By Maha Masud, Jayplay writer
Say goodbye to takeout menus and daily trips to Lewis Hall, and hello to gourmet goodness. With a little creativity and concocting, eating well in your room is not only possible; it's downright doable.
Nuke-lear war
Andrea Bridges, Lewis Hall resident, can't be bothered with hopping on an elevator down to Mrs. E's dining hall. The Lenexa sophomore decided that after spending last semester eating there twice a day, she needed a break from on-campus eateries. But living in the residence halls without an oven limits her cooking capacity. Though it's the reigning royalty of cooking, the oven now has some definite competition for the leading position in food preparation. "The microwave is the new oven," Bridges says. "It's where the real cooking goes on."
Using a microwave is probably the quickest and easiest way to prepare food in a hall room. It's also one of the only heating devices allowed in the halls, says Nick Dormer, Topeka sophomore and resident assistant for the fourth floor of Lewis Hall. With the restrictions on different appliances — nothing with an open heating device is allowed — it seems like students must surrender themselves to a life of
Ramen noodles. However, microwaves are capable of whipping up more than just TV dinners. Bridges uses hers to make instant mashed potatoes, p grains and even scrambled eggs. She says it's easy: Just crack an egg into a bowl, season, add cheese if you want, stir, cook for 30 seconds, stir, cook for another 30 to 45 seconds and it's finished. If you want to cook more than nuke, creating a more homemade style meal is possible. Carolyn Dodson, of www.goodnuke.com and author of Definitive Microwave Cookery, says to think of your microwave as a stove, with many temperature settings to cook different types of food. For instance, a 450
ommends cooking things a little underdone, as 25 percent of cooking occurs after the microwave stops. And what are Dodson's final words of microwave wisdom?
degree setting on a stove is equivalent to 100 percent, or HIGH power, on a microwave. A medium setting on a microwave, perfect for cooking most foods, is 50 percent power, or 325 to 350 degrees on a conventional range. She recmeal gourmet. A simple sandwich can go from blah to bravo with just a little effort in the grocery store. Instead of going straight for the processed meats and cheeses à la Oscar Meyer, why not visit the deli counter and ask for some sun-dried tomato basil turkey with smoked Gouda cheese slices? And opt for more interesting greens than just plain iceberg. Try using baby spinach or mixed greens that include romaine lettuce or arugala, a peppery tasting variety of leafy green, which are available in ready-to-eat bagged salads. Experimenting with different ingredients and spices is often the key to making something more impressive, Bridges says. Even pasta can be made fancy: Target's Archer Farms brand has different varieties of pasta available, such as cracked black pepper linguiin and roasted garlic roteille. Boil the noodles in the microwave and top with a jarred alfredo sauce instead of your regular marinara.
a quick shortcut to making tacos
"Don't let that little tin box intimidate you!"
Although it's possible to go all out and make complete meals in the microwave,
Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles are a vegetarian alternative for ground beef. It's made from soy products, so it's low in fat and carbohydrates and takes only seconds to prepare in a microwave, making it a great, quick substitute for many recipes that require ground beef. Place a serving in a bowl, spice it up with some taco seasoning, nukit in the microwave for 30-45 seconds and add to a tortilla with some cheese, lettuce, and salsa. You've got yourself a soft taco in two minutes!
Bridges, Lewis Hall resident, warns that using fresh ingredients is a little risky because of limited shelf space in small dorm-size refrigerators and quick expiration dates. She and Dormer, Lewis Hall RA, both suggest using kitchen facilities located in many of the halls if you need to use some kind of open heating apparatus.
All you need to do is check out a key and bring your own pots and pans.
It's what's inside that counts
What you put *into* the food, rather than how you prepare it, is often what makes a
The bottom line: Don't think that because you don't have a kitchen in your room, you can't create a delicious, homemade gourmet-style meal. Explore new ingredients and don't be afraid to think outside of the microwave box. You just might have people start walking to your room instead of going to Mrs. E's.
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mmasud@kansan.com
Jayplay 03.03.05