One of the most daunting aspects of student life is not the partying, the drinking, the settling-in or the ‘w’ word; something even more terrifying than that. Something where stabbing, cutting and burning have been accepted for centuries. Something even Arnold Schwarzenegger would turn his back to – cooking.
When the ‘freshers’ dust has settled and you foray into the kitchen for the first time, you may start to compare cupboards; soon realising your place on the cooking hierarchy. Someone will open theirs to reveal a concoction of guacamole (essentially glorified mushy peas); ‘Quorn’ (which hopefully tastes like chicken, given that it resembles something closer to plaster board) and a variety of herbs and spices (there’s a joke in there somewhere). Sure enough, your four cans of beans, instant mash potato and set of Morrison’s microwave meals looks somewhat measly in comparison. But why should it?
The social stigma surrounding cooking has boiled over to the point where those who cannot afford the elaborate ingredients or flowery recipes are becoming victimised by the self-anointed budding Gordon Ramseys and Jamie Olivers of this world, as they jostle for their ‘rightful’ place over the hob and oven; determined not to beaten by anyone in their close proximity. But after a hard day’s work, who can be bothered to spend half an hour preparing food, forty-five minutes cooking it and an equal amount of time washing up the one thousand different sets of plates, pots and pans that have been used to soften the spring onions and red-eye chilli peppers? One way of cooking in simple terms is to: open the freezer; remove the microwave meal; whack it in for 5-10 minutes. Done. It may not be everybody’s cup of tea but if used in moderation it can be a cheaper, safer and easier way to cook.
Finding the right balance between the two would be food for thought. Having been a cooking virgin, I now know not to grill a ‘Fray Bentos’ pie or to leave sugar burning in a pan to make treacle syrup. Needless to say a sticky situation ensued. Apparently there’s no smoke without a fire; there’s no fire without a student. It was a recipe for disaster in being overambitious. Going to some university cooking classes may not have been a bad idea after all…
Some thrifty purchases and basic cooking knowledge can take you (and me) far; without the need for ingredients that are difficult to say never mind cook. A box of caged eggs (there’s a recession), a sprinkle of salt and a dash of pepper is all you need for a cracking omelette. Or even throw some lightly browned sausages into a pot full of beans and tinned tomatoes for fifteen minutes; with an optional side of instant mash.
So the next time you nose into the kitchen, remember it’s not the size and content of people’s cupboards that matters. People may well use these exotic ingredients and dishes to mask their wafer-thin knowledge of the culinary world. Remember it’s what you can do with the ingredients that counts.