# College Food Advice **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033 "2007-09-04T19:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/21 "2007-09-06T23:45:50Z")
Those new microwave cooking bags really cook vegetables well. ---
**Author:** ![Tyche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@Tyche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyche)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/22 "2009-06-28T10:18:16Z")
XWalrus2, I have a full book of easy veggie recipes for folks like yourself, and if you bothered to listen to your fiancee _cough_ I mean, if you want, I’d be happy to share. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/23 "2009-06-28T12:58:51Z")
Zombies!!! ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/24 "2009-07-26T20:20:28Z")
A completely different take on this question that perhaps you should consider: Get a job in a food-service capacity. I’m temporarily working in a delicatessan, but pizza places are good, too. The food they have to throw out (but is still good) is astonishing. I know that’s not a recipe; but if you’re a college student and have the time, get at least a part time job around food. The freebies are worth the low pay. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/25 "2009-07-26T23:06:48Z")
How about sandwiches? They are easy to fix and can undergo quite a few creative variations. You can get a piece of olive bread, add a thin layer of kalamata olive spread, and top with fresh mozzarella and tomato slices. Another one - open face egg salad sandwich: make some boiled eggs, mix egg whites with dijon mustard, mayo, pepper, chives… add them to slice of olive bread with a thin layer of dried tomato pesto and bed of mixed greens. When I had my lazy days in college, I would get takeout from some of my favorite places and divide the food so that I would be able to get 2 or 3 separate meals out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/26 "2009-07-26T23:57:33Z")
Comfort food for the winter: 1. Hamburger and brown gravy over mashed potatos. Brown hamburger, drain, make box of instant mashed potatos, make a package or 2 of brown gravy mix. Pour gravy into hamburger after it’s cooked and plop it on top of some mashed potatos. Mushrooms optional. 2. Brown and drain hamburger, put in casserole dish, add can or 2 of sliced potatos, maybe can of corn. Pour brown gravy over top, and top with large can French’s dried onions. Bake. 3. Brown and drain hamburger, cook and drain elbow macaroni, add 2 cans of kidney beans and a large can of whole tomatos. Bring up to temp in the pot. Variation is to put in a casserole dish and top with cheeze and bake. Things to keep in the cupboard: cans of kidney and black beans, corn, instant rice, instant potatos, diced or whole tomatos. Salt and pepper come in a picnic pack that is cheap and lasts long. Keep a whole onion on hand, it will keep a long time, put it in a zip lock in the fridge after cut. Keep cheeze and tortilas in the fridge. Add imagination and combine a few ingredients and you have dinner that will fill and satify for fairly cheap. Plus leftovers or food for friends. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/27 "2009-07-27T00:17:37Z")
Wow… sometime these zombie threads are hard to kill. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/28 "2009-07-27T04:12:25Z")
The OP should have practically graduated by now 🙂 And zombies only need the Brains!!! cookbook. ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/29 "2009-07-27T10:05:58Z")
Not graduated, just a senior. And really, you’ve got to shoot them in the head. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/30 "2009-07-27T14:52:44Z")
> [@XWalrus2](#): > > Not graduated, just a senior. And really, you’ve got to shoot them in the head. So … didja try any of the suggestions? I’d be curious to know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/31 "2009-07-27T14:58:29Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > So … didja try any of the suggestions? I’d be curious to know. 🙂 I lived almost entirely on omelets, quesadillas, and beans and rice last year, and I seem to still be alive and enjoying life. Fake eggs and tortillas are cheap and easy to buy at Costco. Also, I made myself some hashbrowns once, but that didn’t go so well. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/32 "2009-07-28T09:06:30Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Wow… sometime these zombie threads are hard to kill. Oh, c’mon! It’s only been a month since the last post. Zombie threads have to have at least FOUR months to get really ripe. ---
**Author:** ![SmashTheState](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@SmashTheState](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmashTheState)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/33 "2009-07-28T09:42:16Z")
I highly recommend a crock pot for anyone looking to eat as cheaply as possible while remaining healthy. Water + a handful of dried beans + whatever wilted, bruised, half-dead vegetables you can get for next to nothing at the supermarket (or from a dumpster if you’re adventurous) + 12 hours in a crockpot with whatever spices you have handy = healthy, delicious, soup with almost all of the nutrition of raw food as a result of slow, low-heat cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/34 "2009-07-28T20:08:43Z")
> [@Dijon\_Warlock](#): > > Oh, c’mon! It’s only been a month since the last post. Zombie threads have to have at least FOUR months to get really ripe. Yeah, but the OP was 2 years old… it rose from the dead once, and is now back after another month long dirt nap. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/35 "2009-07-28T20:15:28Z")
Get rice and if needed a rice cooker. It’s pretty hard to find anything cheaper than rice and you can flavour it with so many things. When I was in college, I lived on rice for years. It’s cheap for sure, and I’m sure people here can give you a thousand different ways to flavour it ---
**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/36 "2009-07-28T21:54:18Z")
I used to fill a takeout container from the dining hall with veggies and tofu to make stir fry. It was easy, cheap, and tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/37 "2009-07-29T02:01:08Z")
I’m delighted to see that there are still copies of [**The Food Stamp Gourmet**](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006W0IGI/sr=1-1/qid=1248832226/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1248832226&sr=1-1&seller=) to be had. You need this book! I bought this when I graduated from college, had just moved into my own place, and needed to learn how to cook. The following review is spot on: > [@](#): > > The Food Stamp Gourmet’s estimated cost-per-serving may be out of date (it was published in 1971), but this cookbook has delicious recipes and is very well written. The author ‘Wm Brown’ worked on the Time-Life Foods of the World series and his professionalism shows. > > In the informative introduction Mr Brown explains common cooking terms, recommends basic cookware (and where to buy it cheaply) and gives excellent advice on how to approach a recipe. This chapter works for any recipe book and is one of the best guides I’ve read on the subject. It is obvious that Wm Brown has some heavy duty professional training behind him, but his laid back style makes it all accessible. > > The book focuses on main courses and assumes that you want leftovers (the introduction explains about increasing & decreasing the recipes). The recipes are well laid out and easy to follow for even the most tentative of cooks. > > But most of all; the recipes are delicious! Mr. Brown covers all the great, budget, favorites like Goulash, Carbonade de Boeuf, Coq au Vin, Chicken Rissoto, and Lasagna amongst others. Each recipe has been well-tested and is fairly fool proof. > > The book was printed by Bellerophon books, a well known alternative press based in San Francisco. The illustrations, by Greg Irons, Gilbert Sheldon, and David Sheridan, are all in the Hippie/Alternative Comixs genre making this an interesting period piece as well as a great cookbook. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033/38 "2009-08-05T08:59:51Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Yeah, but the OP was 2 years old… it rose from the dead once, and is now back after another month long dirt nap. Ah, didn’t notice that. I thought my post a month after the last spawned the “zombie” comment. Still, good idea for a thread, and always relevant (especially since college is starting up again for many). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-food-advice/418033.md?page=1)