The Highs and Lows of Student Cooking

It’s an inevitable rite of passage for students: cooking in a shared kitchen with questionable equipment, limited ingredients, and a tight budget. For some, it’s the start of culinary exploration; for others, it’s a reality check. When grappling with the challenges of student cooking, everyone could use a few tips on how to navigate the ups and downs with confidence—and, ideally, a full stomach.

The Fine Line Between Flavour and Food Poisoning

Cooking as a student is an exercise in improvisation. While some arrive at university with an established repertoire of trusty recipes, most of us learn on the go, making do with whatever ingredients we can scrounge. In the process, we discover that not every substitution is safe—or wise. (Bicarbonate of soda, for instance, is definitely not a direct replacement for baking powder!)

Tip #1: Always check the expiry date. When you’re cooking on a student budget, it’s tempting to stretch ingredients a bit too far. Play it safe—your stomach will thank you for tossing that last spoonful of old hummus in the bin.

Budget Bites

For students, food shopping on a tight budget is practically an art form. A well-timed yellow discount sticker at Tesco can feel like winning the lottery. Basic staples like pasta, rice, beans, and eggs are the unsung heroes of student kitchens, offering cheap calories in spades. If variety is the spice of life, student meals tend to be heavy on ‘essentials’ and light on actual spice.

When money’s tight, students get inventive with the basics. Beans on toast becomes a surprisingly filling, protein-packed dinner; baked potatoes with a little topping creativity transform into makeshift nachos (slice them thin, bake, and add cheese and salsa); and ramen noodles come with endless (often questionable) ‘enhancements,’ from adding a fried egg to tossing in frozen veggies. Over time, the average student learns to spin a handful of ingredients into a variety of decent meals. The magic is in keeping it simple—and usually involves carbs in some form.

Tip #2: Stock up on versatile spices. Even on a budget, adding spices like garlic powder, paprika, and chilli flakes can make a world of difference. Plus, they’re cheap, they last forever, and add much-needed variety to the usual carousel of student meals.

The Temptation of Takeaways

For all the culinary ambitions a student might have, let’s face it: sometimes, the only logical solution to hunger is a takeaway. Whether it’s a kebab at midnight or a cheeky Nando’s between lectures, takeaways are almost synonymous with student life. Yet, like any good habit (or bad one), moderation is key. Balancing takeaways with home-cooked meals is no easy feat, as any student can attest. Nobody wants to live on frozen pizza, but it’s hard to find the energy to whip up a balanced meal after a day of lectures and library sessions. So, while it’s fine to indulge every now and then, savvy students learn to save takeaways for special occasions—or emergency hunger situations.

Tip #3: Try meal-prepping on weekends. It may seem a bit ambitious, but prepping a big batch of curry or pasta sauce can save both money and time later in the week. Freeze portions, and you’ll have a homemade meal ready to go when you’re tempted to pop around to the kebab van (whichever one is your go-to!).

Burnt, Spilled and Over-salted

Not all attempts at cooking end well. In fact, college kitchens are notorious for tales of burnt pasta, unknown spills, and setting off the occasional fire alarm. Many students can recall the haunting realisation that they have forgotten something on the stove. The upside of these culinary missteps is that they’re often hilarious, once the smoke clears, at least. After all, no one gets through university without at least one kitchen disaster.

Tip #4: Don’t just ‘set it and forget it.’ If you’re prone to distractions, set an alarm on your phone to remind you when it’s time to check your food. It’s a simple step, but it can make the difference between a perfectly cooked meal and an impromptu fire drill.

Beyond Beans: Building a Balanced Diet

Student diets are notorious for being more instant than balanced. Yet, with a bit of planning, it’s possible to keep meals both quick and nutritious. Swapping instant noodles for whole grains, adding frozen vegetables to pasta dishes, and even embracing eggs as a versatile protein source can work wonders. Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean quinoa and chia seeds; even a small salad counts. Simple changes—like opting for wholemeal bread or using yoghurt instead of cream—can transform a meal without breaking the bank. And since staying well-nourished helps with the demands of academic life at Oxford, these small changes can make a real difference.

Tip #5: Keep snacks healthy and handy. Fresh fruit, nuts, and hummus are great go-tos that won’t leave you sluggish during the dreaded midday slump. Besides, it’s way easier to focus on that reading when you’re not running on just caffeine.

The Final Bite: A Taste of Independence

Even if you leave university with no more than a decent spaghetti recipe, you’ll still have learned something invaluable: how to make do with what you’ve got. So, if you’re fumbling through your first term and barely making it through the beans on toast phase, don’t worry. It can only get better.