Author of Student Brain Food Lauren Lucien shares ten of her top student cooking tips.
Time and money: two of the most important things in a student’s life. As a Fresher you’ll need to find the time to study, eat well, and enjoy student life - plus have enough money to do it all! Here are my top tips on how to succeed in the student kitchen...
Lauren's top 10 student cooking tips
1. Be the geek who buys a thermometer for the fridge. Between 3-5 degrees is good - anything more or less, and food tends to go off a lot quicker.
2. Save money and time by clubbing together and paying for delivered shopping.
3. Rather than choosing items because of their brand name, have a look at the ingredients first. Check the amount of additives, natural ingredients, salt and sugar content, and then compare with a store’s ‘own brand’.
4. Try avocados: they provide more than 25 essential nutrients, including healthy fats and the anti-oxidant vitamins A, C and E. Eat one mashed with black pepper and spread on wholemeal toast before an exam for slow-release energy.
5. Spice up your mashed potato, by mashing in two (or more) types of vegetable - that way you’ll get more of your five a day.
6. Invest in a steamer - potatoes in the bottom, fish or meat in the middle, and veg in the top. Cooking this way retains more nutrients in the food, plus you’re only using one utensil, so there will be less washing up.
7. Ordering a pizza, but everyone wants a different topping? Grab some pittas and create your own 'mini movie pizzas'. They are cheap and cheerful, leaving plenty of money for the 'beverages'.
8. Meat, fish and alternatives can be expensive so try and put your money together with your housemates for supermarket deals. Make sure you freeze what you don't use straight away!
9. Fundraising and Bake-Off wannabies - an easy cake to make is a choco rice crispy one, the recipe for which you can find in my book, Student Brain Food. Impress your friends with these easy treats, which don't even need an oven.
10. Student’s need caffeine like pens need ink. Energy drinks and coffees are hugely overpriced, so try making your own homemade iced latte - there's a recipe for one in Student Brain Food that costs less than the average price of a ‘posh’ store-bought coffee.
Have you got any student cooking tips of your own? Share them in the comments box below, or tweet @laurenlucien with them. Find more top tips and recipes in Lauren's Student Brain Food book.
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