by Todd Pheifer

Created on: December 11, 2007

Cooking in college can be nothing short of an adventure, particularly for those students who do not have many cooking skills or are in living situations where a full complement of appliances is not available. Therefore, a few key pieces of cookware are important for college cooking success.

Oven mitts
We start with oven mitts, because it is hard to study when you burned your hands removing your TV dinner from the dorm over. Whether the student is cooking on a stove, microwaving, or using a regular oven, mitts are essential. When it comes to food, we often like to heat things up, whether it be an entree or ingredients for a future dish. What is worse than discovering that there is no mitt around to handle hot things? Before your student uses their sleeve, two textbooks or a beach towel, get them a set of hot mitts.

Tongs
It may not seem that exciting, but tongs have universal uses when it comes to cooking. They can be used for grabbing hot food items, stirring, re-arranging dishes, or on a barbecue grill. In addition, having a set of tongs around can be very useful for other household tasks such as grabbing out-of-reach items or picking up that distasteful item that you don't want to pick up with your hands (wash your tongs afterwards).

Fridge
OK, a refrigerator is not usually associated with cookware. But, it can be an invaluable item for any college student, whether they are in a dorm room or apartment. The miniature "fridge" can be particularly helpful in a dormitory situation for storing a jug of milk, a few perishable snacks, or that delicious leftover pizza. In addition, you can get a small refrigerator at an appliance or electronics store for a reasonable price.

While many college students live off of cafeteria food, take-out, or late-night pizza, they still find themselves cooking every so often. Therefore, a few key cookware items can help the clueless college student get started on their road to culinary satisfaction. Without cookware, the prospect of even attempting to cook can be daunting all by itself.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.