Add new comment

It's back to school season, which means that a whole new crop of college students are heading out to life in dorms and cheap apartments across the country. It can be difficult to adjust to cooking everything for yourself, and many student accommodations have limited (if any) permissions for food machines.

But here's what I wish someone had told me, way back when I first shipped off to college: if there is any way you can swing it, get a slow cooker (a.k.a. Crock Pot).

Depending on your living situation, you may not be allowed to have any electrical appliance. Far be it from me to tell you that you can easily hide a slow cooker under the bed. From a practical standpoint, it would be difficult to sneak a slow cooker into the bathroom to clean it out. And when it is running, it will perfume your room with delicious smells that will waft down the hall and make it pretty obvious to everyone that you are cooking something delicious.

But if you have a housing situation where a slow cooker would be acceptable, then you absolutely must get one. You can cook just about anything in a slow cooker. Not just big chunks of cheap meat like pot roast and pork shoulder, but cakes, oatmeal, soups, curries, large quantities of hot dogs, chili, and so much more.

The best part is that there is virtually no work on your part. Just put everything in there before you leave in the morning. When you come home, a delicious meal will be waiting for you. (Don't worry about leaving something running while you are gone - that is exactly what the slow cooker was designed to do. It's very safe.)

The slow cooker is also a great way to take advantage of cheap foods like large cuts of meat, beans, and odds and ends of vegetables. It's perfect for anyone on a budget!

Image courtesy Flickr/cookipediachef