Cooking is an essential life skill, and usually one we leave up to our parents. And since they aren’t around, it’s easy and convenient to opt for dining hall meals. But, along the way, you’ll begin to appreciate home-cooked meals. So, how do we fend for ourselves? It’s all about knowing the basics and experimenting.
- Learn a few simple recipes
This doesn’t just mean avocado on toast. Meals such as spaghetti bolognese, basic chicken curry, risotto and stir fry are straightforward with minimal prep and cooking, and give you a few options to add to your meal plan each week. Not to mention, also make your mum proud! - Can’t go wrong with pasta
Without doubt, pasta is the uni student go-to. It’s fast, easy, cheap, tastes delicious and there’s no such thing as bad pasta! From pasta salad to pasta and mince, or just simple pasta, there are endless combinations to give you variety throughout the year. If you haven’t cooked pasta before, follow this clear-cut tutorial.
- Different ways of cooking an egg
Eggs are a staple and must-have in any kitchen. They are healthy, trouble-free and can be cooked in a variety of ways on their own or mixed with just about anything. Some options for eggs on their own are: hard or soft boiled, scrambled, fried, baked, omelette, poached or sunny-side up. - Roast vegetables
This will definitely make you feel like an adult. With a bit of oil, salt and pepper vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, mushrooms, peppers, onions and potatoes can be left to roast in the oven, giving you a flavoursome and nutritious meal without the hassle. - Cook rice without a rice cooker
Rice makes for a filling, tasty meal, but what can we do without a rice cooker? Stove-top rice is the easy, alternative solution to rice cookers. Put ½ a cup of rice and 1 cup of water into a pot (same ratio can be used for different amounts), close lid and boil for 10 minutes. Use a fork to fluff the rice and, ta-da, you’ve mastered rice! - Main ingredients
Here’s an expert tip, stock up on main ingredients. The more you cook, the more you’ll notice that many dishes use the same base ingredients such as salt and pepper, sugar, cooking oil, soy sauce, flour, chopped tomatoes, tuna and more. So, keep these stocked in your cupboard and you’ll always be prepared to cook.
