Starting college is full of new experiences. For most, cooking is also a new experience that can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. The key is to start simple. You don’t have to grill up a steak in your dorm to get started, you can begin with sandwiches or customizing ramen noodles.

Start Simple

You can make a plethora of awesome meals without having to use a stove or having perfect knife skills. By making simple meals, you will improve your confidence to work up to more complex or experimental meals. One of my favorite quick meals to make is a Caprese salad, and while it may sound fancy and potentially complicated, it is a simple dish with great flavor. The best way to break through the intimidation is to start small, even if that means you start with sandwiches or learning how to boil water.

The key to cooking is to put ingredients together that you enjoy. You probably utilize this already when making sandwiches. Maybe you add a little more jelly than peanut butter because you prefer the taste of jelly. The same concept applies to cooking. The more enjoyable meals that you make, the easier cooking will become. Start with a blank canvas, like bread, rice, pasta, or potatoes. If you like tomatoes, pick up a can of red sauce. Many boxes of pasta include the steps to follow on the side. Make the pasta and add the sauce. If you enjoy cheese, you can add cheese. Once the simple skills start to feel like second nature, you may want to start to experiment, but don’t feel like you have to learn how to make your own sauce or pasta when you are just starting out. Use what is easily available, and work from there.

Recipes are also a great starting point, and this site will have a collection of basic recipes to pull from.