College is a time for questions. College cooking websites are no different. You’d be surprised how common the question you’ve been afraid to ask is. In fact, they are so common that we’ve made a special place for all those “not like the other questions” questions you’ve been dying to have answered.
DORM ROOM COOKING BASICS
What can you bring to the dorm room that won’t get you kicked out and/or burn down the building?
Obviously, you can almost always bring a microwave, but we got you covered with this list of “Do’s and Don’ts: College Supply List” to your college dorm.
So, can you bring a George Foreman Grill? NO!!! It’s basically campus enemy number one, but don’t worry! We got something even better that will rock your world and your dorm room cooking skills.
What kind of food should I keep in my dorm?
We know dorm rooms aren’t going to have the pantry space you grew up with. (A pantry is a closet where your parents kept all the mysterious stuff that came together to make real meals) But there are some things you should keep hidden under your bed all semester to make dorm room cooking that much easier. Check out our full list of Essential Food Items to have in your “pantry” and your dorm room fridge. Hint: pasta and oatmeal aren’t the only baddies that got your back this year.
How do I budget as a college student?
Look, we can’t do it all for you, plus the accounting majors would hunt us down if we got too in the weeds with budget talk. HOWEVER – we do try to keep it real by using low-cost ingredients that aren’t single-use only. Each recipe is going to have a Cost Factor that lets you know how budget-friendly it is and why. Plus we will throw some tips in here and there so you can eat well without dipping into your beer book fund.
DORM ROOM COOKING BEHIND THE SCENES
THE FOOD
How do we know the recipes are good?
Read more about us on the About Us page, we have a staff of 6 dedicated to bringing you delicious microwave meals. As former college students who want better but don’t want to make you work harder to have it, we test all the recipes multiple times, then the staff taste test them all until they’re as good as non-microwaved meals.
What size microwave do you use?
We have a 1200 watt microwave and yeah, we know, it’s awesome and more juiced up than your average dorm micro. Even if you’ve got a hand me down microwave that’s 700 watts and smells a little bit like old soup, don’t worry. We’ve added cooking time and power adjustments to the recipes to help you keep your food edible. You may want to put a new microwave on your wish list just in case though.
What’s with the ingredients you use?
We use stuff you can find in your college snack shop, Walmart or through the power of Instacart. Nothing fancy. If you want to hit up the Farmer’s Market after brunch for selfies with kale, we aren’t here to judge, but we also won’t force you to shop at one to be able to cook our recipes. In fact most of the time you can get away with using packets of ingredients for our recipes. Yay for free ingredients!
Which products do you use?
This page contains affiliate links.
Panasonic Microwave Oven NN-SD945S
MACONEE Microwave Panini Press Sandwich Maker and Grill Tray Crisper
Sistema Microwave Rice Steamer
Joseph Joseph M-Cuisine 4 Piece Stackable Microwave Cooking Set
Hamilton Beach Breakfast Electric Sandwich Maker
Fasta Pasta Microwave Pasta Cooker
Chef Buddy Microwave Egg Maker
