cooking in accommodation

hi all just wondering where most people learned to cook. Moving into accommodation myself I didn't really know how to cook so just wondering how people went about learning to cook in accommodation and the best places to learn budget-friendly recipes

Reply 1

skylark2

18

Most people learn to cook by getting involved in the cooking which happens at home at a family level, long before they move out.

I've never "learned" a recipe in my life - I find something I fancy, often by doing a Google search for a couple of ingredients I want to use, and follow the instructions. If you specifically want a budget friendly recipe, put that into your search. For instance, I just Googled "budget friendly chicken peas" because I know I've got peas which need eating in the fridge. The BBC one's got white wine and risotto rice in, so no to that one because I haven't got either. Simple chicken and pea skillet...I can fake that, I don't own a skillet but a big frying pan will be fine, and some more Googling tells me that Italian seasoning is basically a bit of multiple sorts of green herbs, so it'll be whatever I've got some of. If it's a hit, I'll print it out and put it in my recipe binder. I could do it electronically, but the binder works for me.

It's not hard, and if a recipe doesn't make sense when you read through it, just find another one. Most online recipes don't use complicated techical terms, and many have stage by stage pictures.

Hi Anon,

Learning to cook is a massive part of moving to university - I remember having to learn and making so many mistakes.

I definitely picked up some tips from my mum before I moved to university but still had to do the majority of learning myself.

I would say watching YouTube videos helped me lots as well as student friendly cook books! Even recipe sites on the internet too. Also, cooking with other housemates and learning together really helped!

Best of luck with your cooking adventures,
Issy :smile:

4th Year Student Ambassador - Business Management

Reply 3

Emily_B

15

Original post by Anonymous

hi all just wondering where most people learned to cook. Moving into accommodation myself I didn't really know how to cook so just wondering how people went about learning to cook in accommodation and the best places to learn budget-friendly recipes

Loads of people learn to cook while at university - it's completely normal.
I had some student cookbooks (still got them) with really easy recipes and simple ingredients which are easy to find on a budget. Just remember that a carrot is still a carrot, whether you paid 50p or £3.95 for the bag of them...

Reply 4

Muttley79

20

Original post by Anonymous

hi all just wondering where most people learned to cook. Moving into accommodation myself I didn't really know how to cook so just wondering how people went about learning to cook in accommodation and the best places to learn budget-friendly recipes

Most people learn at home and in some Sixth forms they do basic cooking on a budget course.

Reply 5

username5637224

20

If you can read you can cook.

Reply 6

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

15

Original post by Anonymous

hi all just wondering where most people learned to cook. Moving into accommodation myself I didn't really know how to cook so just wondering how people went about learning to cook in accommodation and the best places to learn budget-friendly recipes

Hi!
I was also very worried about cooking when I went to uni but I really love it now! I did some cooking at home with my parents but never really cooked myself.

When I got to my accommodation I did stick to simple meals like pasta and frozen food until I got used to being in the new kitchen. Then I just went onto websites like BBC Good Food, Tasty and the occasional supermarket online recipe pages and just searched things like "easy recipes" or "budget-friendly recipes". I started just by cooking a meal from scratch once or twice a week and worked up from there as I gained confidence in my cooking skills.

Now I use those same websites but also recipes I find on Instagram, in recipe books (usually ones my family has or that I find in charity shops) and some of my friends even use TikTok recipes too. The great thing about sites like BBC Good Food though is that you can search by ingredients. That's something I found very useful if I had food in my fridge that was running out of date but wasn't sure what to make with it.

I hope this helps but feel free to ask any more questions. :smile:

Daisy (an official third-year History rep) :smile:

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Uni of Southampton Students

Hi!
I was also very worried about cooking when I went to uni but I really love it now! I did some cooking at home with my parents but never really cooked myself.

When I got to my accommodation I did stick to simple meals like pasta and frozen food until I got used to being in the new kitchen. Then I just went onto websites like BBC Good Food, Tasty and the occasional supermarket online recipe pages and just searched things like "easy recipes" or "budget-friendly recipes". I started just by cooking a meal from scratch once or twice a week and worked up from there as I gained confidence in my cooking skills.

Now I use those same websites but also recipes I find on Instagram, in recipe books (usually ones my family has or that I find in charity shops) and some of my friends even use TikTok recipes too. The great thing about sites like BBC Good Food though is that you can search by ingredients. That's something I found very useful if I had food in my fridge that was running out of date but wasn't sure what to make with it.

I hope this helps but feel free to ask any more questions. :smile:

Daisy (an official third-year History rep) :smile:

hi thanks for the responses I've always found cooking a bit intimidating but will probably start checking out recipe books and cooking video

Reply 8

Zarek

21

At uni I made packet pasta mixes and soups and felt I was a chef. Then I started to read the odd recipe book..

Reply 9

University of Liverpool Student Rep

11

Original post by Anonymous

hi all just wondering where most people learned to cook. Moving into accommodation myself I didn't really know how to cook so just wondering how people went about learning to cook in accommodation and the best places to learn budget-friendly recipes

Hi there ,

I hope you're well :smile:

I had a very similar fear when I started University - I had no idea on how to cook! However, I learnt very quickly through my flatmates teaching me easy meals, and using social media! I know Instagram and TikTok get a lot of stick, but they're so useful when looking up easy meals! I like seeing how food is meant to look rather than reading a recipe, and find that Instagram and TikTok are amazing ways to learn about new food that's easy and student friendly! There are a lot of students on these platforms posting about the food they make - so it's great if you want to learn more about different foods and explore new recipes.

Best of luck to you!
Ana - University of Liverpool Ambassador :biggrin:

Reply 10

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

16

Original post by Anonymous

hi all just wondering where most people learned to cook. Moving into accommodation myself I didn't really know how to cook so just wondering how people went about learning to cook in accommodation and the best places to learn budget-friendly recipes

Hey!

If you've never cooked before I recommend you get some safety recipes before you go, i.e., practice at home and get comfortable! Here are some quick but tasty meals on BBC that I have used before: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/student-recipes

You can even meal prep (which I recommend as it saves time and reduces waste and money!!!) by making a few days' dinners all at once so you only have to put it in the microwave.

Cooking shouldn't be stressful, so just find some meals that you enjoy eating (and cooking) and you will be fine.

Also, do not be surprised if you eat a lot of pasta! Very student-y (and cheap!!).

Good luck and I hope you enjoy cooking :smile:

Sara

(edited 1 year ago)

Hi, cooking for yourself can feel difficult when you are away from home for the first time, now it is solely up to you to keep yourself fed. Some people come to university with somewhat limited cooking abilities, hence the takeaways, beans on toast, pot noodles, instant rice, pizza and so on. A good way to make cooking easier on yourself is to get your parents or friends (if they are good are cooking!) to write down recipes of food you like to eat, and use this to put together a simple recipe book for when you go to uni and have to start cooking for yourself. You can also use the BBC Good Food Website for simple and delicious recipes. For example, here is one to make your own pizza (homemade is much healthier and more fun than a takeaway one) https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pizza-margherita-4-easy-steps (for this sauce, tomato puree also works well and have fun with your toppings, like using grapes or pineapple. Also, for just one pizza, half this recipe).

In order to budget, and make cheap meals, plan these out in advance by finding these recipes online, then make a meal plan for the week, and shop week by week to get what you need.

You can also cook big meals and then freeze them for a later day, such as curry's and Dahl's. This is my favourite Dahl recipe: http://kiwiandbean.com/white-girl-dahl-indian-spiced-red-lentil-tomato-and-coconut-stew/ . It does take a little effort but it produces a lot and it is delicious. You could also make a big pasta bake, which will last you for a few days.

Here are other freezable recipes: https://www.jamieoliver.com/family/freezer-friendly-recipes/ https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/freezable-recipes .

You can also buy your lunch at university, one less meal you have to cook! Or bring something you have extra of, such as a pasta dish, and use the universities student microwave to heat it up. You could also have simple things in the morning such as yoghurt, cereal, a smoothie, beans on toast, crumpets or wraps. There are lots of options even if you aren't great at cooking.

Really, it's just about practice. Following recipes can be helpful, but if you just learn some basics of cooking, such as how to roast vegetables and potatoes, how long it takes to boil pasta, rice, veg, eggs and so on then you can make anything you can think of, and do it quite easily :smile:

I find cooking enjoyable because it gives you a way to rest your mind, and if you really get into it, you feel like a real chef, adding this and that to make it more flavoursome. Dinner with pasta or rice are probably the easiest thing to make that is also substantial. And cooking can feel like a chore when you first go to university, but it becomes easier the more you do it, and now I've graduated uni and cooking barely seems like an effort anymore, so cooking often really does prepare you for life after uni as well.

- Rosie

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 12

De Montfort University

Official Rep

16

Original post by Anonymous

hi all just wondering where most people learned to cook. Moving into accommodation myself I didn't really know how to cook so just wondering how people went about learning to cook in accommodation and the best places to learn budget-friendly recipes

Hi,

I got into the grips of cooking by following recipes that my parents would cook all the time. I ended up picking a handful of the easiest recipes and practised them a whole bunch. If I forgot certain steps I would either ask them or just search up the recipe online. It got to the point where I cooked them enough times they became my comfort cooking picks.

If I wanted to change things up a bit I would go on the sites that have been already mentioned. To add to what's already been mentioned, I found this beginner-friendly site called Panlasang Pinoy.

I hope this helps,
- Jesse, 3rd Year Student Ambassador

Reply 13

tinyperson

18

Start off simple. When I was at boarding school (not quite the same thing) I took cooking lessons. Over time I learned how to cook simple meals on my own. There are student cookbooks.