Being a student can be challenging on so many levels. First, you need many hours for studying. A ton of homework and assignments will affect every other sphere of young people’s lives. Most freshmen year students struggle to keep any spare time for themselves, meet with friends, or have time for hobbies and other things. However, it’s not everything that young people have to face during their first years of college.
Being on your own, without a parent figure, is another challenge many students have to take. Living by yourself means learning how to budget, prepare meals, and take care of yourself. Unfortunately, eating habits and diets are often the first to suffer in these struggles. Young people go from home meals three times per day to fast food, snacks, and sodas in over a month. This can mean no good for their stomachs, bodies, and minds.
Of course, it’s easy to see why this is happening on such a regular basis. Most dorms do not have kitchens for their students, whether shared or individual. Hence, students have to adjust as much as they can. However, pre-made food or unhealthy snacks don’t have to be your only choice. Every student can create a nice kitchen area in their dorm room as long as they have some space and imagination. Let’s see some tips on how to create a perfect kitchen in a dorm.
Workspace
You need a place where you will cook and store your kitchen stuff such as plates, appliances, and more. Preferably to use such a space for numerous purposes. Hence, you can have a surface on the top where you will cut, prepare food, etc., and several shelves beneath this surface to store things that you need to cook. A utility cart with food storage space can be a great option in this scenario.
Mini fridge
When we speak about cooking, there is no way you can get by without a refrigerator. Talk with your roommates and buy a mini-fridge together. Even if you are not planning on cooking much at home, it can be a perfect place to store your leftovers and premade or frozen meals. Seek options with a freezer, which will increase your meal options. Also, if you have a mini-fridge, you can think of getting a refrigerator caddy, which can be a convenient way to store most of your utensils.
Microwave / Toast oven
Having one of these two kitchen gadgets will make your life so much easier. A microwave will be a perfect solution when it comes to preheating your leftovers or cooking frozen meals. A toast oven will give you more opportunities to cook your own meals from scratch. Here, you will need to decide what type of cooking you are planning to do in your mini dorm kitchen and plan your purchase from there.
Slow cooker
Another piece of kitchen technology that is the absolute best for students is a slow cooker. A slow cooker will make everyone believe that they can be a great home cook. It’s simple, easy to use and wash, and it doesn’t require much of your attention or presence. You prepare the products, put them in there, choose the right cooking option, and set the timer. Done. You can go on about your day, do your homework, check Speedypaper.com for academic assistance, or chill with your roommates. Your food will be ready on time. It’s even okay if you forget about it for a while, as a slow cooker will keep it warm for you.
Electric kettle
Of course, you are going to need an electric kettle. Even if you don’t plan to have much of a personal kitchen in your dorm room, you still can’t live without a small kettle. It’s perfect for everything, from making yourself a cup of tea to preparing ramen or oats in the morning.
Coffee maker
Not many students can survive their school day without coffee. Indeed, coffee made an essential element in the students’ survival kit. Now, there are all kinds of coffee makers these days. They can be rather small portable ones if you are short of extra space. You can buy a french press, as they are cheap, and make delicious filter coffee. However, we do encourage you to get one as you will be saving lots of money on take-out coffee.
Food containers
Once you have all that food cooked, you have to think about how and where to store it. Food containers will be a perfect choice here. You can choose to have one container per each school day. Bring the food with you for lunch or just store it in the fridge for a later dinner. It’s up to you. With multiple containers, you won’t even have to worry about kitchenware, which can be expensive and take up too much precious space in your room.