This semester, I finally moved into my first off-campus apartment. Unlike previous semesters, my living space has a kitchen, equipped with an oven, stove top, toaster oven, microwave, and a coffee maker. Prior to this school year, I was living in on-campus dorms, which came with two pieces of cooking equipment, if you can even call them that: a mini refrigerator and a microwave. So, my cooking was quite limited. It typically consisted of using the microwave to reheat pre-made frozen meals. A majority of my meals were cooked for me, as I frequented the dining hall for practically every meal.
This September, that all changed. I finally had the means to make all of the meals of my dreams, right from my own living space. What I hadn’t anticipated, though, was how little I knew about cooking and having my own kitchen. I’ve learned quite a few things over the past few months.
Keeping your kitchen clean will keep you happy.
When I was living in a dorm, there was practically no clean up after “cooking.” Sometimes I had to wipe down the inside of the microwave or wash a bowl, but beyond that, there was really nothing to clean. When you have a full kitchen, though, there’s plenty more to clean up, and no one wants to live in a space with a dirty kitchen. I didn’t anticipate just how much effort goes into keeping your kitchen clean.
At the start of the semester, my roommates and I got into the habit of letting our dishes pile up. We were really busy with classes and work, and sometimes just didn’t have time to wash our dishes after making a meal. But when I got home after a long day and saw dishes overflowing out of the sink, my mood actually changed. Not having a consistently clean kitchen was starting to take a toll on my mental health.
So, my roommates and I devised a plan: after someone makes a meal, it is their responsibility to wash their dishes (or even just rinse and stick them in the dishwasher). We also decided that if one of us makes a mess while cooking, like splattering grease onto the stovetop or spilling something in the microwave, it’s up to that person to clean it. Immediately, I noticed how much happier I was coming home to a clean kitchen, and leaving the kitchen clean after I was done for my roommates.
The benefits of having a clean kitchen outweigh the effort it takes to clean it. I have genuinely found myself living a happier, more stress free life when my kitchen is clean.
Cooking complicated meals is fulfilling.
Sometimes, it’s just easier to make a frozen microwave meal. It’s what I was used to making from when I was living in a dorm, and it’s a super quick option if I’m starving. But now that I have a whole kitchen, I try to take advantage of what it has to offer. I was a victim of the microwave-food epidemic earlier this semester, but since then, I’ve really expanded my horizons in the kitchen and learned that challenging myself is rewarding.
I would not classify myself as a cook at all. I can make basic things, like pasta and sometimes chicken, but I really lack any expert cooking skills. It can be hard to find the time to challenge yourself to make more extravagant meals, but when you do, it’s really gratifying.
Last week, my friends and I decided to have a Friendsgiving. It’s the first year that we all have kitchens in our apartments. Someone volunteered to make macaroni and cheese, and others cooked green beans and stuffing. I called dibs on the mashed potatoes, because I figured I could whip them up super quick: I would just use a couple of bags of instant mashed potatoes. When my friends caught wind that I was doing that, they insisted that I at least try to make them from scratch. So, with the help of my roommate, we conquered mashed potatoes.
We found a simple recipe online, bought four pounds of potatoes, and got to work. In the end, it wasn’t hard at all, and the experience of cooking and learning together was more fun than mixing some powdered mashed potatoes into a pot. We blasted music and danced while we mashed, and they actually came out delicious. Not to toot my own horn, but they were voted the best dish at Friendsgiving. It felt really good to have made something that I saw as challenging, and now, I feel like I can take on any challenging recipe in the kitchen. My next goal is to cook a whole steak myself.
Sharing is caring in the kitchen.
I’m lucky enough to be living with two of my best friends. We were always close, but sharing a kitchen has definitely brought us closer. If you’re living with roommates that you’re not necessarily friends with, your kitchen can actually be the key to becoming friends.
I’ve learned how to be a better friend in the kitchen. There have been some days where one of my roommates has come home while I was cooking dinner looking worn down and tired. So, I offer to share some of my dinner to take the weight of cooking off of her. My roommates do the same for me, offering me some of their food if I’ve run out of groceries or cooking a little bit extra to save for me. I’m constantly offering my snacks to my roommates if they mention they’re craving something. Because we’re so close, we don’t expect anything in return — we just understand that sharing should be reciprocated, and this has made us grow closer.
If you’re living with people you’re not friends with yet, try offering them some of your meals and snacks. The start of a wonderful friendship can start right in your kitchen.
Having your own kitchen can help you feel less homesick.
If you’re someone who comes from a family where home-cooked meals are a staple, then this will definitely reign true. Back at home, my dad is an ex-chef and my mom is a natural-born cook. So, my meals at home are always made from scratch. When I first came to college, my parents’ food was one of the main things I missed. Not having an ability to recreate my favorite meals made me feel so homesick.
This school year, having a kitchen has allowed me to (try to) recreate some of my favorite meals that my parents cook. One of my favorites is penne vodka, a staple in my Italian-American household. My dad has perfected his recipe to a science, and I’ve learned how to make it on my own simply by watching him cook it almost every week since I was a child. Now that I have a kitchen, I can make my own penne vodka on days when I’m really missing home. Obviously, it doesn’t taste the same as my dad’s, but it’s close enough to bring me some comfort.
The same thing goes for toast with peanut butter and cinnamon, which my grandmother used to make for me on mornings when I slept over at her house. Finally having a toaster oven and the simple ingredients to make it, I find myself making cinnamon peanut butter toast on mornings when I’m particularly missing her and my family. College can get hard, and having the means to make some comfort meals can seriously help so much, whether you’re dealing with homesickness or just the general stress of college.
There are still so many things I’m figuring out about having my own kitchen and cooking. I’m sure I’ll continue to let water boil over and burn plenty of more bagels, but hopefully these tips give you some guidance if you’re also living in your first apartment.