As college students we can be impressively thrifty and crafty with our cooking (shout out to you, Easy Mac hacks). But as every budding foodie knows, some recipes are just not possible unless you have a full kitchen. Dorm kitchens and tiny cramped “my first apartment” kitchens are unfortunately not ideal to cook all the kickass recipes we want to try out. Home-sweet-home on the other hand–now there’s a kitchen that is just begging for you to try all the foods of your dreams. At home there awaits spice racks full of spices from across the globe, pantries that always have baking essentials, cabinets with more oils and vinegars than just olive and balsamic, and a weekly shopping trip where your ‘rents foot the bill! Check out all the ways being home can help you make the most delicious and creative food.
1. Recipes often involve spices and sauces that the average college student doesn’t have at their finger tips.
Photo courtesy of Shalayne Pulia
I love using vinegars and spices in almost everything I cook– home-made salad dressings, marinades, hell I even put different spices on toast for a snack. I try to keep at least 4 vinegars and 10 different spices stocked at all times in my flat but I know most college students aren’t as obsessed or don’t have the storage for options in seasoning. Your parents on the other hand seem to have everything you could ever need or imagine, including expensive ingredients like sesame seeds or infused oils. My parents have a blood orange infused olive oil that I have no idea when I’ll ever need, but I like having it as an option. Being at home makes you free to use fun new ingredients stocked by your parents in recipes like this bomb ass, insta worthy, Sesame Chicken in a Pineapple.
2. With your parents footing the bill, you can cook with ingredients outside of a college budget.
Photo by Jane Madden
Trying to make gourmet looking and tasting food on a college budget can be incredibly difficult, but when you’re home your parents decide what’s purchased every week and if you ask nicely that can often mean the more expensive ingredients. I’m talking chia seeds, organic nut butter, and sushi grade fish. With a large budget you can whip up homemade sushi or Poke bowls, like this super easy Ahi bowl for lunch.
3. You have more free time and better appliances.
Photo by Caitlin McCreight
I don’t know about y’all but my student flat has some of the worst appliances known to man…a fridge, microwave and toaster should not all need to replaced in the same year. I am constantly seeing these amazing recipes that, even if I had the time to make, I wouldn’t be able to. But at home your parents have the awesome appliances that (almost) never break. For a glorious summer you have the ability and time to make whatever you want. Try these copycat Naked smoothies to replace the ones you’d normally grab every morning from the dining hall.
4. A (for the most part) judgment-free cooking zone
Photo courtesy of Flickr Commons
Think about it; your parents were there for every cooking fail when you were just a youngn’ learning to cook. I doubt there are many ways I could shock my parents with my cooking, where-as my flatmates would be crazy confused if I was trying to make kimchi queso or rainbow grilled cheese in our shared kitchen. With the privacy of being in your kitchen summer is a great time to get creative with your cooking, maybe even try this Tie Dye Rainbow bread, because why not!
5. All the food will taste just like home
Photo courtesy of @themintyanne on Instagram
My favourite part about cooking at home is that, even if it’s me and not my parents cooking, it all tastes like home. Everyone has a special connection that they make themselves to food and home. For me its using our own home grown tomatoes, basil, rosemary, and lavender. So this summer pinpoint what it is that makes your food at home so special to you, and use it! I know for a fact I will be making this Lavender Lemonade every week this summer.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
So go forth my foodie friends, and revel in the freedom that comes with cooking in your parents kitchen. After all, summer is only a few months long so let’s take as much advantage of it as we can.