Cooking: The College Man’s Dilemma

Put The Pizza Away For A Second

One of the most difficult things to do in college is to cook a filling meal that is somewhat healthy. Very few people of college-age know how to cook. Even fewer people have enough time to prepare a meal, cook it and then clean up after themselves. And then you have another set of people who even if they wanted to cook, are unable to. This article is for those type of people.

For the past two years I?ve lived in my fraternity. In stereotypical fashion, our kitchen is condemned. That means that we have no stove at all because our house isn?t up to fire codes. During the school year we get catered meals, but during the summer time, we?re out of luck. So we have to get creative in how we cook.

The George Foreman Grill has been a staple for college students for years now. It?s perfect for cooking lean meals in a timely fashion. Most people simply throw on chicken breast and add some salt and pepper or some other basic seasoning. You can do better than that.

Next time you?re at the supermarket, buy some freezer bags and some marinating sauce. If you think you?re going to have chicken for dinner, throw in a chicken breast into the freezer bag and douse it with whatever seasoning you would like. Marinating your chicken with different flavors will go a long way in helping you not get bored of what you?re eating.

A really nice thing about the George Foreman Grill is that you can throw on chicken straight from the freezer onto the grill. This way you can buy chicken in bulk when you go to a place like Costco and not have to continuously restock.

While the George Foreman Grill is great, it is very limited in terms of what it can cook. After awhile you?re going to get tired of making grilled chicken breast and beef patties.

If you have room for it, buy a cheap electric skillet. An electric skillet affords you the same basic ability as a skillet on the stove, except that the food cooks slower. When you?re looking for an electric skillet, make sure you buy one of the non-stick variety.

The best part of the skillet is that you can make a legitimate breakfast. Eggs, sausage, bacon and pancakes are now all within the realm of possibility. I don?t think there?s anything better to come off a hangover than a delicious breakfast.

A great feature about both the George Foreman Grill and an electric skillet is that they are both pretty easy to clean. Just make sure that when you make your purchase, you have enough room to fit your electric skillet under the sink.

In terms of getting some grains into your system, there are several easy options available to you. If you have a toaster that?s great. If you don?t have the room for it, don?t worry – you can use your electric skillet to toast the bread. One of my buddies actually uses his electric skillet to make French toast.

You can also opt for rice if you have a microwave. Nowadays there are very healthy options with companies putting out brown rice products.

Sure cooking is a pain, especially in college. Nevertheless, you can make your life easier by buying a couple products that will churn out adequate meals.