Cooking kit can lower food bills for students
[2008-3-27]
I've come in contact with lots of college kids. And I've learned that there are two distinct camps when it comes to how kids eat when they are away from home.
Young adults either try cooking for themselves, or they go out every night to eat fast food because it is cheap and easy. After all, most of them are on conservative budgets. But truth is, even light cooking will save kids money and allow them to eat more healthfully.
Looking at my son's credit card charges for a two-month period, I see that he eats fast food at least five nights a week. In his favor he tries to eat healthier fast foods, not just burgers, but he could do better.
However, there are reasons college kids don't cook. Even my daughter goes long periods without picking up a pot. That's because college kids often don't have the equipment they need to prepare easy meals. And they don't want to bother with clean up, share ingredients with roommates or take time to food shop.
So now that my kids are coming home for Spring Break, I plan to make a survival box for them to take back to school (not that I'm trying to rush them to leave, mind you).
Whether they use it is another thing. I create a college cooking kit that includes everything they will need except perishable ingredients. I think I've made it as simple as possible for them to prepare fresh, healthful meals at school.
Large camouflage plastic crates from a discount store hold the supplies and add a touch of humor. All they'll have to do is purchase a few perishables and they'll be able to make dinner in the dorm or apartment kitchen. Here's what I pack:
Nonstick grill pan. These are wonderful for cooking any protein, pan-grilling vegetables or even making great panini sandwiches with almost no oil.
3-1/2 quart saucepan with a lid. You can cook pasta, rice, grains or any vegetable and cleaning is no problem, unless stuff gets burned.
Extra-virgin olive oil. I tell my kids to limit butter and never eat margarine. I use this oil to cook just about everything. You don't have to buy a really expensive oil. A liter will last them a semester.
Olive oil spray. A can of it is good for keeping whatever you are cooking from sticking.
Pasta. There are a number of large companies making full lines of whole-grain pastas that bear no resemblance to the old chewy, dark brown whole-wheat pasta.
One of my favorite brands is Heartland. Their whole-grain pasta is made with wheat, oats, rice and wheat bran and comes in a variety of shapes.
Young adults either try cooking for themselves, or they go out every night to eat fast food because it is cheap and easy. After all, most of them are on conservative budgets. But truth is, even light cooking will save kids money and allow them to eat more healthfully.
Looking at my son's credit card charges for a two-month period, I see that he eats fast food at least five nights a week. In his favor he tries to eat healthier fast foods, not just burgers, but he could do better.
However, there are reasons college kids don't cook. Even my daughter goes long periods without picking up a pot. That's because college kids often don't have the equipment they need to prepare easy meals. And they don't want to bother with clean up, share ingredients with roommates or take time to food shop.
So now that my kids are coming home for Spring Break, I plan to make a survival box for them to take back to school (not that I'm trying to rush them to leave, mind you).
Whether they use it is another thing. I create a college cooking kit that includes everything they will need except perishable ingredients. I think I've made it as simple as possible for them to prepare fresh, healthful meals at school.
Large camouflage plastic crates from a discount store hold the supplies and add a touch of humor. All they'll have to do is purchase a few perishables and they'll be able to make dinner in the dorm or apartment kitchen. Here's what I pack:
Nonstick grill pan. These are wonderful for cooking any protein, pan-grilling vegetables or even making great panini sandwiches with almost no oil.
3-1/2 quart saucepan with a lid. You can cook pasta, rice, grains or any vegetable and cleaning is no problem, unless stuff gets burned.
Extra-virgin olive oil. I tell my kids to limit butter and never eat margarine. I use this oil to cook just about everything. You don't have to buy a really expensive oil. A liter will last them a semester.
Olive oil spray. A can of it is good for keeping whatever you are cooking from sticking.
Pasta. There are a number of large companies making full lines of whole-grain pastas that bear no resemblance to the old chewy, dark brown whole-wheat pasta.
One of my favorite brands is Heartland. Their whole-grain pasta is made with wheat, oats, rice and wheat bran and comes in a variety of shapes.
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