Cooking Tips For Students

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COOKING TIPS FOR STUDENTS
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• Moving away from home or residence and into
  off-campus housing is exciting and fun, but it
  also comes with new responsibilities like cooking
  your own meals. Unfortunately, many young people
  dont have a lot of experience or confidence in
  this area. This doesnt mean, however, that you
  should turn to fast food or even stay with the
  university cafeteria meals. There are some easy
  tips that can help you master cooking basics and
  learn to prepare simple dishes. Below are a few
  of these tips.

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Stock Up on the Staples

• Beans, rice, pasta, potatoes, flour, eggs,
  butter, onions, tomato paste, garlic, cooking
  oil, soup, ketchup, mustard, bread, peanut
  butter, milk, tea, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper
  and other herbs and spices are all kitchen
  staples every home and cook should have. These
  are versatile ingredients that can be used in a
  variety of ways and in a variety of dishes. Most
  of these ingredients can be found in many
  recipes, plus, its likely that most of the items
  will last a while, and you wont need to restock
  often.

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Freeze and Save

• To save time, money and food, many people use
  their freezers for storage. You can freeze meals,
  sauces, soups and even some food items like
  bread. Freezing can extend the lifespan of any
  food. Some frozen foods can even last for months.
  When its time to use them, just defrost or heat
  them up. Your meal can be cooking while you're
  studying. For busy students, cooking then
  freezing their own food is a healthier
  alternative to frozen meals.

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Dont Be Afraid to Season

• Herbs and spices can make any meal tastier. They
  can also introduce a novice cook to diverse
  flavours and enhance their confidence in the
  kitchen. A tastier meal is more satisfying,
  leading to better leftovers that effectively turn
  one meal into two or three. If you have dinner
  guests, good seasoning might impress them, and in
  turn, inspiring you to cook more often. Plus,
  good seasoning can just kick any meal up a notch.
  Seasonings every cook should have, include
  cumin, chili powder, dried basil, oregano, garlic
  salt, onion salt, cayenne and black pepper, salt
  and paprika. Herb mixes are also convenient ways
  to season a meal.

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Get Shopping and Cooking Tips from Home

• Learning from others can be invaluable. However,
  when it comes to learning to cook, theres truly
  no place like home. While at university, its
  likely the meals you will crave will be those
  from home. So, ask your parents for the recipes
  to your favourite meals, cooking demonstrations
  and/or tips for making these meals. You can also
  ask them for other simple recipes, cooking tips
  and kitchen secrets. Pair these tricks with
  shopping tips to become a tour de force in the
  kitchen. You can ask for tips on

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• Creating a feasible food budget and shopping
  schedule
• Meal planning
• Buying the essentials and staples
• Finding bargains and/or discounts
• Using coupons
• Shopping at the most affordable grocery stores
• Choosing the freshest produce and healthiest food
  products
• Cooking quick meals
• Storing certain foods or leftovers
• Buying foods that last
• Navigating the grocery store

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Plan All Meals

• Planning meals can help you save time and
  eliminate the urge to buy fast food when faced
  with time constraints. This is an innovative way
  to stay aware of your health and what you eat.
  For effective meal planning, plan your meals at
  least a week in advance. Fortunately, living in
  off-campus student housing makes it easier to
  plan meals and watch what you eat. Additionally,
  ensure your plan and meal preparation includes
  snacks to prevent impulsive eating and wasting
  money at vending machines.

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• A great place for students to live and cook
  in Ottawa is 1Eleven. Fully equipped kitchens
  make planning and preparing your meals fun. Book
  your tour today!