The Lemon Fool

Any suggestions for a recipe book for a new student living away from home? He is a able cook at home - where all the ingredients are to hand, but I was thinking of a book that required simple, cheap ingredients and not a great deal of preparation time.

granretire wrote:Any suggestions for a recipe book for a new student living away from home? He is a able cook at home - where all the ingredients are to hand, but I was thinking of a book that required simple, cheap ingredients and not a great deal of preparation time.

The bible used to be "Grub on a Grant". Latest incarnation of it is "Essential Student Cookbook" by Cas Clarke.

Or maybe "The Hungry Student Cookbook", seems to have cocktails in too. Useful for pre-drinks!

I'd strongly recommend a book called "A Girl Called Jack" by Jack Munroe. Don't worry she's not a 'girly' girl so your grandson won't be put off by photos her cooking dressed in frilly blouses and high heels i.e. she's not a Nigella Lawson type...

She became a well known cook after going through a period of extreme financial difficulty when she had to learn how to make the best out of practically nothing in terms of equipment, fuel & ingredients. She still comes up with some remarkably tasty food and I like to use many of her recipes even though I'm not flat broke and have plenty of kitchen equipment.

The advantages of her recipes and advice are:

she has lots of ideas for what you do when your cooking equipment is very limited. Did you know for example that you can mash foods just as well, or maybe even better and quicker, with the back of a cheap thin teaspoon than you can with an expensive 'masher' bought expressly for the purpose?

in terms of ingredients she's very much the queen of 'if you haven't got this then use that or that or that or maybe even that' instead.

On her website there is a very useful section

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2016/02/08/dont-throw-that-away-an-a-z-of-leftovers-tired-veg-etc-and-what-to-do-with-them/?blogsub=confirming#blog_subscription-2

about using stuff up. What can you do with a tired carrot or half an onion or the bread that's gone stale and they are nice ideas not things which make you feel you'd rather go and get a takeaway!

Cooking in a bedsit?

Someone bought me a book called (I think) "One pot cooking" at that time in my life. I never actually used it - though I did cook.

Bottom line: the last thing a student needs is superfluous physical clutter. Doubly so when everything is now available online. If you want to help with cooking, get them something useful instead. For instance, a slow cooker - if the individual is of a temperament to use it.

In my day, a coffee percolator made for a very popular student. Though these days that might not work so well, as an equivalent espresso machine is way too big and heavy for student life.

midnightcatprowl wrote:I'd strongly recommend a book called "A Girl Called Jack" by Jack Munroe.

She's a great favourite of the chattering classes. You can't be a radio 4 listener without encountering her from time to time.

She became a well known cook after going through a period of extreme financial difficulty when she had to learn how to make the best out of practically nothing in terms of equipment, fuel & ingredients. She still comes up with some remarkably tasty food and I like to use many of her recipes even though I'm not flat broke and have plenty of kitchen equipment.

That used to raise a wry smile, as her budget was many times bigger than mine of 2002/3. In fact I think it would've been middle-of-the-road a generation or two ago. But still a lot more reasonable than seems to be normal today.

The advantages of her recipes and advice are:

she has lots of ideas for what you do when your cooking equipment is very limited. Did you know for example that you can mash foods just as well, or maybe even better and quicker, with the back of a cheap thin teaspoon than you can with an expensive 'masher' bought expressly for the purpose?

Teaspoon? I use (the back of) a fork! Doesn't everyone? I've some very distant recollection of doing it with a big institutional (probably school) fork and marvelling at how quick it was with a bigger tool!

in terms of ingredients she's very much the queen of 'if you haven't got this then use that or that or that or maybe even that' instead.

On her website there is a very useful section

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2016/02/08/dont-throw-that-away-an-a-z-of-leftovers-tired-veg-etc-and-what-to-do-with-them/?blogsub=confirming#blog_subscription-2

about using stuff up. What can you do with a tired carrot or half an onion or the bread that's gone stale and they are nice ideas not things which make you feel you'd rather go and get a takeaway!

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For the Radio 4 chattering classes, all that seems like a different world. It all takes me back to how my own upbringing, and habits I picked up from my mother - who would never let anything go to waste. Yet she in turn was bemused - and sometimes exasperated - by her own mother's wartime habits of sometimes-much-greater frugality.

I guess if you're brought up in a lifestyle of modern affluence and waste then Jack is probably an excellent recommendation. And if you're not then you'll know it all already.

UncleEbenezer wrote:Cooking in a bedsit?

Bottom line: the last thing a student needs is superfluous physical clutter. Doubly so when everything is now available online. If you want to help with cooking, get them something useful instead. For instance, a slow cooker - if the individual is of a temperament to use it.

In my day, a coffee percolator made for a very popular student. Though these days that might not work so well, as an equivalent espresso machine is way too big and heavy for student life.

Totally agree with UE. When our son started Uni he got given a "101 student vegetarian cooking recipes" type book. Her never even took it with him. I appreciate that the OP is trying to help, but unless its expressly been requested and will be used, the web provides everything needed - and utensils/pots/pans/whatever are indeed more useful eventually.

As it is we have a second espresso machine (loose coffee type, not pods) as we await amazon to replace the broken delonghi we have... and we were thinking he'd probably quite like the replacement (£7.50 charity shop, Delonghi loose coffee!) for use at uni (last year...). But it is that clutter factor - albeit he is in a shared house of 6 lads with a sizeable kitchen so it may not be too difficult!

didds

granretire wrote:Any suggestions for a recipe book for a new student living away from home? He is a able cook at home - where all the ingredients are to hand, but I was thinking of a book that required simple, cheap ingredients and not a great deal of preparation time.

I bought this about 30 years ago, and I think I tried just about every recipe - https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Coronet-Bo ... 0340389591

Despite its rather sad title it's got some excellent recipes for a single meal. Most online recipes are for 4 people, and it's often not practicable just to divide by 4.

I enjoyed cooking the recipes because although they're not just crappy shoestring student food the ingredients are generally fairly cheap and - just as important - readily available. Although you don't need many cooking skills the recipes do require a bit of effort, but I personally think that having to put that effort in enhanced the enjoyment of the meals.