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In this section you will find all the information you need to survive cooking in a student kitchen. Your first few weeks away from home can be confusing as you may never have had to do your own shopping, cooking and cleaning before. The topics in this section will tell you everything that you need to know so that you can enjoy tasty meals without draining your student loans! Also how to stay healthy while you prepare food in your kitchen and at the same time we will tell you how to choose nutrition rich foods.
Basic kitchen equipment you will need
Surviving on a limited budget
Clean your kitchen surfaces
The larder is back and trendy
A small saucepan is great for boiling vegetables, eggs, potatoes. A larger one is useful if you are going to cook a soup or a huge stew for a large group. I have a huge one, which is ideal for a large bolognese. As cheap as chips yet invaluable, a large plastic measuring jug is not only useful for measuring liquids such as water and stock, but can also be used as an impromptu mixing bowl.
ideally non-stick pans consisting of: 2 x smallish saucepans with lids, for heating things like beans, making scrambled eggs, boiling veg, rice etc; 1 x larger pan for making soups and curries.
a student's best friend. Great for stir-fries, risottos, chilli and everything!.
essential for fried eggs, to fry onions as a base for bolognaise, chillies, stews etc.
ideally try and have 2, great if they are plastic and different colours so you can use one for chopping raw meat and the other for cutting bread, cheese and preparing your veg.
Surviving on a limited budget should not be a barrier to living a healthy lifestyle, which is eating a healthy balanced diet, doing some exercise, socialising, studying and having fun! No single food contains all the nutrients we need for health, so try to eat a wide variety of different foods to maintain good health.
Fruit is good
Lots of fruit and veg - fresh, canned or frozen. They include important vitamins, antioxidants, fibre and iron especially in green vegetables.
Lots of starch
Lots of starchy foods like pasta, rice, bread, cereals and potatoes - they provide carbohydrates so good for energy to help you get through the day, try to eat wholegrains as they contain more fibre.
You need Protein
Some meat, fish, eggs, pulses and nuts, these foods provide protein required for growth and repair, lean red meat is one of the best sources of absorbable iron. The body needs iron for blood formation, transporting oxygen and production of energy, if you do not have enough iron you can feel tired.
Take care of your teethe
Some milk and dairy foods eg cheese and yogurts - sources of protein, vitamin D and calcium which is important for bones and teeth.
It's essential that you follow basic hygiene rules to ensure you and your housemates keep unwanted pests and food poisoning at bay!.One of the most prevalent illnesses today is food poisoning. It starts as a slight discomfort a few hours after eating and grows into a life threatening episode requiring hospitalization. The most common cause are the salmonella e-coli and listeria bacteria. And, they can be common problems in the chef's kitchen.
Always wash your hands
Before, during and after cooking, especially if handling raw meat and fish - also wash the utensils/boards used straight after you've started cooking to ensure they are clean for finishing the dish, this will avoid any chance of cross contamination from raw and cooked food.
Keep all work surfaces clean
Wipe up any spills as you go along especially cooking spills as once they have dried on the hob it's very difficult to get it clean and takes longer.
And straight after you've eaten - it's not fair on other students to find your dirty dishes piled up in the sink. Use hot water and washing up liquid for washing up.
You might be able to organise a cleaning and cooking rota. Empty bins regularily before they overflow and take them out daily and don't leave food and leftovers around the kitchen overnight so you don't attract any furry friends.Wash your cloths and tea towels often as bacteria thrive in dirty cloths.
If you've got some freezer space stock up on some frozen veg such as peas - they are very quick to cook and nutritious. canned red kidney beans for your chillies, canned butter beans for stews and lentils great... for soups and curries, bulks them out as well to make your food go further. Buy frozen pizza and put them in the freezer.
Bottles and Sauces
Oil is great for stir-frying, browning meat and veg and making fried eggs. Ketchup is a must! Use in sauces to add flavour. Worcester sauce, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce - livens up dishes. Pesto - brill with pasta.
Lots of cans
Canned tuna - mix with sweetcorn and mayo for a quick sandwich filling or try mixing with leftover mash, onion and herbs for easy fish cakes also great for tuna pasta bake and on pizzas.
Plain flour - ideal to thicken sauces and gravies, also for baking. Pizza bases - make a quick pizza by spreading base with tomato puree, dried herbs, top with grated cheese and loads of sliced veg from your fridge - mushrooms, peppers etc. Pasta/ Rice and noodles - quick and easy to cook and good sources of carbs to fill you up.
Eat the right amount of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat or drink too much, you’ll put on weight. If you eat and drink too little, you’ll lose weight. It is recommended that men have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules). Most adults are eating more calories than they need, and should eat fewer calories.
Eat a wide range of foods to ensure that you’re getting a balanced diet and that your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs.
BackDownsize your devices. Think you want that Kenwood and the Magimix? Find an appliance that is small and compact and does all the jobs you require. Many everyday kitchen products come in compact form and some gadgets can be fixed under cabinets or shelves to clear space from the worktop.
Work the Parisian fridge. You could have a window box filled with herbs and grow some radishes, beetroot and salad leaves out there. The window also serves as an additional storage space and you could keep root vegetables and other bits and bobs out there.
BackIt's all too easy to get into bad eating habits as you get used to combining a hectic student lifestyle with cooking for yourself on a student budget. But eating healthily doesn't have to be an expensive chore if you stick to a few healthy ground rules.
You should aim to get about a third of your daily nutrient requirements at each meal. As a guide, the Food Standards Agency says a healthy meal should contain a mix of foods from the Eatwell plate. This shows how much of what you eat should come from each food group, and covers everything you eat during the day, including snacks.
BackThis app was designed for students around the world to be able to search for a recipe from our database, either by catagory or by name and to view the dish name, how to prepare it and view the ingredients needed.
It's all too easy to get into bad eating habits as you get used to combining a hectic student lifestyle with cooking for yourself on a student budget. But eating healthily and on a budget doesn't have to be an expensive chore if you stick to a few ground rules.
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