Kitchen Pots & Pan needs
What should I bring to the university halls of residence to start my tryst in kitchen. Appliances are being provided by the University. I dont want a scenario where my room is blocked with the utensils that I got and not using as it duplicates others
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Original post by amitlearner83
What should I bring to the university halls of residence to start my tryst in kitchen. Appliances are being provided by the University. I dont want a scenario where my room is blocked with the utensils that I got and not using as it duplicates others
Hi amitlearner83,
That's a great question that I'm sure lots of students think about before coming to University (I definitely thought about it). My best advice would be to think about what you know you will cook regularly and what utensils you need for that. For me I knew I needed saucepans, knives, a chopping board, a peeler (as well as bowls/plates/cutlery/glasses to eat and drink). Once you have the 'essentials' you can start to think of some extra items you might use, but I would try not to go too extreme. Once you move in you might find you need more items, but there should be a range of shops that you can buy them from. Or if your flatmates don't mind you could always share some utensils. I brought way too many kitchen items for my first year and had to keep a lot under my bed because I couldn't fit them in my cupboard! So the learning curve for me was to stick to the essentials. If it helps, I've linked a move in checklist here which might help you get a better idea of what to bring. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask!
Bethan
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
Original post by amitlearner83
What should I bring to the university halls of residence to start my tryst in kitchen. Appliances are being provided by the University. I dont want a scenario where my room is blocked with the utensils that I got and not using as it duplicates others
Hi there,
From personal experience, I would only bring what you would use. It's good to have spares, but as long as you and your flatmates lock your flat, it should be fine! Overpacking definitely makes it a bit more difficult when moving in and out of your university accommodation. I would definitely research what your halls of residence already provide you and take what isn't that you need to use regularly! Hope this helps and good luck with moving in!
All the best,
Jennifer
Consider whether you can see youself enjoying cooking often, and the sorts of meals that you're going to be making. Don't take too much to start with because kitchen space is normally limited. I didn't personally share anything with my flatmates because things wouldn't get washed up after being used unfortunately, so maybe wait and see what the dynamic is before committting to sharing. I'd say take at one sauce pan, one deep frying pan that you can use to both fry and cook things like spag bols and chillis in, a roasting tin/baking tray, one or two big plates, smaller side plates and cereal bowls, probably two mugs and two glasses and a set of cutlery. Also any cooking utensils you think you'll end up using - a chopping knife and board, a spoon that can be used for both serving and cooking, a spatula, a colander or sieve (you don't need both!) etc. You can always buy things there if and when you realise you need them, keep it minimal for now!
Original post by amitlearner83
What should I bring to the university halls of residence to start my tryst in kitchen. Appliances are being provided by the University. I dont want a scenario where my room is blocked with the utensils that I got and not using as it duplicates others
Hi there,
I'd say it's easy to go overboard and buy more than you need! If you find out/know who you're flatmates are beforehand then you could divide up who is buying what. Don't worry about arriving and finding you don't have something that you need, there will be plenty of shops nearby that you can purchase items from and there's always next day delivery. To start, I'd say bring the basics - cutlery, a pan, a pot etc.
Hope this helps!
- Sophie
Original post by amitlearner83
What should I bring to the university halls of residence to start my tryst in kitchen. Appliances are being provided by the University. I dont want a scenario where my room is blocked with the utensils that I got and not using as it duplicates others
Hey there @amitlearner83 !
This is a list of pretty much everything I brought in first year for the kitchen:
•
5 Pans, including a Wok, Frying Pan, Large, Medium and Small Pan
•
Chopping board
•
Blender
•
Toastie Maker
•
Peeler, grater, kitchen knives, can opener, pizza cutter, kitchen scissors etc.
•
Bag clips, tin foil, cling film and baking paper
•
4 large plates, 4 small plates, 4 small bowls
•
4 glasses and 4 mugs
•
4 forks, 4 knives, 4 teaspoons, 4 spoons
•
Mixing bowl and casserole dish
•
Tea towels and oven gloves
•
Kitchen roll
hope this helped!
Lucy - Digital Student Ambassador SHU
From what I got daughter for her first year:
3 Pans - small one for milk/beans/soup and large one for pasta and frying pan
Splatter guard when she cooks sausages and bacon so it does not spit fat.
Chopping board
Toastie Maker - shes used twice in the whole of 3 years.
Peeler, grater, kitchen knives, can opener, pizza cutter, kitchen scissors, spatula
Sandwich bags and tupperware boxes to store bulk made food. clingfilm
2 large plates, 2 small plates, 2 small bowls, 2 glasses
4 mugs which she bought from various places so they were unique to her flat.
Cutlery set from wilkos
Oven gloves
Tea towels
Collander
2 x baking trays
After first year she got more baking things, so cupcake tray, electric whisk, piping bags. Just think about what you would use at home, but not go overboard. If you use a kitchen item rarely at home, then dont bother buying one for uni.
3 Pans - small one for milk/beans/soup and large one for pasta and frying pan
Splatter guard when she cooks sausages and bacon so it does not spit fat.
Chopping board
Toastie Maker - shes used twice in the whole of 3 years.
Peeler, grater, kitchen knives, can opener, pizza cutter, kitchen scissors, spatula
Sandwich bags and tupperware boxes to store bulk made food. clingfilm
2 large plates, 2 small plates, 2 small bowls, 2 glasses
4 mugs which she bought from various places so they were unique to her flat.
Cutlery set from wilkos
Oven gloves
Tea towels
Collander
2 x baking trays
After first year she got more baking things, so cupcake tray, electric whisk, piping bags. Just think about what you would use at home, but not go overboard. If you use a kitchen item rarely at home, then dont bother buying one for uni.
If you’re travelling alone then limit yourself to what you might need in the first week and plan to visit local charity shops or ikea or home furnishings shops (home bargain and the range and wilko) to buy anything you need later.
@amitlearner83
If the university, provides appliances then they might only be talking about a toaster, kettle and the fridge, freezer and oven that you will share with other housemates. My first halls did not have a toaster (so this might be something that you buy with other housemates or get when you arrive).
If you are passionate about your cereal it might not be a major concern!
Think realistic about what you are going to be eating. It likely that you will need a few pots, a couple of wooden spoons, some cutlery and a couple of bowls/plates. You might like to have a couple of mugs and an extra dinner plate and cutlery if you like cooking and can see yourself inviting someone round to eat.
Don't go crazy on kitchen gadgets unless you are going to use them! Also think about whether you want leave these out for others to use or whether you want to keep it in your room to save space or to avoid it being left unwashed, broken or stolen at the end of the year. It might be better to wait until second year to splash out on major kitchen items, when you will likely be sharing a house with friends.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 2nd year student – University of Huddersfield
If the university, provides appliances then they might only be talking about a toaster, kettle and the fridge, freezer and oven that you will share with other housemates. My first halls did not have a toaster (so this might be something that you buy with other housemates or get when you arrive).
If you are passionate about your cereal it might not be a major concern!
Think realistic about what you are going to be eating. It likely that you will need a few pots, a couple of wooden spoons, some cutlery and a couple of bowls/plates. You might like to have a couple of mugs and an extra dinner plate and cutlery if you like cooking and can see yourself inviting someone round to eat.
Don't go crazy on kitchen gadgets unless you are going to use them! Also think about whether you want leave these out for others to use or whether you want to keep it in your room to save space or to avoid it being left unwashed, broken or stolen at the end of the year. It might be better to wait until second year to splash out on major kitchen items, when you will likely be sharing a house with friends.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 2nd year student – University of Huddersfield
Original post by University of Huddersfield
@amitlearner83
If the university, provides appliances then they might only be talking about a toaster, kettle and the fridge, freezer and oven that you will share with other housemates. My first halls did not have a toaster (so this might be something that you buy with other housemates or get when you arrive).
If you are passionate about your cereal it might not be a major concern!
Think realistic about what you are going to be eating. It likely that you will need a few pots, a couple of wooden spoons, some cutlery and a couple of bowls/plates. You might like to have a couple of mugs and an extra dinner plate and cutlery if you like cooking and can see yourself inviting someone round to eat.
Don't go crazy on kitchen gadgets unless you are going to use them! Also think about whether you want leave these out for others to use or whether you want to keep it in your room to save space or to avoid it being left unwashed, broken or stolen at the end of the year. It might be better to wait until second year to splash out on major kitchen items, when you will likely be sharing a house with friends.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 2nd year student – University of Huddersfield
If the university, provides appliances then they might only be talking about a toaster, kettle and the fridge, freezer and oven that you will share with other housemates. My first halls did not have a toaster (so this might be something that you buy with other housemates or get when you arrive).
If you are passionate about your cereal it might not be a major concern!
Think realistic about what you are going to be eating. It likely that you will need a few pots, a couple of wooden spoons, some cutlery and a couple of bowls/plates. You might like to have a couple of mugs and an extra dinner plate and cutlery if you like cooking and can see yourself inviting someone round to eat.
Don't go crazy on kitchen gadgets unless you are going to use them! Also think about whether you want leave these out for others to use or whether you want to keep it in your room to save space or to avoid it being left unwashed, broken or stolen at the end of the year. It might be better to wait until second year to splash out on major kitchen items, when you will likely be sharing a house with friends.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 2nd year student – University of Huddersfield
This is probably the best advice I’ve seen so far.
Thanks for all the advice on here!
For me, the most important thing was my rice cooker! (Which I kept in my room) When I got to uni, although I'd taken some pots and pans and plates, etc. I realised I had no cheese grater or brownie pan 
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
For me, the most important thing was my rice cooker! (Which I kept in my room) When I got to uni, although I'd taken some pots and pans and plates, etc. I realised I had no cheese grater or brownie pan
Ah yes RICE COOKER
Original post by Bookworm524
Ah yes RICE COOKER
No way of throwing my legendary biriyani parties without my rice cooker!!!
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
No way of throwing my legendary biriyani parties without my rice cooker!!!
wait how big is yours? I just bought a mini one for 1-2 people
Original post by Bookworm524
wait how big is yours? I just bought a mini one for 1-2 people
I've no idea how big it is in cms or inches, but I could put up to four mugs of rice in it and have a biriyani party for about 10-12 people (depending on which housemates were around)
Glad you've got a mini one! The main thing is to have one
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
I've no idea how big it is in cms or inches, but I could put up to four mugs of rice in it and have a biriyani party for about 10-12 people (depending on which housemates were around)
Glad you've got a mini one! The main thing is to have one
Glad you've got a mini one! The main thing is to have one
I assume you're Asian too?
We do love our rice
What kind of rice do you buy? I normally get long grain rice, it's tolerable
Original post by Bookworm524
I assume you're Asian too?
We do love our rice
What kind of rice do you buy? I normally get long grain rice, it's tolerable
We do love our rice
What kind of rice do you buy? I normally get long grain rice, it's tolerable
Yeah, South Asian! Sinhalese Sri Lankan heritage
We do indeed
My parents won't eat anything that's not basmati. Occasionally they have sambar (not sure how you spell it?) rice but my mum only does that grudgingly
Original post by amitlearner83
What should I bring to the university halls of residence to start my tryst in kitchen. Appliances are being provided by the University. I dont want a scenario where my room is blocked with the utensils that I got and not using as it duplicates others
Hi amitlearner83
My top advise would be to get maybe 1 or 2 pans, plates, knife, fork, spoon, cup and glasses and chopping board. This is so that you are not having to fill the kitchen up with too many items. Also it might be best till you have met your new flat mates as they might have bought extra items which you might useful such as a rice cooker, slow cooker.
The worst thing you can do is to buy a massive box set of pans and then find that everyone in the flat has done the same leaving no space for anything else. Might even be worth leaving it till you arrive at the halls so then you can gage how much space there is for each flat mate as some kitchens are tiny and have less than one cupboard for each flat mate.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask me.
Emma
UCLAN student ambassador
I'm going into 3rd year and barely use some of the stuff mentioned on the lists above 
you definitely won't need x4 plates.
What I do use:
- medium sized saucepan
- cheese grater
- x1 large plate for tea, x1 medium sized plate for lunch
- white chopping board
- red chopping board
- black spoon
- spatula
- potato peeler
- knife, fork , spoons
- tin opener
- bread knife
- chefs knife
- oven tray
- kitchen tongs
- glass dish for things like pasta bakes
- x2 mugs, x1 glass
- x2 shot glasses
- x2 bowls
you definitely won't need x4 plates.What I do use:
- medium sized saucepan
- cheese grater
- x1 large plate for tea, x1 medium sized plate for lunch
- white chopping board
- red chopping board
- black spoon
- spatula
- potato peeler
- knife, fork , spoons
- tin opener
- bread knife
- chefs knife
- oven tray
- kitchen tongs
- glass dish for things like pasta bakes
- x2 mugs, x1 glass
- x2 shot glasses
- x2 bowls
(edited 7 months ago)
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