Spoon University Logo
ny times spoon nachos
ny times spoon nachos
Lifestyle

9 Reasons Why the NY Times Food Section Is a Godsend for College Students

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at DePaul chapter.

Alright people – we all know that dorm life is a drag, but the absolute worst is the community kitchen. It’s shared amongst the whole floor (that’s like 50+ people) and it always has something funky in it (jam jars filled with water, dirty dishes in the sink, a random box of oatmeal). The objective of the community kitchen is to get in and get out in as little time as possible.

For example, you hustle in there, cook up an egg while your toast is toasting, then you run back into your room and squirt some Sriracha on it and BAM egg and toast breakfast in under 5 minutes. But that gets tiresome after ten mornings in a row.

So I found a magical source full of super easy recipes that sound super fancy so you can feel better about yourself and your miserable dorm existence #score.

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of nytimes.com

The NY Times Food Section. *gasps*

When I think of NY Times, the first thing to pop in my head was never food. But now that I’m an educated adult who reads the NY Times avidly (because it is required by one of my classes this quarter) I discovered the food section in all its glory. Which is a lot of glory because it is so awesome.

As I was perusing the vast collection of recipes, I declared that this knowledge needed to be shared with the college community. So I typed up a lil’ list of some of the simplest and most tasty-looking recipes on there to convince you of their easiness and their deliciousness.

The Least Amount of Dishes Possible

1. Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Tony Cenicola on nytimes.com

Y’know, for when you’re craving that Chinese takeout but don’t want to torture your body with the aftermath.

2. Miso-Glazed Eggplant

Photo courtesy of Andrew Scrivani on nytimes.com

Photo courtesy of Andrew Scrivani on nytimes.com

Impress your friends – eat some food that’s good for you.

3. Couscous Salad With Dried Apricots and Preserved Lemon

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Andrew Scrivani on nytimes.com

Spritz up your salad game with this unique and tasty as heck dish.

One Pot/Pan Beauty

1. Caramelized Citrus

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Christopher Testani on nytimes.com

Honestly, all you gotta do is cut up some fruit, scoop out some yogurt, and make some caramel.

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Andrew Scrivani on nytimes.com

The perfect hearty soup for wintery nights.

3. Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Capers

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Jim Wilson on nytimes.com

Kick your protein up a notch with this super easy “dump and eat” recipe.

In the Oven, Out the Oven

1. Seeded Pecan Granola

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Craig Lee on nytimes.com

Perfect for snacking.

2. Gjelina’s Roasted Yams

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Grant Cornett on nytimes.com

Making eating healthy feel so much cooler.

3. Loaded Nachos

NY Times Food Section

Photo courtesy of Rikki Snyder on nytimes.com

The only way nachos should be.

As you can see, the NY Times Food Section has so many amazing resources for you to tap into and help you slash your current time spent in gross community kitchens in half. There are tons of filters you can use, such as diets, cuisines, preparation methods, meal types, and more! And with all the content in the “Easy” section, you can keep yourself fed for all your college days.

I'm Paige and I eat food and take pictures of food and constantly talk about food and write about food.