Cooking up a storm on a Baby Belling
Stuck in a ‘pasta and sauce’ rut? For those who dropped Home Economics in year nine in favour of something a little more career friendly, the hour is nigh to flex your culinary muscles in the mad, bad world of the student kitchen. Forget ready meals, Rachel Ringstead has a few tips for the undomesticated.
Apparently there is a high probability that as a student you may suffer from ‘mageirocophobia’. Although this sounds worryingly like a new strain of hepatitis, it is actually a more benign and curable condition - a crippling fear of cookery.
Such a problem is particularly endemic among Freshers, who are often as inclined to slave over a hot stove, as they are to turn up to lectures. However, if by mid term the kebab man knows you intimately as ‘Tony -extra-sauce’, it’s evidently time to tackle the issue and get your apron on - however soul destroying this might seem.
In truth, the notion that cooking is difficult is a cruel, expedient myth manufactured annually by Delia Smith and Waterstones to make money at Christmas. Even if finances won’t stretch to bulk buying M&S microwave meals each week, student cookery need not be a ‘no frills’ nightmare. Admittedly fillet mignon is likely to be off the menu, but contrary to the lore of countless masochistic student cookbooks you don’t have to live frugally on steamed chickpeas, unless you ardently desire to make a profound, political statement.
The key to spending less money on food in the long run is to invest in essential staples. Alongside storing failsafe, student classics like rice, pasta, tuna, baked beans etc., ensure a good supply of pizzazz-inducing wonders like: lemon juice, tomato purée, herbs and spices, wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey and flavoured oils. For instance, try buying jars of garlic, ginger and chillies that last for ages in the fridge (the English Provender Company do a fantastic ‘very lazy’ range).
Furthermore, to give yourself a fighting chance it makes sense to be well-equipped. Clearly buying the Le Cruset range is a bit keen, but it’s worth picking up more than just a corkscrew when you go shopping in the kitchenware aisle. A couple of strong pans, a good non-stick wok, as well as a chopping board, colander and some sharp knives will be welcome props for culinary triumph.
Admittedly lack of space is a more challenging obstacle to overcome. Those with kitchens that are equivalent in square feet to a James student’s en-suite, will undoubtedly find rustling something up a bit more difficult than their cat swinging counterparts from Alcuin (incidentally, it does not help matters when such people visit and exclaim, “Golly! How do you live like this?”).
Indeed over the years many a kitchen virgin from the leafy suburbs has been found staring lost and awe-struck at the sight of a baby belling. Admittedly these instruments do have all the hallmarks of science fiction, but provided that you organise yourself well and go for recipes based around a hob, it is possible to cope, with the added image boost of looking like a martyr.
As for mastering the art of cooking itself you don’t need the talents of Gary Rhodes, or even the breasts of Nigella Lawson to be successful. The real ingredients for success are confidence, reckless abandon and most crucially, good taste.
Finding a few key dishes that can be easily adapted is a good starting point. If you lack knowledgeable relatives to bestow pearls of culinary wisdom, insist that they buy you a simple cookbook; Jamies Dinners by Mr. Oliver is rather helpful (although ignore any pretentious instructions to import olive oil from Sardinia, infused with truffles - who cares?).
However knowing how to make a basic white sauce (or a ‘roux’ as Mrs Beaton calls it) is basic tradecraft for any novice on the stairway to gastronomical bliss. Simply melt a knob of butter in a pan over a low heat and add a tablespoon of plain flour, stirring until the mixture becomes dry and grainy. Remove this from the heat and gradually add 90ml of milk, return to a slightly higher heat stirring consistently until the sauce boils and thickens (double the quantities if you are cooking for more people, or are rather hungry, or large).
From this base you can experiment with the art of alchemy; try adding cheese and chopped peppers and pour over cauliflower and broccoli, or combine with vegetables, tuna and pasta, and bake in the oven (consider grilling with Parmesan and flaked chilli sprinkled on top). By adding parsley you can make a great accompaniment for fish dishes, or add mushrooms and onion to make a creamy meat sauce. Alternatively you could toss in some cheese, chopped ham and mushrooms to make a rather divine, poor man’s carbonara.
A cheap can of chopped tomatoes can easily be spiced up too; gently heat with a dash of olive oil, tomato purée, a slug of red wine vinegar and some onion, garlic and herbs (add spices if you are feeling dangerous). This sauce can be used as a base for vegetable lasagne, bolognese, chilli con carne, sausage casserole, or can be served with chicken or fish. You can also play around with accompaniments for instance, try pouring chilli over baked potato or nachos.
Stir frys are also quick and tasty and a fantastic way of ensuring that you get enough vitamins to ward off pandemics of bird flu. The secret behind a fabulous stir fry is to get a well-oiled pan as hot as possible before adding chopped meat with onions, garlic, ginger, chillies etc. Let this sizzle away with your favourite vegetables (finely chopped), before lowering the heat to add seasoning. Prepared sauces aren’t often too expensive, but if you are super organised you could marinade your meat in advance. Soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour, lemon juice and honey work well, or beer can be used as a marinade for red meat (if you can bear to part with it).
Many people find judging quantities the difficult part of cooking. Making a big vat of chilli or curry can be a good solution as you can freeze the leftovers for a busy, hungry day.
However, seasoned students will testify that if you can knock up something delicious in an instant, you won’t be cooking for one for long. Ultimately the most important thing about cookery is to experiment with foods that you love. As long as you don’t try to be too clever at the outset and check that your ingredients are fresh, washed and hot all the way through, you probably won’t die. Bon Appetite.
How to avoid a kitchen nightmare
Only steal food from people you don’t like, or who really, really like you
Keep raw meat and other items that can drip on the bottom fridge shelf
Only reheat things once and ensure they are piping hot all the way through (be especially careful with rice)
Always cover things in the fridge so that the smell doesn’t diffuse
Do your own washing up. After time your nice housemate who said she didn’t mind in week one, will tell B Block what an arse you are to live with
Don’t put hot things in the fridge or freezer, as it raises the temperature
Nobody likes a Monica Gellar germ warrior attitude but it doesn’t hurt to change tea towels regularly and spritz a bit of flash here and there – salmonella is not glamorous
