One of the worst adjustments that any student must make to dorm life is the lack of access to a stove. To many, this means heading to the dining hall for three meals a day. Have you seen what scrambled eggs look like after sitting in a buffet casserole dish for an hour? Yikes.
If eating only what the college feeds you is terrifying, fear not: we found creative escapes… including a hack for every style of egg.
1. Make oatmeal in the microwave
Photo by Becky Hughes
Good morning. Why bother with boiling water on a stovetop when your groggy self can just whip up some microwave mug oatmeal? You won’t even miss the miscellaneous appliances.
2. Skip the heat altogether with overnight oatmeal
Photo by Meredith Ross
Don’t even trust your half-asleep morning state enough to work a microwave? Do the work the night before and wake up to a tasty bowl of overnight oats, no cooking required.
3. Make fried eggs in the microwave
GIF by Clarisse Callahan
Four different styles of eggs that can be made without a stove are listed here. The first: fried. A classic. Simply change cooktime to hit anywhere on the spectrum from over-easy to hard as a rock.
4. Make hardboiled eggs in a coffeepot
Photo by Alex Weiner
You can cook practically anything in a coffeepot (or on the stand upon which it sits). In fact, lacking a stove in college, one woman did exactly that for six whole months. Although it took her nearly 30 minutes to fry bacon, she still subsisted on food cooked in a coffee pot. For six months. Cue applause.
5. Spice up avocado toast with microwaved poached eggs
GIF courtesy of ______
Look at how #fancy that ish looks. Guess what? All it takes is crispy bread, mashed avocado, an egg in a coffee mug, and a microwave. Why would you even bother with the painstaking progress that is perfectly poaching an egg?
6. A clothing iron acts as the perfect stovetop for many dishes…
Photo by Alison Melnick
That kind of golden-brown toast can only be achieved with a pound of butter in a frying pan, right? Think again. Get rid of shirt wrinkles and cook your lunch at the same time, all without even entering the kitchen.
… including SCRAMBLED EGGS. Wut.
Photo by Max Bartick
Don’t try making scrambled eggs in the microwave. They’ll always turn out more dry than you’d hoped. Instead, use this dope cooking technique demonstrated by chef Daniel Holzman to whip up gourmet scrambled eggs with a clothing iron.
7. Replace any noodle dish with instant ramen
Photo by Caroline Liu
We all know that instant ramen needs no stove. Add hot water to those bad boys, and they’re suddenly transformed into the perfect base for any noodle dish. This includes everything from cacio e pepe to ram ‘n cheese, so get cookin’.
8. Use a damp paper towel to steam vegetables
Photo by Amanda Gajdosik
Don’t worry if your recipe calls for steamed vegetables and there’s no double boiler in sight. Microwaves are perfect for low-maintenance portions, such as these steamed sweet potatoes.
9. Waffle makers are good for everything
Photo by Arden Sarner
A waffle-fied bacon grilled cheese made with tater tots. We might as well just die right here. But that would mean that we couldn’t try these 5 other ridiculous waffle recipes (including waffle donuts), which would be a true tragedy.
10. So are hot plates
Photo by Samantha Goodman
As long as your dorm room permits them (or as long as you’re extra sneaky), you can cook pretty much anything on a hot plates that requires a stove. Check out these 5 recipes that take you from 8 am to 8 pm, with everything from omelettes to one-pot pasta.
11. Microwave up some gourmet Easy Mac
Photo by Hui Lin
Easy Mac is the plastic package that comes with powdered “cheese,” right? Wrong. Turn your macaroni up a notch with any kind of creamy sauce you want.
12. Mug cakes make the perfect dessert
Photo by Lila Thulin
Mug cakes have taken over the internet, and for good reason: you can make this rich, delicious s’mores cake without dirtying too many dishes or accidentally eating 3 slices. If that doesn’t float your boat, try one of these 15 other mug recipes, ranging from rice crispy treats to french toast.
13. Or, yet again, let the fridge work its magic
Photo by Emma Noyes
If rich chocolate isn’t your bag (or if you don’t own a microwave), all these no-bake peanut butter bites taste just like PB chocolate chip cookies without any of the added fat or sugar. Nom nom.