10 College Food Hacks You Should Try ASAP
In dorm life, food hacks become a necessity if you want to afford food every day. They become extremely useful when you have access to a limited number of appliances. These 10 food hacks will help you through those late-night cravings and through the tough financial times that college brings.
1. Ramen in Tupperware
Some food hacks require appliances in the process of making food. This one needs only one appliance and Tupperware big enough to hold one ramen noodle square, along with a lid. The appliance you will need is a portable water heater or any water heater that you can find.
To start with, place the uncooked noodles into the empty Tupperware container, keeping the lid off for now. Then, using whatever water heater you can find, boil the water. Pour the water onto the noodles and quickly put the lid on, sealing it closed.
Let it sit for three minutes, just like how you would on a stove.
After three minutes, remove the lid. Then stir the noodles with a fork, add in your seasoning, stir again, and wait about one minute for the seasoning to settle in. After this, you can keep or remove as much of the liquid as you want.
2. Egg in a mug
Many food hacks will involve a microwave since it is a common appliance in any dorm room, or at least in a common area near the dorm rooms. This food hack is no exception and is an easy way to fit in a quick breakfast before heading to class.
You simply find a mug, or cup, that is microwave safe. Coat the inside of the mug with either butter or cooking oil. Then, you are going to crack an egg or two into the mug, avoiding any shells falling in. Before you add any other ingredients, you will want to whisk the eggs together.
After that, put in any ingredients you want: cheese, spices, or vegetables. Stire one more time to thoroughly combine everything. Then put the mug into the microwave for about one and a half minutes. If the microwave you’re using is less than 1100 Watts, then add another ten to twenty seconds.
3. Stock up on free stuff from the dining hall
Food hacks don’t have to only be about making the food itself. Sometimes, the ultimate food hacks come when you plan ahead and take advantage of free things. Many condiment stands in the dining hall have plastic forks, spoons, and knives you can take for free.
You can also take sides of ketchup and mustard. Some dining halls also have packets of peanut butter or jelly that you might be able to take for free. If you have the room, you should always try to take advantage of free items by bringing them to your dorm room.
By doing this, you don’t have to worry about going to the grocery store and buying big containers, especially on a limited budget that can be used for books, supplies, coffee, or pizza.
These items cannot replace real food, so make sure to grab some food while you are stocking up.
4. Coffee maker for food
Food hacks sometimes come with specific types of appliances, but not this one. A coffee maker is something that most college students have, especially ones who have classes starting at 8 A.M. on a Monday. However, a coffee maker can be used for more than just coffee.
The coffee maker has three parts to typically: a reservoir to heat the water, a pot, and the heating area which can double as a mini electric stove.
You can find many hacks online that tell you different ways of using a coffee maker. Here are only a few: instant ramen, grilled cheese, and chicken.
The grilled cheese recipe requires a toaster, but those are typically easy to find on a college campus. Toast the bread, then put a piece of your preferred cheese between the two toasted slices of bread. Put the combination on the heating area of the coffee maker and occasionally flip it until the cheese is melted.
Most instant ramen just needs hot water, since the cup is insulted to withstand the heat. In a standard coffee maker, make sure there are no coffee grounds in the coffee ground zone. Pour water into the reservoir, and press go.
If you have a Keurig, make sure there’s no Kcup in the slot, and press go. After enough water is in the cup, close the lid and follow the rest of the instructions.
For the chicken, you will need a coffee maker that has a pot. Put a small amount of butter at the bottom of the pot, then put the chicken on top of it along with any other spices or herbs you desire. Then put water in the reservoir. There should be enough to only cover half of the chicken. Press go on the water heating and let the chicken sit in the pot for 15 minutes each side.
5. No-bake recipes
A lot of food hacks are for hot foods. But what about those foods you want to eat late at night and not worry about the noise a microwave makes? You can always try out no-bake recipes.
These recipes usually require a fridge to let the food set into its proper shape. So you can make it before class, put it into the fridge, and by the time you get back from classes you have a meal or two waiting in the fridge for you. No reheating or anything required.
All of the recipes do show some prep work is needed, but most of it is between five and ten minutes. Unlike the other food hacks, some no-bake recipes will require a stove or microwave to prep in advance.
When looking at the recipes, always read it and make sure you have access to what they are saying you will need. While no baking is required, the stovetop will be used in many recipes to melt chocolate, cook certain ingredients, or combine them.
6. Waffle Iron
A lot of food hacks find a way to use common appliances in different ways. Many people assume that waffle irons can only be used for waffles, but several college students have found different ways to make use of them for other foods.
One way of using a waffle iron is by cooking hashbrowns in it. You simply spray the pan and put the uncooked hashbrowns onto it. There are some recipes out there for help if you are doing it for the first time.
The key to making the perfect hashbrowns in the waffle iron is keeping them in long enough to allow them to stick together and cook to a nice crisp.
You can also use it to make french toast. Prep the mixture like you normally would (beat together eggs and milk, with pepper and salt to taste), dip the bread into it, then place the bread onto the iron. When done, the french toast will have an appearance similar to waffles, but taste like french toast.
7. Microwave Steamer
Some food hacks, like this one, give you an easy way to cook vegetables if you don’t like them raw. You will need to buy a steamer that is microwave safe, pop the vegetables into the bowl part, put the lid on, and stick it into the microwave for a certain amount of time.
Each vegetable will vary on the times you need to cook them in, so you should always try to find those times online and keep in mind the wattage of your microwave.
The steamer doesn’t have to be limited to vegetables though. There are some that you can buy which mirror the figure of a pot with a lid on it. In these, you can safely cook anything from precooked ravioli to soup to pasta.
For the precooked ravioli and soup, you should follow the directions on the can the contents come from.
These kinds of steamers should be available near the regular appliances, or near the college supply area during the beginning of the fall semester.
Sometimes stores will have an area similar to this near the beginning of the spring semester as well for college students.
8. Reusable water bottle
Food hacks are typically seen as just addressing food. However, finding a way to drink a good amount of water without using a lot of plastic bottles is a new type of concern.
Reusable water bottles are a big thing now since everyone is trying their part to save the Earth in any way they can.
These water bottles vary in size, price, and purpose. But you should be able to find at least one or ten in any shop you go to. Want to show school spirit? Go to your school store and they should have reusable water bottles for sale that display a variety of designs from showing off the mascot to simply displaying the name of the school.
Some water bottles have plastic straws attached to the lid. Some you can open and close the lid like a coffee mug. You can even choose to use a coffee mug as a water bottle. Water isn’t picky about what container it goes in.
Water is an important part of anyone’s diet, especially college students. Something needs to help the caffeine in the blood flow to the brain during late-night cram sessions.
9. Bacon with an iron
You will find that many food hacks require things like microwaves or stoves. But what if you want to cook some bacon? In the microwave? If you like soggy bacon, then sure. But if you want some crispy bacon, then grab some tin foil and an iron.
The type of iron you will need is one that you iron clothes with, not waffles.
Wrap the bacon of your choice in some tin foil and place it on a flat surface, nonflammable!
Before you begin to iron, make sure you have a heat-resistant glove on one hand while the other holds the iron. You will find out very quickly how hot tin foil can get if you don’t.
If you want to avoid the grease dripping onto the surface you’ve chosen, then you can grab a cooling rack, or something similar, and put the wrapped bacon on top of the rack. Make sure there is something underneath to catch the dripping, greasy mess that will ensue.
For something similar to the cooling rack, just make sure it’s a flat surface that allows liquids to pass through it, but not solids. And that the surface is nonflammable/heat-resistant. So that plastic colander/strainer isn’t going to work unless you want the smell of burning and melting plastic in your dorm room for the rest of the semester.
Remember that since the grease will be dripping, one side of the tin foil will be wet. So if you want to flip the bacon, set aside the iron carefully so that the hot iron part isn’t touching anything.
Then, very carefully, unwrap the foil with your heat-resistant glove, and flip the bacon with a fork or spatula. Really anything as long as it’s sanitized and not your fingers.
Repeat process until fully cooked.
10. Dorito taco salad
Those food hacks not cutting it for you? Need some nachos ASAP but don’t have any tortilla chips? Take a look at those Dorito chips you have over there. Or any triangular chip you may have. Those are your new tortilla chips.
You can put anything on those chips that you would normally on regular nachos: cheese, jalapenos, pico de gallo, guac, sour cream, etc.
For the cheese: if you only have shredded or a block of cheese, but want melted cheese? Pop some into the microwave at small time increments, about ten seconds until it begins to melt, and immediately pour onto your new chips. Careful though, the bowl will become extremely hot as the cheese melts.
Put some of your new nachos into a Tupperware container and head off to class! Or just shove them into your mouth before going. Either way is delicious.
