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Preston Wilson Preston Wilson is offline
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Default 10 Essential Student Cooking Tips

As a new student, you're probably living away from home, and cooking
and budgeting for yourself for the first time. What sort of things do
you need to know, and how can you make cooking fun?
1. Make sure that you eat properly and within your budget. While you
might be tempted to live off takeaways in the first month or so,
you'll soon be living off toast come the end of the term!
2. Plan your meals a week in advance and budget accordingly so that
you don't need to go shopping several times a week. This will help you
save a fortune!
3. Special offers can be a great way to save money on the things that
you buy anyway. Don't be tempted to buy things that you know you'll
never eat, just because they're cheap. Make the most of your freezer,
by buying in bulk and freezing what you don't need now. Also, you can
make meals or part meals in bulk and freeze what you don't use now.
4. Use fresh food rather than processed or ready meals, as it will be
cheaper, and you'll know exactly what's in your meals. Fresh food is
better value, and better for you too. Why not use your local
greengrocer or butcher, or visit a local market rather than being
tempted by everything else in a supermarket?
5. Carbohydrates are important for energy, and to keep you feeling
full during the day. Feeling fuller for longer will stop you wanting
to snack. Pasta, rice and potatoes are a great basis for a meal, and
are very versatile. What about curries, or lasagnes, as well as spag
bol?
6. Protein is also important, so make sure that you eat plenty of
baked beans, chicken, fish and eggs. Pulses are also important for
those people who don't eat meat. Milk is also a good source of
protein, so a glass of milk is a healthy option at any time of the
day.
7. It's essential that you at least try and get your 5 portions of
fruit and vegetables a day. Having a glass of fruit juice, an apple or
a banana during the day, as well as a healthy lunch and evening meal
should make this much easier to achieve.
8. Wash up after every meal. Although you might think that the
bombsite kitchen is found in every student home, it's very unhygienic
and can lead to all sorts of unwanted illnesses.
9. Get some recipe books, or write down some of your family favourite
recipes. An improvised book stand can make reading a recipe easier.
It's much quicker to use a book or a piece of paper than having to
keep running backwards and forwards from the computer!
10. Having the right cookware is important, and it's much easier to
cook when you have the right size pan, or the right tool for the job.
If you're not sure what you need, why not look for a starter pack that
will give you what you need to get started in the kitchen?
Cooking should be fun, and doesn't have to be difficult. By starting
with simple pasta or rice dishes, you'll soon become better in the
kitchen, and enjoy making your own meals. As well as eating more
healthily, and saving money, you'll also feel a great sense of
achievement, and you might even impress your new friends too!

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