3 Small Dorm or Apartment Worthy Kitchen Tools
Monday, February 1, 2010 by Mike Bertolino 
Image via Flickr user: kamath_lnThere comes a time in nearly every college student's life to stretch their culinary wings, and fly away to a place where there is no cafeterias. Here are some small (and cheap) tools to help you get settled after you come in for a landing. (I apologize for the terrible metaphor)
Rice Cooker
Rice has two qualities that are hard to find together, at least when it comes to food. It's cheap and healthy. Unfortunately, to cook it you need a stove. Even if you have stove it's still hard to cook. There is a solution that solves both of the aforementioned problems.
Rice cookers are cheap (I got mine for under $20.00) and cooking the rice becomes extremely simple. All you have to do is put the rice, with water into the pot, put the lid on and flip the switch. I'll you have to do is wait and then stir.
There's a bonus! Because of the way the rice is cooked (via steam) the little appliance that could is also a steamer. So, if you're trying to stay healthy just drop some vegetable (also cheap) and some chicken and you get a solid meal in one pot.
One Cup Coffee Maker
As you may know, we love coffee here at HackCollege. Unfortunately, my roommates are big drinkers. Fortunately, I found this great one cup coffee make a little over a year ago. We have been best pals since.
It takes regular coffee, so there aren't any packets to buy. You also don't have to buy any filters because the filter inside is completely reusable. It hasn't failed me year.
This contraption is also good for tea drinker because it just pours out the hot water and into the cup with you teabag, soaking the leaves nicely as it drips.
Water Filter
Sadly, tap water standards have dropped in recent years. The water fountains in the halls of our dorms don't spew Fiji water and bottle water in general is just a waste, for your wallet for the environment and for the space in your room.
Water Filters are so--as Amir from College Humor would say--ace. There are two options. If you have an apartment with a tap, the sink version is probably the way to go. It'll save you some fridge space. If you are still living in a dorm then you'll have to forfeit some of the mini-fridge real estate for pitcher.
What tools do you use to make the whole sustenance and energy thing easier? Comment below to share!
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Reader Comments (5)
These are some great suggestions. I have a water filter, and it works great. It also is a great money saver since I am able to avoid bottled water. I'm gonna look into the one cup coffee maker. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but I have used them to make tea, and they work well.
You forgot a George Foreman grill! A simple one will do, I paid less than $10 for mine. And you can grill ANYTHING: fruits, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken, burger, blah blah blah....SO good and convenient.
A decade after I bought these simple items for my dorm room, they are still rocking strong in a kitchen for two and an upcoming baby...when amortized over time, by far the best kitchen investments:
$25: Slow Cooker/Crockpot http://bit.ly/aKycrP - My roommate and later housemates and I would get everything prepped the night before: throw on some Napster acquired tunes on WinAMP - this was 1999 - Then the next morning before class, turn the puppy on: on 'High' we would have lunch ready, on low, "Dinner" . Chop up some veggies and a little salt and pepper were the base, and then go wild with whatever is on sale. Some chicken or beans; the mixed dry bean "tubes" in the Kosher section gave the perfect amount for $1.50). Critical is a removable "pot" so we could put it in the fridge overnight if it had meat, and made it a cinch to clean in a dorm sink. We made rice, and it took a few batches to get the proportions right, and it was serviceable, but a rice cooker is a bit better if you eat a ton of rice.
George Foreman: Sophia said it best. If anyone hassles about the name and marketing ( I went to a somewhat activist MN LibArts college), make them a Foreman'ed Portobello, Mozzarella, Arugula panini (or just a grilled cheese) and they will STFU.
$15 Hot Water boiler: I have used literally dozens of kettle brands, in various departments, high tech ones in Japan costing $200, etc, and this one blows them all out http://bit.ly/cKqGsV . I have my original from 2000, and it brings a rolling boil in about 3 minutes. I bought one for work, given as gifts, etc. We have a awesome gas stove at home now, and it is twice as fast to boil water in this and dump into a pot on the stove than to boil directly on the stove. Downside of this, is that you cannot cook in it, as the element is exposed, but for anything quick cooking (noodles, vegetables, etc) the hot water will blanch the food perfectly when combined in a bowl.
$5 Coffee filter doodad: http://bit.ly/9ZtscE dump in hot water from above boiler, and you can make coffee/tea/herbal blends, etc. Same concept as HackCollege's tool.
Get a good chef and paring knife...try to find the Kiwi brand at a local Asian grocery or search online. Indestructable for under $5.
For about $6 a year, these tools have provided hundreds, if not thousands of meals to hungry college students, and now a hungry higher ed administrator and family...
I'll add one last item to an already long post: If you are looking to really cook in a dorm setting, i.e. Saute, etc. consider an Induction Stove http://bit.ly/c3mxEH . I got an intro at this years CES (where I first met Kelly), and they are pretty damn amazing. The unit actually does not create heat, rather using electromagnets, thus less fire hazard. You can put paper or your hand on the burner seconds after removing the pot, so RA's may have less of a problem...
Bon Cheap Appetit!
I don't know about most schools, but at mine we are allowed neither a crockpot or a rice maker in our rooms. (Let alone a toaster or a grill.) Of course, there's no physical law of the universe preventing you from having one and hiding it, but, for me it's just not worth the trouble.
You really only need two pans: a medium-small sauce pot, and a frying/omelette pan.
That covers the staples - rice, soup, spaghetti, hamburger, eggs, ramen, stir fry, oatmeal, pancakes - and, with a little invention, works fine for almost anything more complicated.
On top of that, I have one, small 3$ baking tin, about 2' deep and 5x10' long. I make casseroles, cookies, cakes, bread, and, tonight, hopefully pizza in that.
A decent knife, a spatula, and a good fork and spoon can sub for almost every fancy kitchen appliance. Over break, I brought back a colander for easier spaghetti draining and steaming, and it's been wonderful, but I lasted all semester without it, clearly.
In the non-appliance realm, if you are interested in actually cooking, you will want spices. The problem with this is that spices are HEINOUSLY expensive, and there's no way you'll use them all before they expire. But do you know who has tons of spices? FOR FREE?
Yes, on my way to school from home, my little tin full of ziplock bags did get searched by airport security. But for five minutes of inconvenience, I saved at least 100$ and countless tasteless meals.
I cook just about every day, hauling my stuff to the communal kitchen and back (another reason you don't want more than 2 pans), and it's definitely worth it. Even when the kitchen is disgusting. Which it always is. Which reminds me, the last thing you definitely definitely need is a cheap-o cutting board. You are the only one who uses it, you are the only one who washes it, and now even when the kitchen has ricearoni on all surfaces including the ceiling, you can still make a decent meal.
If you're looking for only the essentials then you need: a stove/oven, cutting board, good knives, measuring cup, measuring spoon, rubber spatula, large spoon, stainless steel spatula, a large skillet (can be used for frying, soup, boiling, etc) w/ lid, a cookie sheet with sides on it, a large glass mixing bowl, regular household silverware (forks are cheaper than whisks because they are used for multiple purposes, butter knives can be great spreading spatulas, and tablespoons can be used for stirring and skimming), a small saucepan w/ lid, dinner plates (multiple uses also, serving platter, lid, and just a plate-lol).
If you have lots of money to spend there are a million "essentials" that every chef believes to be a necessity, but you can actually make do with the things I listed. I may have forgotten something but if you are creative, you can make basic things work for more than what they were manufactured for. If you can afford it, a good mixer is a mainstay in most kitchens as well- you can pay $20- over $200 for one.