Cooking in College

As a college student, you know that the meals in the campus cafeterias are not always healthy and great tasting. Some schools think they are doing you a favor by providing fast food franchises however, the same food over and over gets old after awhile. Believe it or not, you can provide yourself with healthy meals that are simple to make and even affordable for the budget conscious college student.

Small Appliances

If you live in a dorm, be sure to check with your school regarding rules for such appliances as some of them are considered fire hazards in small areas. If you are allowed to have electrical appliances, then there are a few that are necessary for convenience cooking in college.

• Microwave: Some colleges will provide microwaves to each student in an on-campus dormitory. Microwaves are the ultimate in convenience as you can cook practically anything in these appliances.


• Toaster Oven: These appliances are perfect as you can do everything from making toast to baking a small pizza.


• George Foreman Grill: You can purchase a small indoor grill for less than $20 and use it for everything from grilling hamburgers to chicken; and the best thing is that it helps you to grill food in a more healthy manner.


• Skillet or Griddle: A small skillet will allow you to whip up tasty stir fry dishes and a griddle will give you the freedom to cook pancakes and other breakfast foods.

What can you Cook?

So you are probably thinking that you do not have the money for steak and lobster, yet you will want to fix your own meals that actually taste good.

• Hot Cereals: You can purchase instant hot cereals such as oatmeal and cream of wheat. All you need to do is boil water and within minutes you have a healthy breakfast.


• Grilled Cheese: Bread and cheese is cheap and if you put it together you can fix yourself a grilled cheese sandwich.


• Eggs: You can scramble eggs on a griddle and add a side of toast.


• Pasta: If you have your own apartment then go ahead and boil up some pasta and top it with your favorite sauce. You will have a perfectly healthy meal balanced with vegetables and protein, yet it only took you minutes to make. Pasta is also very cheap so a quick pasta meal can cost you less than $10.


• Burgers: Purchase the pre-made hamburger or turkey patties. You can throw them on your foreman grill and in a few minutes you can have great tasting burgers.

Other Needs

Don’t forget to purchase paper plates, bowls, cups and flatware. If you are cooking in a dorm, be sure to keep your dirty dishes to a minimum. The next time you are in the library, look for college oriented cookbooks. These types of books have tons of healthy recipes for the college student on a budget. Be creative. Chances are, you can have a restaurant style meal for half of the cost and effort.