Help! My fridge is too small!
I need your help! I've moved to college campus for 8 weeks, and have run into a few problems. 1) because I'm temporary staff, I can't get any kind of meal plan, 2) I hardly have any kitchen utensils or tools (though I'm trying to find people who can lend me some) and don't want to buy many, if I can help it, 3) the fridge I have access to is tiny, and I have to share it.
So -- what healthy foods can I make that don't need any big appliances other than a stove or microwave, that don't need many refrigerated ingredients? Are there any such foods?
Desperately,
Skythe
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11 Comments:
Oo this is a horrible situation. I was in a similar one when I studied abroad (shared kitchen, 3 wooden spoons and no knives, etc.) I kept an arsenal of imperishable foods in my room that used only basic appliances (pasta, rice, crackers, etc.) I also used my balcony as a fridge (it was winter, so that worked okay, I did explode a can of beer though) but I'm assuming since it's June that wouldn't work. Stick to fresh fruits and veggies but keep them in containers that are TAPED SHUT and labeled like crazy. You pretty much just have to resign yourself to simple and/or microwavable/raw meals....
I did manage one real meal in that kitchen, but I had to search through 3 dorms to find all the supplies I needed and people crowded around the meal like ants and it was gone in about five minutes. Tough sitch, good luck!
embolini9 at 1:11PM on 06/17/08
I haven't had to stay on campus for an entire summer without the use of a dining hall (thank goodness!), but I've heard from my friends that when a whole bunch of hungry, poor college kids share a fridge, thefts are bound to happen. If you eat meat, only buy the amount that you'll need in the next day or two. That'll up the chances that you get to eat the food before other people can get to it (this goes for all kinds of food, of course, not just meat/other perishables). Depending on your schedule, it might be inconvenient to buy food every two or three days instead of every week, but personally I'd rather have $10 worth of food snatched up by the kid down the hall than $50, if that makes any sense (sorry if I'm being convoluted).
As for staples you should have, pasta and rice are good bets, as well as jars of spaghetti sauce. You can also get a few tubs of hummus (they're small, so they should fit in your fridge) and make a few meals/snacks out of it (hummus and pita bread, hummus and baby carrots). Good luck! :)
cochon at 1:40PM on 06/17/08
Can you borrow a big cooler and buy some ice and keep your food in your room? I wouldn't keep meat and dairy in there for long, but it would keep fruits & vegs for awhile. Nearly everyone who lives there permanently will probably have extra kitchen necessities (I know I do). If you meet people, maybe you'll have better borrowing power.
I hope you have a terrific summer!
PerkyMac at 2:40PM on 06/17/08
If there are others in your situation, maybe you could do a shared meal 2 or 3 times a week. Take turns with each bringing a simple protein dish, someone else the carbs, someone else the veggie/fruit or dessert. Rotate the categories so you're sharing the burden equally, and you may be able to eat better (and more interestingly) than if stuck on your own, trying to protect your edibles from predators.
moibec at 4:22PM on 06/17/08
I lived in a dorm for 2 summers in a row with one shared kitchen for 300 of us, and no meal plan for anyone. If there is any way possible that you can keep a mini fridge in your room, DO IT. Your stuff will be gone from the fridge in 10 seconds flat, especially if it is something yummy you slaved over for hours, no matter how many pieces of tape and written warnings you put on it. I only cooked in the shared kitchen once over both summers, and it was a miserable experience that took twice as long as it should have: the cooking utensils were cheap and practically unuseable, and no one bothered to clean up after themselves, so the sink was full of dirty dishes and the counters were encrusted with old food. I was using my parents' revereware pot, which had been a wedding present to them, and I left it to soak briefly and it had disappeared when I came back. Fortunately it reappeared later in the summer--sitting in the sink with all the other dirty dishes.
I ate a lot of sandwiches that summer.
Vegetarianka at 4:58PM on 06/17/08
There is a mini-mini-fridge called a Koolatron (I think that's right, and I think it's from Coleman which makes all the camping stuff). It looks like a portable cooler and be plugged in both in house/dorm and into a car cigatette lighter. That might be more useful in "normal" life when your dorm time is over. Good luck.
Blue Iris at 5:41PM on 06/17/08
I should have looked online before I wrote previously. It is a Coleman Koolatron. (A friend had one for a roadtrip and it was great.) It is advertised online for use by truckers. One blurb said it could also heat for a short time! Not well explained.
Blue Iris at 5:50PM on 06/17/08
Get a good little knife for use on fruits and veggies. I really like this knife which is listed as a boning knife but is great for coring quartered apples and pears (I like it for quartering too) as it is responsive but stiff too. Then indulge in those things you can keep in your room such as blueberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, tomatoes.
One of my favorites that I think is perhaps the world's most perfect food is the LaraBar. Lots of flavors (I like pistachio, chocolate mole, and key lime pie), gluten-free, dairy-free, HFCS-free with no added sugar, GMO-free, Soy-Free, no preservatives, no corn products, kosher and a dose of fiber. Needs no refrigeration and can withstand extremes of heat and cold and good for a year in package. I keep some in my car so I can get home without wanting to stop on the way especially if something comes up such as a traffic jam. Great to have for conventions when it's go, go, go and the food at the center is iffy (or mostly sweets).
Amy's are actually pretty good frozen foods for microwaving and also often cover a lot of special diets. Get some organic oatmeal packets and an electric tea pot so you can make tea and coffee too along with the oatmeal. You can buy the coffee in small doses already ground and make a (good) cup at a time manually with a set-up like this one.
Of course there's always the standard peanut butter sandwiches. The cooler is a great idea too, even a small one, especially for icy cold drinks. Love the hummus idea too.
Try to treat it as an adventure and it might be more fun and then a good memory to look back on. :)
Sieseye at 6:10PM on 06/17/08
I suppose I should clarify: I am not sharing a common fridge, but a university provided "MicroFridge." It has a small freezer, a slightly larger fridge, and a mediocre microwave on top. I'm sharing it with one other person; however, I arrived after she did, so she's got most of the space. I am working to move her from what I feel is "my half" of the thing, but even then, I won't have loads of room. It is against the rules for me to purchase/use an additional fridge. I'll see what I can do about a cooler.
I'll keep you posted as to how I manage. Thanks for your advice!
Skythe at 9:12AM on 06/18/08
Thrift stores are great for miscellaneous utensils and a few dishes. You can get a lot for only a few dollars. Are you allowed to have a small crock pot? If so, that would provide some real possibilities for good food.
robincat at 5:12PM on 06/18/08
@blue iris--I bought my dad the cooler you're talking about, and it's great. Doesn't need as much electricity as a minifridge. If there's an Ikea near you, their starter kit is great, and reasonably priced, too.
beth1 at 10:34PM on 06/19/08