This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Wesleyan chapter.
As we approach the end of the semester, you are probably getting sick of college food. Eating in the dining hall is just not going to cut it anymore. You want to cook your own meals, but you just don’t know where to start. After all, the communal kitchen dorm is scary, right? Well let’s make it a lot less intimidating!
Here are some tips and tricks on how to use the kitchen:
Photo by Zoe Su
- DO NOT buy eggs or butter. It’s ok to be a free loader sometimes! Look in the fridge and you will find that at least 15 people before you have bought them. There are probably 3-dozen eggs and 10 sticks of butter already in there. And no one wants them! BUT make sure you check the expiration date first. You never know how long they have been in that fridge….
Photo courtesy of thepartyworks.com
- DO buy foil disposable pans. These are great. They can either be washed and reused or thrown away. And they are CHEAP. So if you want to cook everyday and want to save some $$, you are set too. And if you just want to cook once and don’t want to invest in real pans, you are set. Or if you’re anything like me and are way too lazy to do dishes, these are the perfect solution!
Photo by Zoe Su
- Write on your food! Grab your sharpie and spell your name in huge black letters. Maybe even add a little something else like: “4 pieces left. I will know if you eat this.”. Your anal organization will scare people away. But in the end, there are no guarantees that people will follow this. So for that really important food, like those left over brownies, put them in an opaque container. No one is going to make the effort to open up a container to figure out what’s inside. Well just be safe, do all of the above!
Photo by Zoe Su
- Make extra! Your friends will inevitably walk by and see you in the kitchen. They will come in and pretend to be interested in catching up with you. But I’m sorry; they are there for the food. Within two minutes they will have asked for a bite. And if you give it to person, word will spread. And soon your entire dorm will eventually flock to the kitchen. SO MAKE EXTRA!