Cooking Items Every College Student Should Have in Their Kitchen

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By Sarah Fischer
September 25, 2018

For all those college chefs, many of you may have a problem with limited kitchen storage and space — I certainly do. Anyone who rents a studio apartment knows there is a lack of kitchen space. As proof, here is my “kitchen” for reference.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star

Yet, I don’t let this limitation deter me from creating quality meals. I think we’ve all experienced the frozen pizza, Ramen and mac and cheese routine before. It’s cheap, and it doesn’t take up that much space, right? Well, it’s time to change up your routine and try something new. If you’re living in the DeKalb area, the most popular and affordable grocery spots are Schnucks and Walmart. Although there are more options for inexpensive shopping in the area, but I’m going to focus on comparing these two stores to give you the opportunity to save as much money as you can. Here are suggestions of important food items you should have in your kitchen at all times.

Frozen onions

Frozen onions are a great alternative to fresh onions. The bag I buy is the PictSweet Farm brand from Schnucks, and the amount it contains is equal to two medium onions. Onions put so much flavor into a dish, and anytime you see a recipe call for “1 medium chopped onion,” half a bag of these frozen onions will do just fine. Unless you’re a professional chef with years of culinary experience, you won’t taste the difference.

Remember, you’re looking for the least time-consuming, cheapest and most space-saving options. Frozen onions are easy to store in your freezer, and they’ll last much longer than fresh onions will in your fridge.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star

10 ounce bag $1.99 at Schnucks or 10 for $10

$1.18 at Walmart

Minced Garlic

Minced Garlic is easy to store in your fridge and it goes a longway. You can find minced garlic in water or in olive oil (typically in the produce aisle). All it takes is a small spoonful in a hot pan or slow cooker.

Mincing garlic is a fresher alternative, but when you’re limited on space and time in your own kitchen, a jar of minced garlic will do just fine. It adds significant flavor to any dish, and it’s an easy alternative for fresh garlic that has a short expiration date.

**Note: ½ teaspoon = 1 clove of garlic

4.5 ounce jar (not pictured) $1.99 at Schnucks

$1.24 at Walmart

Vegetable Oils

When I say everything can use a little drizzle of vegetable oil, I mean everything. Boiling water? The oil prevents noodles from sticking. Cooking over the stovetop? It’s great for sauteing veggies and meats.

Another way to use it is by drizzling the oil over veggies to bake in the oven. I prefer to use olive oil rather than vegetable oil, but olive oil does tend to have a little flavor to it. If you’re not keen on the flavor then vegetable oil is the way to go since it’s the same concept with less flavor. I buy a huge bottle of this, and it lasts about two years.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star

16 ounce bottle $1.69 at Schnucks

48 ounce bottle $1.88 at Walmart

Pasta and Rice Sides

I’ve been using rice sides for about a year in my cooking. They are so versatile, and brand doesn’t matter. They’re perfect to add to an entree with chicken or pasta (or whatever else you can think of) if you don’t feel like working too hard.

Each packet has cooking directions, and sometimes if I feel like using them as a meal, I will cook two packets and add meat. The small packages hardly take up space in my cabinets, and they last a long time. The only downside is that they can be high in sodium, so they’re not likely to be a healthy choice. Delicious, nonetheless.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star

89 cents or 10 for $10 at Schnucks, depending on brand

$1 at Walmart

Spices

It’s always a great idea to keep your favorite spices handy for any dish, and they have a long shelf life. Salt and pepper are a given, and you will use them for everything.

Garlic powder is another good thing to keep around for extra flavor, and sometimes I use it if I don’t feel like adding fresh garlic to a dish. Be sparing on the garlic powder, though, since the flavor can easily overpower a dish. If you’re like me and you like spice, then crushed red pepper and paprika are two things to keep in your cabinets.

Paprika has a good flavor, and you can add more crushed red pepper for desired spiciness. Everyone’s opinions differ on spices. It’s a good idea to find out what you like and keep it close by.

Vegetables

Vegetables are always a great ingredient to have for a specific recipe, but fresh veggies expire fast and take up space in the fridge. I like to keep a couple bags of mixed vegetables around, though. These are easy to steam in the microwave, and they make great healthy sides.

If you decide to use these bags, I suggest you only buy a couple at a time unless you know you’re going to use them quickly. Vegetable bags are refrigerated, not frozen, so they expire in about a week or so.

As I mentioned before, frozen vegetables can also be used in cooking as a substitute for fresh ones. They don’t take up that much space in the freezer, and they last a long time. You’ll find a large selection of different types of veggies in the frozen aisle.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star

$2.99 at Schnucks

$2.48 at Walmart

Cooking Sprays

Unless you have non-stick cookware, cooking spray is something you should keep in your cabinets. It will almost always appear as an ingredient in baking recipes, and it saves you the hassle of having to scrape burnt remnants off your pots and pans. You can find many variations of it, including flavored, original and olive oil spray.

**Note: It’s important that you do notspray non-stick cookware with cooking spray. It will ruin the non-stick surface and that cookware can be expensive.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star

$2.79 at Schnucks

$1.97 at Walmart

Slow Cookers

Slow cookers may not be the first thing that come to mind when you think about saving space and money, but they will prove to be a great addition to your kitchen. Even in my studio apartment, I make sure there’s space for mine. A slow cooker is perfect if you have a busy schedule during the day and won’t be home until later.

Sometimes, I find that after a long day, cooking dinner is the last thing I want to do. In the morning, I’ll throw a meal into my slow cooker and let it cook for about six to eight hours so it’s ready to eat by the time I get home. They can be a pricey addition but a great investment. It’s a good idea to check local thrift stores for slow cookers along with any other kitchenware you might need, including pots, pans, knife sets, can openers or casserole dishes.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star

$39.99 on sale, $59.99 regular price at Schnucks

Ranging from $9.96 to $69.99 at Walmart, depending on size and brand

Measuring cups

In a lot of my cooking, I try to choose recipes that don’t require specific measurements. It can be a pain to keep around several different types of measuring cups, but sometimes it can’t be avoided.

Once in a while, you’ll find there are just some recipes you have to use exact measurements for. I’ve found I’ve gotten more use out of my liquid measuring cup, but dry measuring cups can still be very useful from time to time, especially when baking.

**Note: always check local thrift stores for measuring cups and other kitchenware items.

Sarah Fischer/Northern Star