LIFESTYLE
COLLEGE COOKING:
DORM
EDITION
Ding-ding-ding! The competition starts with the chiming of the show’s trademarked sound. The competitors, practiced chefs, spin around to see their challenge kitchen and find their materials. The kitchen is stripped bare. No chef’s knives are mounted on magnetic strips. No ovens sit waiting to flicker to life. Even the countertops have been carted away save for a single table in the center of the room and a microwave. Welcome to College Cooking: Dorm Edition. The challenge of cooking in dorms is limiting, but doing so in a vaguely healthy way that tastes fresh and homemade is a whole other level. However, it’s possible.
BY FRANKI HANKE
fluffy scrambled eggs If there’s access to a stove, basic eggs become a stand-by because the ingredients are (shockingly) available in the C-Store, but what if you don’t want to put pants on to leave the dorm? Scrambled eggs in the microwave. Use a microwave-safe mug and two tablespoons of milk to every two eggs. Season with salt and pepper (and anything else you’d like). Microwave in 30-45 second intervals and mix in-between while the eggs remain runny. Once they are cooked, they will have visibly puffed up into a fluffy form in the shape of the mug. Top with some cheese or salsa and enjoy some intensely fluffy eggs in under five minutes! 10 | Canvas
( ) It is possible to poach an egg in the microwave too, but it takes a bit more experimentation to get the perfect cook. Mastering the times on your microwave can take your no-cook recipes like avocado toast to the next level with a warm egg on top. To do this, fill a mug partway (about a third) with water. Add a splash of vinegar if you keep it around as it helps the egg white set-up. Then, carefully crack the egg into the water. Do it as close to the water as possible to avoid breakage. Cover with a lid or a microwave safe plate and microwave for 45 seconds to a minute before checking. Then, shorten cooking time to 10-20 seconds, checking in between. Keep in mind with this method, the yolk cooks faster than the white of the egg so if the yolk consistency matters more, watch carefully and pull the egg when the yolk is cooked to your preference. The uncooked white will likely pull off and stay in the water mixture.
