Top Ten Kitchen Gadgets for the Dorm Room
1. Every dorm student needs a good large non-stick skillet. You can find these at almost any super center, grocery store, or kitchen supply store for less than $20. Buy a large and deep non-stick skillet so it can serve multiple purposes. Everyone can cook spaghetti and Hamburger Helper. If your non-stick skillet is large enough than you don’t have to dirty up another pot. You can simple pour the tomatos sauce in with the browned ground beef for a one-pot meal this quick and easy to clean up.
2. Every dorm student should have a rubber or plastic spatula. They are safe to use in your non-stick pan. They won’t scratch the Teflon coating and are perfect with every kind of food. You can find a good plastic spatula for as cheap and dollar all the way up to $5.
3. A good rubber coated wisk is also essential for dorm cooking. Nothing is easier than whipping up some scrambled eggs or pancake mix. The rubber coating is perfect because it will not scratch your mixing bowls or pots and pans. I have seen these rubber coated spatulas for $1.00 at Ikea.
4. A large wooden spoon is a great basic for anyone’s first kitchen. It is versatile and easy to use. They are perfect for breaking up ground beef as well as stirring anything from tomato sauce to oatmeal. Hand wash your wooden spoon to ensure it lasts for years. If you throw it into the dishwasher it will have a tendency to split.
5. A colander or strainer is something no college student should leave home with out. They’ll need it to drain their mac and cheese noodles as well as spaghetti. They also work well holding fresh fruit in the dorm room. A good colander can be bought for $5 or less.
6. A large pot is always important for a college student’s first kitchen. They can use it to cook in obviously, but the uses do not stop there. Use it in the dorm to ice down drinks, use it in place of a mixing bowl, and you can even probably use it to store most of these other essential kitchen utensils to keep them from cluttering up your dorm.
7. A scrub sponge with the attached soap-dispensing handle is extremely essential to any dorm kitchen. This gadget keeps you from having to carry a bottle of dish soap with you to the kitchen. You can’t rely on a common dorm kitchen to have sanitary cleaning supplies. Usually they will not even have a dishwasher. Store your scrub sponge soap dispenser in a large zip lock bag with a few holes poked into it. This will allow air in o keep it dry, but keep it off of your clean dishes. This is helpful if you are storing all of your kitchen supplies in one box or even in the large pot.
8. Measuring cups are a key element to any first kitchen. They are necessary when preparing almost any meal. I find plastic measuring cups for $1 all the time at Wal-Mart, Target, and even the grocery store. Buy the kind that are held together with a ring so that they don’t get lost. You might even prefer a glass 2-cup capacity measuring cup. It is safe to use in the microwave. This is perfect for making hot chocolate, lattes, and even oatmeal.
9. A set of plastic plates and cups is always a great choice for a first kitchen. This saves money by not having college student rely on paper plates. Money can be tight in college. Although you have to wash them, they won’t cost you a penny after the initial investment. Buy a complete set of plastic plates and cups that come with silverware as well.
10. The final kitchen gadget necessary for any college student is an oven mitt. I have never seen on in a dorm kitchen. Unfortunately this necessity is often overlooked until that first time you try to pull something off of a hot stove or out of the oven! You can buy a good oven mitt for less than $2 at almost any major super store as well as the grocery store.
