girth. It doesn't really affect flavor and spinach is great for you. |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 10:20am
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Robo, there's actually nothing wrong with frozen foods. The problem is when you start getting into processed frozen foods. Then you start seeing the addition of high amounts of sodium and preservatives which (since it's frozen) aren't necessary. "Fresh frozen" foods such as plain chicken breast, fish, meats, and vegetables are actually just as good, if not better, for you as "fresh" items that you find in the cooler at the grocery store. In fact, most seafood you purchase at the grocery store "fresh" is actually shipped frozen and then thawed for display. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 10:20am
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Also, ad-ult-er-ated is a spam filter trigger. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: usafpilot07
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 10:21am
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1. Buy a George Foreman grill. 2. Buy some garlic salt, olive oil spray, and a couple different of the premade seasonings. 3. Buy a bag of frozen veggies that you prefer. 4. Buy the grains you prefer(rice, Mac n cheese, pasta) Minimum freezer space, easy cooking/cleanup, easy portion control, variety is as easy as throwing on new seasonings and changing the grain. ------------- Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo |
Posted By: SSOK
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 10:25am
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Its definitely portioning that is going to be a problem for me. It seems like a lot of people who don't have meal plans are either health freaks and eat well, or they are bums and order food out most of the time, probably spending more money than those with meal plans. I was already planning on splitting dinner with my roomate a few nights a week if possible. Hamburger helper FTW. Edit: i'm well aware of spices. My personal favorite is those mccormick grinder things. Great on everything. If it turns out that I can't cook for myself, I'll just order a pallet or two of Tactical Bacon. Should last me til marriage. -------------
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Posted By: RoboCop
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 12:07pm
| You will find making something, compared to getting a can of soup or a box mixture, will be much healthier. Heck the Campbell's soup is 2.5 servings per can and who just eats 1 serving from that? Oh and I just started using frozen fruit. I would add that to some cereal after thawing them out in the microwave some. Oh and for being healthy, I got some plain oatmeal and put fruit in it and topped it with agave nectar (honey substitute). I have been on a health craze and when you do that, you find what tastes good and is healthy. |
Posted By: agentwhale007
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 12:09pm
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I've had almost the same thing to eat for the last few weeks during my weight loss streak: Breakfast is just coffee and a multivitamin. = ~100 calories Lunch is two eggs cooked in just a little bit of non-stick spray, on a tortilla, covered in siracha sauce. = ~500 calories. Snack is one of a variety of 100 calorie packs, usually Chex Mix because it's awesome. Dinner is a romaine salad with grilled chicken and croutons, and an actually measured portion of dressing = ~750 calories. Dessert is a cup of yogurt. = ~120 calories. That puts me at about 1,600 calories a day. I combine that with jogging/walking for a half hour a day, which negates the fact I drink about two or three beers in the evening so I can pretend my life is awesome. I'm a character of repetition. |
Posted By: Reb Cpl
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 3:09pm
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Rice dishes. No refrigeration, and you can throw in just about ANY vegetables or meat and make a stir-fry. ------------- ? |
Posted By: impulse418
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 5:46pm
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Why is it hard to cook for 1? I prefer to make large batches, so I can just re-heat for a week. Crock-Pot is essential. I also like large, deep, electric skillets. Simple stews involving pinto beans, like someone said buy in dry bulk. Potatoes, ham, well whatever you want...... Chili is great in the cooler months, but sometimes I make it in the winter time. I have been trying to get away from foods that contain hydrogenated oil in them. So all my hamburger and tuna helper needs to be given away. |
Posted By: Lightningbolt
Date Posted: 01 August 2012 at 7:40pm
| Drop an egg and one piece of cheese to jazz up ramen noodles |
Posted By: little devil
Date Posted: 03 August 2012 at 12:33pm
| Somthing everyone should try, I ground a 50/50 mix, bacon and beef = amazing. |
Posted By: SSOK
Date Posted: 18 February 2013 at 9:32pm
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Well, a little update to this thread. I can't cook for the life of me, and my diet is crap. For beginners, I don't eat breakfast. Secondly, my meals are usually microwaved leftovers from home, hamburgers pan or George Foreman fried, baked hash Browns, chicken breast with light seasoning, and maybe a Taylor ham sandwich mixed in there. Meh. -------------
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Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 18 February 2013 at 9:50pm
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SSOK, what cooking methods do you have available to you? Just the Foreman Grill and Mic? Or do you have a real stove/hotplate available? ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: usafpilot07
Date Posted: 18 February 2013 at 9:57pm
If you're using your george formeman, a crap diet is no ones fault but your own. Grilled or baked chicken and frozen veggies is super cheap/easy. ------------- Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo |
Posted By: SSOK
Date Posted: 18 February 2013 at 10:54pm
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Tallen, I have a stove and such available. I actually have the same stove that you do, and I hate the thing. USAF, my crap diet is abseloutely my own fault. I'm not on here to whine about my diet, I am just admitting I'm beyond hope  -------------
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Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 19 February 2013 at 10:40am
That's the world's easiest stove! Once you realize that "High" = hotter than Hades on a summer day and that for most cooking, you should rely on a setting of 5-6 for the burners, it's a great stove! Goya Adobo Seasoning will make anything taste better. Lawrey's Seasoning Salt will do the same. When all else fails, Blackening Seasoning will make it easy to get down Frozen veggies (especially the "steam in bag w/ sauce" variety are your friend Invest in a cheap rice cooker. It makes putting a decent starch on the plate a snap. It'll work with short grain, long grain, and converted varieties just fine. Get a digital instant reading thermometer. Steak: Cook to 130-135*F for perfection Ground Beef: Alway go at least 145*F but 155*F is safest Chicken: 165*F means it's done, try to keep it just there, otherwise it'll go dry Pork: 145*F unless it's ground, then it's 155*F. Again, it'll go dry if you go to high. Fish: 135*F unless you're dealing with good tuna, then just sear it on each side. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: stratoaxe
Date Posted: 19 February 2013 at 8:06pm
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Here's a tip from a fellow college person-buy a wok. First off, do what tallen said and buy a rice cooker. I DETEST cooking rice, but here lately I've got to where I try to throw some in the rice cooker the night before and set it on a timer. Then you just store a large amount of rice in the fridge so you can fry it when you want. I can't speak for healthy, but it's easy to make fried rice with fresh ingredients that tastes just like what you eat in Chinese places. Plus, wok's are easy clean, easy cook, and for me, there's only one temp setting to worry about-high. Especially on an electric stove like mine, you just crank the burner all the way up and go to town. It makes cooking fun, and since it's really more of a dry type thing you'll spend less calories on sauces and more just experimenting with meats and veggies. ------------- 
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Posted By: __sneaky__
Date Posted: 20 February 2013 at 12:40am
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I really do wish I could cook better. I was never exposed to much of it as a kid - my mom wasn't exactly a prime chef. I really don't even know where to start when it comes to learning how. ------------- "I AM a crossdresser." -Reb Cpl Forum Vice President RIP T&O Forum |
Posted By: stratoaxe
Date Posted: 20 February 2013 at 12:44am
It's really just a matter of following a recipe. The internet is full of terrific recipes, and if you start slow you'll get the hang of it pretty fast. It's equal parts paying attention and creativity I started with pasta and worked my way up-though I still can't bake if my life depended on it. Someday I'll cook like Tallen  Oh, and what tallen said about seasoning-keeping some good premixed seasonings around will save your life. I keep a big thing of Tony Chachere's on hand at all times and throw it on everything. Good seasoning is mostly what separates just okay food from really good food. -------------
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Posted By: __sneaky__
Date Posted: 21 February 2013 at 1:08am
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I can make basic pasta. Usually. Any recommendations on other easy dishes to try? ------------- "I AM a crossdresser." -Reb Cpl Forum Vice President RIP T&O Forum |
Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 21 February 2013 at 3:50am
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Salmon patties. Open can, make patties, fry in olive oil, top with lemon juice or creole seasoning. ------------- 
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Posted By: little devil
Date Posted: 21 February 2013 at 10:37am
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Saw this yesterday and darn does it look deadly and easy, not healthy. But prob tastes amazing.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mushroom-stroganoff-with-goat-cheese-recipe/index.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mushroom-stroganoff-with-goat-cheese-recipe/index.html
I'm trying to get back into healthy cooking. More veg, less carbs and meat.
Olive oil, garlic, onions, mushrooms, spices and herbs to your liking, peppers, spinach, baby bok choy, zuchinni.... ALL OF THE VEG! Hand full of wheat pasta. Some cholula or siracha and I'm golden. To me thats a solid stirfry thats healthy and easy as anything. Throw some salad shrimp in for protein. Cheap and you can make it fresh everynight in under 30min.
Sub pasta for rice, shrimp for a chunked chicken breast. I cut my veg to suit the pasta or rice. Rice- chopped finely, penne more of a chunked chop, fetticine or spaghetti thin sliced and long. Makes the dish look better and easier to pick up with the fork I find.
When buying kitchen ware look for things with multiple purposes. My panini grill works as a george forman and a flat grill. My submersable blender works as a wisk and a chopper. Saves money on tools and space in the kitchen.
Woks and slow cookers are amazing for large groups or to seperate and freeze portions for the next few days/ weeks.
Homemade soups and salad dressings are easy, fresh and tasty. Homemade veg stock as a sub for store bought beef and chicken will cut down loads of salt and is as easy as anything.
Cooking before the internet would of been a lot harder. Now you can reference almost any recipe out there to get the basic idea of how to do it. But just like anything you build yourself up.
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Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 21 February 2013 at 11:33am
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Super easy recipe: Ingredients: 1 pack of sliced roast beef (carvingboard style is best) - heated in a skillet 1 pack instant mashed potatoes - made according to directions 1 can beef gravy - heat it in a pot 2 slices of toast put the toast on a plate. Put the beef on the toast. Put the potatoes on the beef. Put the gravy on the potatoes. Eat it. -------------
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Posted By: little devil
Date Posted: 21 February 2013 at 12:48pm
2-3lb eye of round roast
Garlic
Potatoes, whole.
salt and pep
half cup of water
table spoon Flour
pinch Steak spice
2 slices of toast
Throw the roast and potatoes and garlic into the pot in the morning , sprinkle salt and pep. Turn it to low. Come back hours later/after work. Take out roast and potatoes. Mix water and flour add it to the roast beef drippings, add steak spice if desired, making the gravy. Mash potaoes that have been sitting in the juice and garlic all day.
Build like evilles.
Same meal, Easy as heck to make and you save yourself from all that processed food.
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Posted By: deadeye007
Date Posted: 21 February 2013 at 1:29pm
You left out one step. ------------- Face it guys, common sense is a form of wealth and we're surrounded by poverty.-Strato |
Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 21 February 2013 at 1:51pm
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The final step is to take leftovers to the office the next day. -------------
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