The simple kitchen gear that will set you up for dorm room cooking success

It may feel impossible to do any real cooking in your dorm room, but just a few appliances and utensils can really change the game. That said, it’s also easy for kitchen appliances to get out of hand — I know it may feel like you really need an avocado slicer, but your limited storage space probably begs to differ.

The good news is you can do a lot of cooking damage with just a few items. Whether you’re looking to up your snack and coffee game or are trying to avoid the dining plan and cook at home, these kitchen supplies will put you well on your way to dorm room gourmet.

A real cutting board

A good cutting board is the backbone of a dorm room cooking setup. It’s cheap, easy to store, and can allow you to prep full meals on your desk (or any other hard surface in your dorm room). Go with hard plastic for a good balance of durability and storability, and if you want to level up, look for one with a little well around the edge to catch spills before they make it to your homework underneath. A handle may also be nice in case you need to carry your scraps to the common room trash can.

Related: 8 TikTok food hacks to help college students cook in any space

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s big enough to chop and store several items at once so you don’t have to rinse your board between every ingredient.

A few simple appliances

Investing in some small appliances will take your dorm room cooking up several notches. It should be noted that, before buying any of the suggestions below, be sure to check your university’s rules about what you’re allowed to have.

Rules pending, here are some appliances to consider. If your dorm room doesn’t already come with a microwave and mini fridge, that’s table stakes. A mini fridge will help you keep more fresh food on hand and a microwave will help you cook it (there are a lot of shockingly good microwave recipes available on the internet). Adding some combination of a hot water kettle, toaster oven, blender, rice cooker, air fryer or Instant Pot can also help you create culinary miracles in a small space.

Choose your own adventure based on what’s permitted in your dorms, what you have space for and what you think you’d use the most. If you’re on a budget, there are often plenty of cheap reused appliances on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.

A pared-down utensils toolkit

Utensils are where a kitchen can often get cluttered, but you can actually do a lot with very little.

First up, you’ll want a nice, sharp knife or two. A chef’s knife alone will get you far with your chopping needs. You may want to add a paring knife for peeling, or you could just get a vegetable peeler if that’s your preference. A serrated knife is also an optional add-on for cutting bread, tomatoes, and other more delicate foods.

Related: How to order up a surprisingly well-stocked college pantry

Beyond that, it’s basically a question of: What can’t I do with my hands, a spoon or a fork? Not much, besides opening cans or measuring ingredients, so a can opener and some cheap measuring cups or spoons can be worth using space for. Buying pre-grated cheese, carrots, garlic or ginger can eliminate the need for a grater (or you can use your chef’s knife to mince them). Your hands are a built-in citrus squeezer. You can toss, stir or whisk anything with regular forks and spoons. Tupperware or dishes can double as mixing bowls.

For the college chef, the basics truly will do. You’ll realize if your kit is missing anything essential pretty quickly (who knows, maybe you can’t live without a Microplane or an asparagus peeler) — every cook is a little different. The best way to find out is to start cooking.

A wide variety of storage containers

When you’re living the on-the-go college life, Tupperware is almost more important than regular bowls and plates, and it’s good to have a variety for different purposes.

A couple of glass mason jars can serve as air-tight options for carrying around soup, dressing-covered salads and even smoothies without them spilling in your bag. A few sizes of plastic Tupperware will get your sandwiches, snacks and leftovers to the library un-squashed and without adding too much weight to your bag. It’s also good to keep a couple of disposable takeout containers around for when you don’t want to carry a messy Tupperware to the function you’re heading to after class.

Related: How to upgrade your snack game in college

For around-the-dorm storage, chip clips or rubber bands are great for closing half-used bags of snacks or ingredients and take up almost no space.

A basic clean-up kit

Finally, don’t forget to clean up! With some dish soap and a sponge, you can turn a dorm bathroom into a kitchen sink. A couple of dish towels will go a long way to wipe up your space and give you a place to lay out clean dishes to dry. A broom and dustpan or a small vacuum to tackle any crumbs that made it onto the floor is also key.

Add a simple set of (microwavable) dishes, and you’ll be dining like royalty in your dorm room in no time (or at least relying a little bit less on junk food to get you by).

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