by Walter Little

Created on: June 07, 2008

Cooking on a student's budget
(How to eat well and not break the bank)

When I saw the call for articles on this subject, I immediately thought of a book on our bookshelf that my wife received when she was in college. Entitled "The Impoverished Students' Book of Cookery, Drinkery & House Keepery,1" author Jay F. Rosenberg gave some common sense ideas to primarily college students how they could eat well while staying within their budget. I will present some of his ideas as well as somethings I've learned during my lifetime.

Setting up your kitchen

Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles if not THE biggest to cooking on a student budget is setting up your kitchen. Contrary to what most stores would have you believe, you don't have to go into debt to put a good meal on the table. According to Mr. Rosenberg all a student really needs to put a nutritious meal on the table is:

1 Large cast-iron skillet 1 Two-quart casserole dish with a lid
1 Lid (to cover the skillet) 2 Pots with lids
1 Double boiler (optional) 1 Coffee pot (optional)
1 Large, slotted spoon 1 Large spoon (non-slotted)
1 Spatula 1 Grater

One thing that Mr. Rosenberg included in his list but I didn't include (because I felt it was obvious) was assorted dishes, knives, forks and spoons. Also, with regard to the iron skillet, it needs to be seasoned when you bring it home. To accomplish this task simply heat some cooking oil (just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet) until it smokes. It's that simple.

What can I cook?

Once the kitchen is established, the next question is : "What can I cook?" Here are so simple and, more importantly inexpensive ideas.

Casseroles -

Casseroles are a good choice for cooks operating on a students' budget (or a newlywed couple) because it's inexpensive to prepare and usually requires only one dish to prepare. Here is one such recipe from Mr. Rosenberg's book:

How Many Casserole
1 Lb Ground beef
Lb Mild cheddar cheese
1 Can (# 2 size2) Tomato sauce
2 Cans (# 2 size) Hominy

To prepare:

Grate the cheese. Saute the ground beef in butter or margarine with onion and then add season with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and cumin. Once the meat is browned, drain off the fat and add the tomato sauce. In a casserole dish add alternating layers of hominy, meat sauce and cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (or until the cheese is thoroughly melted.)

Meats -

Primordial Chicken3

1 Cut-up frying chicken or broiler per each two (2) persons

To prepare:

Rub each piece of chicken lightly with

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