Meal Plans vs. Cooking for Yourself

Most dormitories at U.S. or Canadian colleges and universities are equipped with cooking facilities. However, for those who do not have the time or facilities to cook for themselves, there is the option of cafeteria dining. Most dormitories have a cafeteria within the building or nearby that offers low-cost food to students. Often students can sign up for one of a variety of meal plans by which they can pay ahead for the food they will consume. Depending on your tastes and financial situation, you might find these meal plans convenient, cheap, and easily accessible. Some universities require that all students living in a dormitory sign up for a meal plan. Cafeterias are open during scheduled hours and usually offer a variety of foods, including vegetarian selections for those who do not eat meat. Meal plans are sometimes available to students living off-campus as well, which is a great convenience for students who may eat as many as two meals a day on-campus. If you plan to live in an apartment and do not wish to cook or if you enjoy the social aspect of eating in the cafeteria, consider trying out your school's meal plan. Cafeterias are generally closed during holidays and vacation periods.

Cooking Resources

What happens if you don't know how to cook but can't afford to buy a meal plan on campus? There are a few basic tips you should keep in mind. In this short article, Fiona Beckett, from BBC Food UK and author of several student cookbooks gives you the scoop on cooking while at school:

Confident cooking

Cooking may sound daunting but it's a doddle, really. If you can write an essay or pass your A-levels, you can follow a recipe. You can cook a simple pasta sauce, for example, with a tablespoon of oil, a clove of garlic and a tin of tomatoes for less than half the price of the pasta sauces sold in jars - and it'll taste much better. It couldn't be easier - or quicker - to rustle up a plate of scrambled eggs or to make a spaghetti carbonara (pasta with egg and bacon sauce). It takes minutes to wash and dry a lettuce and make a simple dressing that will cost you a fraction of the price of a pack of salad leaves.

If you have an oven you can even make a slap-up Sunday lunch. Simply buy a tray of chicken legs and thighs and roast them in a big tin with a little oil and garlic, turning them occasionally and chucking in a few sausages halfway through. You don't even have to carve. Make a simple gravy by dissolving a bouillon cube in a mug-ful of boiling water. Melt a tablespoon (15g) of butter, stir in a tablespoon of plain flour and stir in your stock, bring it to the boil and there you have it. Sounds weird but it works.

Five a day

Getting the recommended five fresh fruit and vegetables a day might seem like an insuperable hurdle but if you try to incorporate some in each meal it's not that hard. A glass of orange juice for breakfast, a salad at lunchtime, an apple or banana as a snack during the day and a portion of frozen peas with your dinner and you're almost there (frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh ones). Stir fries are also a really tasty way of upping your intake. You don't need prepared stir-fry sauces either - just shake over some light soy sauce (which you'll find is cheaper in small ethnic grocers and Chinese supermarkets).

Cheap fruit isn't always of great quality, but if you add a little sugar or cook it briefly you can make it taste fantastic. Plums, for instance, are often hard and unripe but if you stone them, cut them into chunks, stir fry them in a little butter, sprinkle over some sugar and pinch of cinnamon and cook them for another minute you won't believe how different they'll taste. Serve them on toasted malt bread with a dollop of plain yoghurt for a real feast!

Smart shopping

An important part of eating well is shopping well. Supermarkets are convenient for staples such as tinned tuna, pasta and rice but it can be cheaper to shop for other ingredients, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, elsewhere. If you live in a town that has a street market or if your digs are near a row of small independent shops you may well find it's cheaper to buy from them, particularly if you're living in a student house and cooking for a crowd. Fresh herbs and spices are about a third of the price you'll pay in a supermarket.

Even in the supermarket you can save a lot of money by buying ingredients loose rather than pre-packed. A couple of carrots, for example, will cost you considerably less than a pre-packed bag will cost. A pack of grated cheese is obviously much more expensive than a block of cheese you grate yourself.

You'll also save money by pooling your resources. If four roommates contribute to a food fund you'll have a week's food budget that will rival that of most non-student households. Or if ten of you pitch in for a slap-up Saturday night feast you'll be able to afford a meal that's infinitely better than anything you would get for that amount in a restaurant. It's also more fun to cook together - if you share the preparation (and clearing up!) it never seems as stressful.