Moving out of your home to start student life, no matter whether you are moving into a new neighbourhood, city or country, is a major move! You are not just moving out of your home but also out of your old life and routine! Many students share the experience of realising the importance of home-cooked, fresh food only once they step out of the comfort of their homes.
Food can also be a great source of warmth and comfort, especially when you are missing your family. Simply making one of your old favourites can make you feel closer to home in a new environment. Therefore, it is important to realise the importance of home-cooked food before you make the move and prepare yourself with a detailed list of all kitchen essentials that you might need at your new place when preparing your back to uni essentials list!
Cooking Utensils
The first and foremost thing to pack when considering kitchenware is the cookware section.
- Make sure to have a saucepan for preparing sauces, boiling vegetables and pasta in and also for preparing hot beverages and soup. The next essential piece of cookware is a good-sized pan.
- A frying pan will go a long way for sauteing vegetables, cooking patties and fillets, shallow frying foods and much more. This is perhaps the most important piece of cookware that you will pack.
- A small wok can also come in handy if you are a fan of deep-fried foods and other such stuff!
Storage containers
After you have cooked an elaborate meal or you simply cannot finish what you have cooked, or you want to eat the food you have spent a long time preparing, more than once, then getting the right storage containers can be a huge step. Here is a short list of uni essentials:
- Lidded bowls are a great way of serving and storing foods, especially when you are cooking for more than one person.
- Small lidded containers can save you a lot of money by helping you store both dry and wet ingredients with ease. Sometimes, that extra basil, diced vegetables, peeled fruits can last a lot longer, only if you store them in air-tight containers.
- Having the right storage equipment can also save time since you can preserve sauces like homemade pesto, salsas, hummus and more for an extended period of time with lidded storage bowls and dishes.
Accessories
In your home, there are a number of unappreciated heroes in the kitchen that you don’t pay much attention to, but they make everyday life much easier. When packing for uni, these are the kitchen uni essentials that you need to keep in mind.
- Strainers and sieves usually go unnoticed in kitchens but play a major role and are not easily substituted. Therefore, make sure to get at least two strainers of varying sizes when packing.
- Squeezers meant for squeezing out lemons or garlic juice can save you a lot of hassle when preparing food.
- Spatulas are also very important when preparing fresh food and the right spatula can make a great deal of difference between a broken omelette or pancake and an edible one!
- Cutting accessories like knives, peelers, slicers and more!
Appliances
Kitchen appliances are a lifesaver, especially when you are short on time and uni life is nothing if not being short of time at all times! Therefore, you must consider packing the following appliances when getting ready for uni!
- Food processors are great all-in-one kitchen appliances in which you can prepare everything from sauces, grate vegetables and also knead the flour.
- If you do not want to be carrying a whole food processor, you can always opt for a more compact blender and prepare smoothies, sauces, soups and more!
- A nice kettle or coffee machine, depending on whether you are a coffee person or a tea person can save you a lot of money when at uni!
Dinnerware
These are the things you probably think of when thinking of what to pack for uni essentials. These include
- Plates to serve and eat in
- Bowls for cereals, soups, stews and more!
- Cutlery, complete with knives, forks, spoons, etc.
- Tumblers to have water, juice, soft drinks and hard drinks in.
Now that you have a compact list of everything that you might need for uni cooking, all that is left is to get packing! We hope you have a great time at uni and get the opportunity to try your culinary skills!