It’s that time of the year for all you uni students. How fast has it gone since you were logging onto UCAS submitting your firm and insurance choices? – crazy!
We bet you’re either loving the idea of getting to your student house and moving everything in, or absolutely dreading the thought of packing for hours, it’s so boring!
You may also be questioning ‘how do I even pack for uni?’…If so, don’t worry – you’re not alone!
Packing is the bane of our lives, especially when it’s for uni and there’s so much to think about. Like, there’s soooo many rooms…it calls for a checklist in every single one!
With this blog, we wanted to make sure you were stocked up on allll the essential items you will need for the most important room of your student house – the kitchen!
The kitchen is where all the fun happens, and if you’re like us, you’ll love cooking a delicious meal for both lunch and dinner.
Keep on reading to find out all the uni kitchen essentials you will need for your luxury student house!
1. Cutlery
Starting with the basics. You need to have cutlery in your kitchen essentials list. Like, we mean at least two of each. Soooo:
- 2x Fork
- 2x Knives
- 2x Tablespoons
- 2x Teaspoons
You get the jist?
Eating meals with these utensils will make it so much easier and having an extra one spare will save you from constantly washing it up every time.
If you’re living in a house with lots of other students, we highly suggest getting a patterned cutlery set so you don’t get your property mixed up with others’.
There’s nothing worse than searching high and low for a missing fork because someone else thought it was theirs…nah ah.
2. Sharp Knives
With a great cook comes many sharp knives…that is totally not a saying but we’re going with it!
In all seriousness, sharp knives again are one of those uni kitchen essentials which will either make or break your cooking skills.
They don’t have to be super expensive, just sharp enough to cut through meats, veg and fruit.
We’ve found a set on Dunelm here for just £16 which is perfect for you to use during uni.
3. Non-Stick Pans
Pans will be your best friend if you like to cook during uni. But making sure you get the right ones is a priority, ‘cos you don’t want to be paying a lot of money for something that won’t work.
What we mean by this is that some pans don’t work on specific hobs. If your student home has an induction hob, you’ll need to ensure that your pan is suitable to transfer heat through.
Don’t worry though – this website will go through everything you need to know about each hob so you can find the essential pots and pans most suitable.
4. Chopping Board
Chopping boards are a uni kitchen essential which you’ll deffo take for granted.
Really though, who wants to chop their veg on a dirty work surface? We’d like to think the answer is no one!
Being a student, you might not be chopping up much but if you want to create nutritious meals, you’ll use one of these everyday.
There’s loads of different styles out there for you to choose from, from wooden to plastic…the world’s your oyster!
Again, this is an item you don’t really need to spend much money on at all. Just make sure it’s sturdy enough to last all through your uni years.
5. Baking Tray
Keeping on the theme of flat essentials, a baking tray is a must have for your kitchen.
You’ll love it, especially after a night out if you just want to throw some chicken nuggets and chips in the oven to devour with some ketchup.
It’ll get used more than you think – we promise!
If you’re looking for an affordable baking tray for your student kitchen, we have linked two of the best ones below. Check them out!
6. Colander
Or a drainer…whatever you fancy calling it!
This is definitely a kitchen utensil you need to purchase.
If you’re a pasta lover, you’ll be using this every time to drain the water. Or even for just washing your fresh fruit and veg – a staple.
It’s handy because it can be easily washed and stored alongside all your other pans in the cupboard, so you never have to worry about it taking up space.
7. Measuring Jug
If you’re looking to measure every single thing you do whilst cooking, then this is the item for you.
It’s going to be your most trusted utensil. From measuring your pasta water, to mixing your OXO cube for stock, there’s so many ways you can use this jug – so don’t leave home without one!
Save money here as you really don’t need anything fancy or expensive.
Your local supermarket or IKEA etc will definitely have a cheap version for you to buy.
8. Electric Scales
Forget measuring ingredients in the old fashioned way, you have to take some electric scales to university with you!
When you’re cooking, the last thing you need is to take extra long measuring out everything when you can just pop it onto some scales and it’ll do the work for you.
If you’re on a budget, don’t worry – there’s so many options out there for you to choose from. It doesn’t matter what colour or style ‘cos at the end of the day, they all do the same thing!
Here’s a cheap option if you’re interested – Argos Home Digital Kitchen Scale in White
9. Tin Opener
If you’re like us, you’ll literally be a student who lives out of tins. So, making sure you have a tin opener in your cupboard is a must!
There’s nothing worse than having a dodgy can opener…and the tin just sits there looking sad and extremely unopened – not fun!
So, when searching for this utensil, if you feel like it’s going to be one of your uni kitchen essentials, then you have to be prepared to pay a little extra.
If you’re feeling fancy, you could even get an electric one, how cool would that be?
10. Cheese Grater
For all the cheese lovers out there, this is an essential and we’re not hearing anything less.
Most recipes include some sort of cheese and most are in the form of it being grated. So, it has to make its way onto this list!
There’s so many different types but, from our experience, the best ones are with the detachable dispenser.
This means you can literally catch all the grated cheese into a pot and not make any mess – now that’s a product we love!
11. Bowls and Plates
If you end up going to your student house without any bowls or plates…then what are you doing?
These are staples in your kitchen kit, so save your time and go buy some now!
Similarly to what we suggested with the cutlery, to make sure you don’t get mixed up with others’, you should deffo buy plates with a different style.
This will just ensure you don’t get mixed up with others, ‘cos that’s the last thing you need!
12. Oven Gloves
You must have superhuman powers if you’re able to grab a dish out of the oven whilst it’s still boiling hot, so that’s why it’s a must to buy oven gloves when moving to university.
We can’t promise they’ll be in the best nick by the end of the year, but they’ll sure be worth it when you’re cooking in extremely hot temperatures!
One of our top tips when you move into your student home is to speak with your flatmates, ‘cos you don’t really need multiple oven gloves – one will be plenty!
Being prepared like this will make it so much easier when you move here.
13. Cups
A simple, but extremely important item you need to have on your kitchen essentials list.
When you’re inviting friends over, having something for them to drink out of it is basic etiquette, so make sure you follow this through to your uni home!
You may not need them for cooking, but they’re definitely needed when you want a drink with your meal.
14. Wooden Spoon
Last but certainly not least, is the trusty old wooden spoon!
Now, this is a piece of equipment which will get used a lot, and we mean…a lot.
Don’t be surprised if you use your wooden spoon in almost every meal, from stirring the fajita vegetables to mixing the egg to make scrambled egg – it’s a multipurpose tool!
Again, it’s a cheap item which can be bought from basically anywhere, so you won’t struggle finding one for your kitchen cupboard.
Well, that was a whirlwind. Of course, we haven’t listed absolutely everything you’ll need here – these are just the essential student kitchen items you’re deffo going to need when moving back to uni! If you’re looking for other essentials for different rooms in your student house, make sure to check out our other blog here. You’re bound to find something you’ve missed off your list!