A College Kitchen Guide: NICE (SPICE!!!) RACK

my mom's is bigger

One of the best Christmas gifts I ever received was a FULLY LOADED spice rack. I moved into my first apartment just before the New Year, our celebrations were very well seasoned! You can see in my photo that we've run low on a few, but trust me there are plenty of spares. It didn't include everything on this list, but it gave us a great start and reminded us to pick up some herb when we went out. Canoe and camping trips really made me realize how important it is to not forget the spices at base. Nor should the wars fought for them be underestimated! Maybe that's why grocery stores package them nicely and charge a nice tax. I hate paying for spices, partially because of their sordid history, so I often find myself pocketing them on the way to the cash! How's that for spicy?!

Essential Herbs and Spices

• All spice
• Basil
• Bay leaves
• Black pepper
• Celery salt
• Chili powder
• Garlic powder
• Ginger
• Cumin
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Curry powder
• Dry mustard
• Onion salt
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Parsley flakes
• Cardamom pods (whole or ground)
• Tarragon
  
• Thyme
• Turmeric
• Cayenne pepper
• Chives
• Cilantro flakes
• Rosemary
• Dill
• Sage
• Savory

A College Kithcen Guide: Cupboard Classics

These are a few basics that I keep in our cupboards. Some of them may be unusual, but it is surprising how often some of them show up!

• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Bouillon cubes or undiluted stock for chicken, beef and vegetables
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Cooking oil (a lot of students just pick up olive oil, but it is important to have an affordable alternative. Olive oil is also important.)
• "Cream of" soups (synonym for SAUCE. Chicken and mushroom especially.)
• Dry soups (onion is really handy)
• Dry yeast? (Look forward to bread baking in your crock pot!
  
• Honey
• Tuna
  
• Canned vegetables (we like corn)
  
• Macaroni or pasta
• Rice
• Kidney beans, dried or canned
  
• Vanilla extract
• Garlic
  
• Wheat and white flour
• Vinegar (plain, red wine, apple. Combine for a fresh smelling drain cleaner!)
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Balsamic vinegar
• Soya sauce

This list if probably the most incomplete. Everyone uses different things more than others, the trick is in the gathering.

A College Kitchen Guide: Essential Utensils

Putting together so many meals has really helped developed my kitchen arsenal, but so has being the only child in the city left for my mother, my aunt and grandmother to spoil. Our kitchen might be a bit messy by their standards, but for three male college types we've done pretty well for ourselves. Since not everyone is fortunate enough to have three French Canadian mother's, I went about putting together lists of food and cooking staples that any enthusiastic John/Jane College should have to eat well. I got the inspiration from Kent P. Frandsen's Where's Mom Now That I Need Her? which I bought upon moving into my first apartment. It cost me $5 at one of those subway book stands. We don't necessarily own everything I post, but I probably used it recently off someone else. Thankfully we have a lot of cupboard space at our place, because as you can see they can get pretty full. Second hand goes great with college kitchens, most of our stuff was donated by our parents and their friends. They've gone miles to feed the hungry.



Kitchen Tools and Containers

• 9 by 13 baking pan
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Various sizes of tupperware
• Bread pan (meat loafs AND baking)
• Casserole dish
• Can opener/bottle opener OBVIOUSLY
• Colander/strainer
• Cookie sheet
• Casserole dish with cover
  
• Frying pan/sauce pan with lid
• Good grater
• Vegetable peeler
• Pots with lid, one big one
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons (actually we still don't have these. Promises have been made though)
• Mixing bowls
• Serving and mixing spoons
• Spatulas
• Whisk
• Garlic press (very handy indeed)
  
• Hand zester

EXTRAS (if we were all so lucky...)


These were a nice bonus from either as thrifts, gifts or raids. The most obvious being:

• Slow cooker crock pot! (Obviously, because you certainly don't read for the humour! Ha, ha.)
• Food processor, with different deadly blades
• Waffle iron (a recent addition, very valuable)
• Baking dishes
• Recipe books that are lots of fun to read!