18 student cooking mistakes and how to avoid them

Become a pro student chef with these top cooking tips and guides to preparing pretty much everything to perfection.

 

Ditch ready meals and takeaways

Ready meals are very expensive for what they are and while takeaways may seem like the easy option, you can cook up better food yourself on the cheaper and faster than any delivery will arrive.

 

Use spices and seasoning

Use this ultimate spice infographic to spice up even the blandest of dishes, from plain ol’ pasta to top desserts.

 

Learn how to use a knife properly

Get your knife skills up to date to make preparing food a breeze.

 

How to cook all the vegetables

Whether it’s steaming, boiling or microwaving, here is just how to cook every vegetable imaginable.

 

Look pasta perfectly

Are you looking pasta wrong? Find out here! Learn how to cook the perfect pot of pasta every time.

 

Boil an egg to your desire

Get the perfect runny or hard boiled egg with this timing guide.

 

Eat ‘off’ food

Stale or ‘off’ foods don’t always need to be chucked away. Brown bananas can become banana loaf cake while you can turn stale bread into a delicious pudding.

 

Get some good equipment

You don’t need to splash out thousands for the latest gadgets but get yourself a good set of knives, basic utensils and pans for your student kitchen, the investment will pay off in the long run!

 

Clean up properly

Cleaning up as you go is always best as you won’t be left with a whole load of extra work to do once you’re finished cooking. If washing pots bugs you that much, try out some no cleaning up required recipes!

 

Avoid cross contamination

Be weary of causing food poisoning through cross contamination of raw and cooked meats. Always keep them separate, use separate knives, wash your hands between handling and store them properly. Don’t put your flatmates in hospital!

 

Check food is cooked

Similarly, make sure your food is fully cooked before serving. No one wants red chicken.

 

Don’t discard leftovers

You can turn leftovers into new meals such as ciabatta pizzas or pizza eggs.

 

Bake the perfect chicken breast

Here’s a guide on turning a basic chicken breast into something quite special.

 

How to store all the food

Make the most of your food by keeping it as fresh as possible for as long as you can. Here’s all you need to know about the best ways to preserve most groceries.

 

How to properly freeze food

If you’re not going to eat it immediately, freezing can keep most foods good to eat for months or longer. Here’s all the prep and guidelines you need

 

Learn why cakes flop

Get cakes that would impress Mary Berry with these top tips

 

Make the right substitutions

Don’t quite have the right ingredients? You needn’t not bother, try these common substitutions

 

Get the right amounts

Make sure your ingredients are on point with this measurement conversation chart so you get the right amounts every time.