Getting started with cooking
If you don’t have much cooking experience, start with simple recipes. Think pasta, rice dishes, soups or wraps. This way, you can gradually learn the basic techniques and gain more confidence in your cooking skills (and not run the risk of having to serve your housemates a burnt casserole). Once you've mastered the basics, try cooking a more challenging recipe, like risotto. You will see that after just a few weeks, you will be able to make a variety of delicious dishes.
Always good to have in stock
It is always useful to have a stock of non-perishable products in the house. There's nothing worse than not having anything to eat after a long day of lectures, and then ordering food via Thuisbezorgd suddenly becomes very tempting... So make sure you always have the following in stock:
- Rice, pasta and wraps: with these basic ingredients, you can go in any direction.
- Onion and garlic: the flavour enhancers that go into almost every dish.
- Butter and/or olive oil.
- Canned products: for example, legumes such as beans, lentils and chickpeas are nutritious, cheap and have a long shelf life. Cans of diced tomatoes, strained tomatoes and tomato puree always come in handy as well.
- Frozen vegetables: with frozen vegetables like spinach and peas in stock, you can always make a healthy meal. Frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh vegetables but are cheaper and easier to store. (Just make sure you have a freezer, by the way!)
Herbs and spices
Don't be that student who only serves bland meals to his housemates! Salt and pepper are already a good start in almost every dish. Basil, oregano, thyme, parsley and rosemary (or just Italian herbs) are perfect in any Italian dish. Chilli powder and chilli flakes add a little spice to your meals. In addition, garlic powder, curry powder and paprika are also always handy to have.
Basic cooking equipment
Chopping an onion with a dull knife is not only frustrating but also dangerous (speaking from experience 😉). Therefore, it's smart to invest in good basic cooking equipment. If you’re living in a student house, check what is already there. At a minimum, it is nice to have a large sharp knife, some good small knives, a sturdy cutting board, a good frying and cooking pan and wooden spoons.
Useful websites
Websites that I personally like to use to get recipes from are Lekker en Simpel, Leuke Recepten and Gewoon wat een studentje ‘s avonds eet. Sometimes I come across recipes that require a long list of ingredients, often not standard items, and only use a bit of each. This is not the case with these websites: with not too many ingredients, you still put a tasty, quick and healthy meal on the table. What more could you want as a student?
Create your own (online) Recipe book
As you go along, you will collect more and more great recipes. Keep them all in one place, such as in one of the many apps designed for this purpose or in a physical recipe book. You'll thank yourself later when you're out of inspiration for cooking!
Larger portions
Cooking a larger portion once in a while is never a bad idea. Not only is it relatively cheaper, but you can also put what you have left in the freezer for later. That way, on busy days, you no longer have to throw a frozen pizza in the oven, but always have a nutritious meal on hand!
Grocery shopping on a budget
Eating healthy is important, but unfortunately not always cheap. Fortunately, you can save money with a few smart tips. For example, always buy fruit and vegetables that are in season, as they are cheaper and tastier! You can also get cheap fruit and vegetables (and other products) at the market, on H.J. van Heekplein every Tuesday and Saturday. Moreover, you can save a lot by replacing brand-name products with store brands.
Weekly menu
Especially if you often cook yourself because you don't live in a student house, plan what you want to eat for the rest of the week at the beginning of the week and make a shopping list. This way, you only have to go to the supermarket once. Not only does this save time, but also money! Since you know what you are there for, you are less likely to make impulse purchases or buy too much food, which you'll end up throwing away at the end of the week. Classic tip: don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry, as you're more likely to come home with unnecessary snacks 😉.
Off-days
Everyone has days when they don't feel like cooking. That's why it's good to have easy, quick recipes for these days. A simple meat-and-three-veg meal or pasta with cream cheese and some vegetables always works well on those off-days!
Cooking together
Cooking together is more fun than cooking alone! So ask your housemates or friends to cook with you. Cooking together is not only more fun; you can also learn from each other's cooking skills!
Recipes
Looking for inspiration? Here are some of my favourite recipes that anyone can make!
Creamy pasta with broccoli
This creamy pasta with broccoli is the perfect comfort food on a lazy Sunday or after a hard day of studying. You can even make this meal in one pot and it’s done within 30 minutes!
Wraps with chicken
These wraps with chicken are perfect for a hot summer day. Sweet chilli sauce, chicken schnitzel and bell pepper are also very tasty with these. For a veggie version, replace the chicken with vegetarian chicken.
Gnocchi soup
On a rainy day, this gnocchi soup is all you need! You can easily make this dish vegetarian by replacing the chicken pieces with veggie chicken pieces and the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Greek orzo bowl
This Greek orzo bowl with (vegetarian) chicken, tomato, feta and cucumber not only looks nice, it is also very tasty! With homemade tzatziki, it tastes best!
