Cheap recipes for Uni

[scary mum]

DD (third year student) & her housemates ordered Thai food to be delivered last night. The delivery driver greeted her with "Oh, you've moved"

[Surferfish]

Students are a different breed from when I went in 1980, I lived on toasted egg sandwiches for two years. I think that rather than going out on the lash they gather around at each others houses and cook. I assume they have the odd drop to wash it all down with to maintain some semblance of debauched student life.

Mmm, I was similar, with maybe trying the odd spag bol with sauce from a jar if I was feeling adventurous! Perhaps times have indeed changed though? Maybe a positive influence of all the cookery programs on TV these days! Tbh if and when he goes off to University in a 4 or 5 years time I'll be happy if DS knows how to boil a pan of pasta and cook scrambled eggs, but maybe he'll come home and surprise me!

BTW one tip that is worth considering however simple or extravagant your recipe might be is that it makes far more sense to cook for a group than just yourself. Once they've got to know each other worth suggesting they all chip in for ingredients and share cooking (and washing up) between 3 or 4 of them.

[Amber]

Surferfish, the thread was started by eccentric, whose daughter is used to freshly cooked food with organic ingredients and who is already a fairly accomplished cook. Hence the tone of our replies.

Tbh if and when he goes off to University in a 4 or 5 years time I'll be happy if DS knows how to boil a pan of pasta and cook scrambled eggs, but maybe he'll come home and surprise me!

It's up to you whether he can or not, of course. If you start teaching him now he should have a rather better repertoire than that by the time he leaves home.

[Guest55]

I was a student in the 1970s and we had a rota on our floor [self-catered hall] and used to cook for a group of 5. Each week day one of us cooked for the group and then did our own thing at the weekends - it worked out very cheap and cut down on people using the kitchen.

It also meant we shared recipes and didn't have to cook on a day when we'd had 5 hours of lectures.

[Surferfish]

Surferfish, the thread was started by eccentric, whose daughter is used to freshly cooked food with organic ingredients and who is already a fairly accomplished cook. Hence the tone of our replies.

Tbh if and when he goes off to University in a 4 or 5 years time I'll be happy if DS knows how to boil a pan of pasta and cook scrambled eggs, but maybe he'll come home and surprise me!

It's up to you whether he can or not, of course. If you start teaching him now he should have a rather better repertoire than that by the time he leaves home.

Yes, fair points. I'd imagine Eccentric's DD is the exception rather than the rule though. (Our DS is also used to freshly cooked food, but eating it rather than preparing it! )

While you can only lead a horse to water, we'll certainly endeavour to teach DS a few basic recipes. Maybe he can start cooking supper one night a week (with initial supervision to avoid us all getting food poisoning from undercooked chicken... ).

I think if I tried to suggest him making his own stock he'd run for the hills (or the chippy ), but meals that he likes like chicken stir fry, spag bol, chilli-con-carne and tuna napolitana (made using Schwartz packet powder ) would be worth a go.

[Amber]

Yes, fair points. I'd imagine Eccentric's DD is the exception rather than the rule though. (Our DS is also used to freshly cooked food, but eating it rather than preparing it! )

While you can only lead a horse to water, we'll certainly endeavour to teach DS a few basic recipes. Maybe he can start cooking supper one night a week (with initial supervision to avoid us all getting food poisoning from undercooked chicken... ).

Maybe; I have taught all of mine to cook from when they were young but that is just my parenting style I suppose. I consider it at least as important as all the phonics and number stuff they are taught when they are little. Either way, it is definitely worth being a bit strict over it imho. One of DD's flatmates last year was regularly sick as he had no idea about cooking or food hygiene and kept poisoning himself*. I think getting him to cook a meal a week is a good idea - mine have had to do this too, obviously with help when needed initially, but once they realise that the alternatives are either less tasty processed food or food poisoning, I imagine you can get them on board.

*unfortunately he also had no idea about how to clean up properly and hygienically after vomiting.

[mad?]

You are all right of course. I have 'taught' both mine to cook but DD1 is not really interested and can't really do it (trust me, I have sampled her wares!). Last year she had an Aga in her student house (really ).After two terms of me banging on about how jealous I was and what I would do with an Aga, she was feeling short on time and money and so went to her local butcher, bought chicken bones (4 carcasses for £1!) and stuck them in the slow over with bayleaves from the bush by the front door, some onion skin and a carrot. I was beyond proud when she told me about the beautiful gelatinous stock she had created, until she told me she was using it to mix with baked beans and frozen peas to make enough pasta sauce to last the next 3 weeks. Must have tasted disgusting but, not entirely unhealthy, VERY cheap and kept her going through exams.

[scary mum]

mad? That sounds disgusting!

[mad?]

mad? That sounds disgusting!

I'm sure it was!

[Eccentric]

I make my stock in the slow cooker as I have had a couple boil dry when i have forgotten about them. I have some bubbling away right now. I put the skin / fat in to get the max flavour out and then skim it off the top of the cooled stock once the fat has solidified. If I am making rissotto I might use a bit of that fat to soften the onions at the beginning.

Are you me, Reading Mum, I came on to type the same thing? Using the slow cooker for stock is brilliant - although I like the smell of simmering stock it isn't quite so all pervasive in the slow cooker. I tend to put it on over night (and I leave the skin on too & skim afterwards).

Been offline for a day or two the wonderful winter V bug has visited our house. Nothing to do with Chicken circus soups Recovery food is garlic soup (cooked in the slow cooker with chicken stock)

I use a slow cooker for making stocks too. I cook them for about 18 hours with an onion, a few celery ends and a bay leaf. Personally I think it is a good idea to leave the fatty stuff in. It is full of collagen which is great for the skin and body repairs but I am definitely not averse to fat.

I love my slow cooker. It is a Kitchen aid one and is more of a multi cooker. Any temperature and time can be set from yoghurt making to searing. On the cheap front the slow cooker is amazing for cooking cheap cuts of meat that would otherwise be tough. Stew packs of lamb cooked dry on low with a pile of garlic and a few sprigs of Rosemary is delicious. I think sending a slow cooker to Uni is a good idea.