How To...Do Wallet-friendly College Catering, Part 1: equipment

Recommended Equipment for College kitchens...

Courtesy of Vector:  © Copyright Martin Kalimon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Posted 2016 August; updated June 2022

PRICES ARE CHANGING SO FAST, PLEASE CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY

Kitting yourself out for cooking when at college can be daunting but hopefully this list, with 67 comments, will be useful.  The post is not intended as a comprehensive survey, more recommendations from a food lover/blogger who stocked a kitchen virtually from scratch on a tight budget.  

It's broken down into Essentials, Nice-to-Have and Luxuries. Clearly some items won't be necessary in a shared kitchen.

If you're the first one in your family to go to Uni, ask your mum if she will circulate the list to relatives who might want to send a 'congratulations & good luck' contribution.  

Remember: Food/fuel is the second most important thing to classes & homework in a student's life. 


67goingon50's Kitchen Equipment

RECOMMENDED ESSENTIALS *indicates a must

Knives:

*Victrinox tomato Knife

*1 small paring knife, suitable for cutting & slicing
1 cook's knife, large enough for root veg
1 long serrated knife for slicing bread

• If you can only afford one good knife, the Victrinox tomato knife with serrated blade £6 got rave reviews from the Luncheon Club 
• Catering students are recommended the not-too-expensive brand Victrinox (maker of Swiss Army Knives), which will last a good 10 years - also good for students everywhere
• See How to...Buying Kitchen Knives on the Nav Bar

£4-5 from Chinatowns

*Special mug: A really, really nice one that keeps liquids warm and cheers you up when slogging through essays or revising. Comes with lid. This one also comes in red

Wooden spoon/s
Fish Slice

Spider, tongs, catering chopsticks. 
Well-priced

Metal serving spoon

Slotted Spoon or *Chinese 'Spider' (retrieves foods in boiling water)

*Tongs
*Chopsticks, at least one pair, preferably cooking chopsticks (long ones) Great for cooking Chinese but also ideal for removing bread from toasters without fear of electrocution!

Freezer trays: For freezing berries separately or small packets of soup flat for easier storage; (this one a cheap-as-chips microwave tray for £1'ish at Morrisons)

*Storage Jars: supermarkets do lovely  storage jars with prices reflecting their ethos.  John Lewis Anyday are an impressive source.  Otherwise, coffee jars, mayo jars &  peanut butter jars make great free containers. Deli plastic tubs are re-usable for a short period of time for fridge storage.  An inexpensive bag of plastic clothes pegs stop opened packets from spilling.



*Electric Ring
1 at least, 2 is better

Pots: John Lewis does reasonably-priced pot sets especially before uni term starts; get there fast; 67 prefers non PVC coating but stainless steel will also do. 
*1 small with lid, for porridge, hot milk or single portions of rice
1 medium-large pan with lid for soups & casseroles 
*Frying pan with lid (also called a Saute pan), pref teflon coated (for easy 1-dish meals)

Slow cooker with separate or built-in timer:  Excellent value, costing as little as £25; worth their weight in gold when getting home after a day in the academic trenches

Family-sized with (timer)

Small Freezer, £100'ish:  I know, I know.  It might seem a luxury but cooking in batches is one of the cheapest ways to feed yourself or others.  It is also useful for storing items not meant for communal use.  A small freezer lasts years and will see you into your first flat.

(67 has a small three shelf Iceking which cost £150 in the early stages of the pandemic.  Unless you have easy, spacious transport during the summer break,  a small freezer, not a fridge-freezer will be easier to move.) 


USEFUL

Waffle Iron: makes waffles, panini, pizza, omelette.  See Bree Drummond on Dorm Room Dining, Food Network, Season 12 Episode 1.  A sturdy one with deep holes is probably best, 4 or 2 waffle models. The one below is no longer available but a selection is available online from $30 to hundreds of pounds.  The best make thick waffles.

Wok, with lid: One of 67's most useful items; it stir-fries, braises, steams; it cooks soups and stews and will happily fry an egg or omelette (practice needed!)  Good value.

Waitrose Soup Mug 

Soup Mug:  A mug with a wide mouth for dinners at (but not too close to!) the keyboard .  Also try giant coffee mugs.

Blender, Stick (cheapest) or Bowl:  Look for sales bargains on 600+ rpm combined juicer/processors

Stick blender & citrus juicer
under £15 each

Stock Pot: Wide ones double as casserole pots; tall ones conduct heat well

Spatula: for scraping every last bit out of bowls and pot

Soup Ladle

Temperature probe: for roasting meat and fish.

Sets of matching cutlery:  Stainless-steel sets of 6 pieces (2 settings), some coloured handles from £23 upwards at John Lewis (some only in store) 


BAKERS
Hand held Whisk (cheapest) or *Electric Beaters (various quality and prices - professional quality about £60)
*Measuring spoons
*Measuring cups
Bowls 
Baking trays and tins of various sizes: But don't be afraid to use casserole dishes lined with greaseproof paper for cakes and crumbles 

Piping bag with nozzles: Polycarbonate nozzles will last a lifetime but piping bags with metal or plastic nozzles is available at excellent prices from Nisbets, supermarkets and department stores.

Scales: Should give both grams and ounces in 1g/1 oz graduations. There are many styles and prices. 67 frequently bakes and prefers a battery-operated scale that measures grams and ounces (the one seen here  only measures grams but does weigh milk and water). 

If storage space is limited, reasonably-priced colourful sturdy stacking sets of measuring spoons & cups (plus bowls & strainer) are sold in most large department stores











Either:
*a small oven, from £80 (plain)-£260+ (combined oven, turbo-baker, grill, microwave) or air fryer with roasting/baking eg £150'ish, not tested yet but top on to buy list! July 2022):

Because:

• everyone eventually gets desperate for roasted or baked food
• ovens can be fuel efficient if you cook 2 items at once, eg meat on one shelf, granola below
• a small counter-top oven will do perfectly unless lots of baking/roasting is planned 

(Note: 67 in late 2017 purchased a catering oven which only bakes; it's ace.  But expensive and (2022) not cheap to run.  Less expensive ovens which only bake are also available.  Check Nisbets.)  

OR 
Microwave: These are good value, relatively cheap and fuel efficient.  They also produce rather nice mug cakes in minutes 

LUXURIES

Small personal Fridge (around £100): especially for those sharing a kitchen 

Juicer: Space-age bullet juicers look great but need space

Air Fryer: not just for the health conscious; a multi-tasking model at between 

£1-200 produces beautiful un-fried chips & Chicken quickly; roasting & baking needs a little practice.  

Remoska, an exceptional fuel efficient Dutch oven (Lakeland) around £150:  Popular with cost conscious pensioners.  Roasts meats beautifully; casseroles/ stews cook quickly though tops can dry out; steams; BUT the blogger's trials baking cakes/cookies were unsuccessful.

Cast Iron Frying Pan: Apparently the one to strive for; professional chefs are never without at least one.  It's next on the Blogger's list of purchases 

Bamboo Steamer Baskets: Wonderful for steaming and look impressive, from Chinatowns and Nisbet. Makes great presents.

Griddle: Makes perfect pancakes and grilled sandwiches








STOCKISTS with Blogger's comments

Flying Tiger/ Hema: pop in everytime you pass one for colourful inexpensive fun kitchenware; stock changes swiftly

Chinatowns everywhere: London has three big ones, two supermarkets on Gerrard Street, one 'hyper'-market on Lisle Street; some will have say, wok lids in stock, when others don't

Robert Dyas: June 2022: not long ago was great for items a little too pricy elsewhere but disappointing lately; still offers some great short-term bargains, esp near Warren Street at start of uni term

Sainsbury's: Worth a look for toasters, kettles

Waitrose: kitchenware not as expensive as expected; Anyday offers really great prices and is first stop for the Bloggerstill   

John Lewis: One could spend hours just looking; mostly excellent lasts-a-lifetime quality with prices to match.  Good selection of small ovens; delivery to nearest Waitrose  

M&S: Beautiful designs; some items great value

Borough Kitchen: To die for!  

Hampstead, Borough Market, Islington, Chiswick.  Mostly High end ultra posh kitchenware with good value items at lower price range.  

Professional Outlets

Nisbetts: Catering specialists. Beautiful London showroom off Shaftesbury Ave (near the cinema); everything and anything in professional or home kitchens; prices don't include VAT. Mail order; Terrific bargains if you're on the mailing list .



Tips:  In the How to...Section (on the Navigation Bar) there are a few useful posts about kitchen equipment, especially knives, slow cookers, gadgets, juicers vs food processors.  Do have a look.



 Part 2, Uni Store Cupboard Basics

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