Can they have a small frig?

Is her toaster a toaster oven? That would be what I would want.

A small fridge, like a drink fridge, is pretty essential.

If she wants to do a fair amount of cooking, you can get her a portable induction burner, but then she would need a pan or two to go with it.

Does the kitchen have a fridge? stove or hotplate? How faw is kitchen from room?

And she has to store things beneath her bed? Maybe a portable collapsable suitcase trolley or a flexible cooler on wheels. In that she can store a few simple utensils, bowl or plate or hybrid pasta-bolw-plate. Also napkins, kitchen paper, combo salt-pepper shaker, , can opener, and a very few cans of pantry items. Better, she can get a few plastic snap containers — not everything will have to fit in the bag on wheels or go on the kitchen trip. Keep it simple, compactand multifunction. Maybe a can or bottle of ”emergency” gingerale.

If the kitchen has nothing to cook on, complain! Or, a portable induction cooktop. A simple everything induction pan — 10” pan so she can toast bread on it, heat soup, noodles. Or an electric fry pan (inexpensive, ask friends, attic find or thrift store. One device than can do a lot of tricks. She’s got to study, connect, sleep, exercise. Minimal cooking, but, yes, some multi-tool like solutions, all compact.

She can ask others what they do, have come up with. Keep it simple. So nice she has you helping her.

For not too expensive, but good, I like Tramontina. A small skillet and a medium. The girls need to go together and share.

Thanks everybody. I wasn't clear at all! It's a full kitchen with appliances. The stove is electric. No pots or tools. I want to get her some basics for her birthday.

I'm unclear how far the kitchen is, whether it's on her floor or down one level, but it sounds pretty convenient. Not for hauling a lot of junk, but a tote with a basic kit would be fine.

There is a little fridge in each dorm room, and a large fridge in the kitchen, but who knows who will take what from a communal fridge. Her roommates are respectful, but who knows who wanders in and out in a dorm situation. The kitchen fridge, who knows? She won't be cooking major meals, but some of the other kids know how to cook so they might have a dinner party and use the kitchen fridge for that.

I've been looking at a basic set of Magma, which I learned about here, years ago. Removeable handle, and nest. :)

But does she need a peeler? A grater? I remember when I only had a couple basic pots a fork and a paring knife. I had no choice but to cook and a lot of time, so I made do. But This girl needs to be able to go from "I'm hungry" to food on plate fairly easily and quickly, or she could just go out to a campus eatery even if it's raining.

you can do a lot with an IP

She is not going to want to cook a lot. Sandwiches, salads, grilled cheese, etc.

You can, but since she'd have to carry it to the kitchen and leave it there while it was working, it's not going to be much help. She needs pots, utensils, etc.

So, I decided she didn't need a longwearing quality where things are likely to go astray, but decent pots, so I'm sticking with the Magma. It has a sauce pan, braiser/fry/skillet, and a large pot (small stock), with a handle that can be used for any, a lid for the small pot, a lid that fits the large pot or braiser. and a stretch cord to hold them together nested, 10" Ideas, alternatives, issues? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CN7JIPK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I'm also looking at an inexpensive bamboo cutting board, but 15"x10" so it'll be not too large, but not so small it's miserable to use. And a pair of knives, 6" and 3.5" which are dirt cheap but have sheathes, and those have a sharpening bar. I figure wasting money on better knives is not worth it in this situation. If she has to pay for her own better and bigger knife she'll take better care of it.

At first I thought I'd get her a Joseph Joseph nesting set which has bowls, sieve and colander, and measuring cups. Then I saw their "multiprep". It's a salad spinner with disks that do slice, grate and spiralize. The bowl (or a pot) can be used for mixing and serving. The basket can be used as a colander. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QH33284/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I'm still not sure about utensils. What do you think she needs? What do you think of the pots and spinner?

Sherry, exactly. Grilled cheese. Pancakes. Eggs. A burger or chicken breast. Soup. I looked at the Tramontina on your suggestion. About the same price as the Magma, but the removeable handle seems perfect. Storing frying pans is always awkward.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B72469GJ/?coliid=I2ZY8PFCQGP6EH&colid=15UEMMPVHQ46&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Bonus points because it is pink.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Q858ZPD/ref=twister_B0BB9F3X8V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Probably a very basic utensil set. A slotted spoon, a Ladle, a spatula,a couple knives, a peeler and a little cutting board. A bowl set.

a nice oxo paring knife and an oxo peeler, some potholders and a cotton dish towel; some sort of strainer to wash salads. I like the bamboo cutting board idea too. Of course if there are both eggs and grilled cheese, some sort of spatula.

Maybe a cookie sheet?

I didn't see soup bowls mentioned - big soup mugs are nice when you're not always eating at a table.

Definitely a plastic tote to keep everything corralled. Is she allowed to use a cupboard in the kitchen - I didn't see that mentioned either...?

I'd want a 1 quart saucepan with a lid too - I use mine often.

And some microwave safe cookware might be handy as well.

Amylou, those dollhouse appliances are adorable! And Pink!

Dave, good point about the towels and potholders. I have some new birdseye towels I can give her (and a big plastic box). Maybe silicone potholders that can be trivets as well. So peeler, yes, then. :)

Carol, I'm not sure what she has for dishes, beyond mugs. For sure, soup doesn't want to be in paper! I like the big bowl with handle in your picture. For sure cookie sheet, but I think her mother has extra "baking" (cookie sheet, muffin tin) that she can give her. There could be a cupboard she could use in the kitchen, but it's open to anybody in flour floors, plus their guests. I wouldn't do it. I'm aiming for compact. :)

So here's what I have so far. This much is stretching the budget, but I think I've edited down all I can. She's a good kid. I decided to leave all the eating bits, including the soup mug, to the girl and her mom, as well as the baking things, a can of oil and seasonings, and focus on her having the tools to make anything she wants. No bowl set. I couldn't find anything quite right. Ithink I got the rest except the car. ;) The knives and tool set are cheap junk, but should be serviceable enough until people walk off with them.

What do you think?

Measuring spoons

2 cup OXO measuring jug (can be a small pitcher)

Peeler

Ambidextrous can opener

Silicone tool set: cooking spoon, slotted turner, spaghetti lifter, skimmer, scraper, ladle, tongs, wire whisk.

Two 9”x12” heavy ridged silicone trivets which can be used as potholders

6” and 3.5” knives with sheathes 11”x 14” rubberwood cutting board

Pot set stainless, ceramic lined, 2 qt., 5 qt., 10” braiser (Supposed to be very tough, can be used for mixing, esp. with silicone utensil.)

Small salad spinner (bowl, colander, slicer, grater, spiralizer) (Bowl can be for serving or gentle mixing)

——————

I have cotton dish towels and a storage box to add.

Did I miss anything?

Over here no student could exist without their electric kettle. Then you can make hot drinks in your room as well as reconstituting noodles etc. A lighter alternative would be an immersion heater but they only do one cup.

You can dry a salad in dish towel whirled round your head. I would not have wanted to lug one around when I was a student.

The point of the salad spinner, which is 10” around, is the bowl, the colander, the slicing boade, the grater and the spiralizer, plus the spin. The reviews are excellent with the one knock being that the bowl isn't as solid as it could be. Given that it'll be bounced around, and it's pricey, and driven down the rabbit hole again by Cindy's reference to the better spinner that’s bigger and doesn't do the other tricks, I came up with a new list, same price.

Instead of the spinner set and the lifetime quality stainless measuring cups and spoons, I found:

• Nesting bowl set which has a large mixing bowl, small batter bowl, colander, sieve and measuring cups (a cheap knockoff, but still polypropylene--knock off of Joseph Joseph for about a third of the price).
• Sale-cheap stainless measuring spoons
• Hand held spiralizer with changeable blades (compact, and has a ribbon blade)
• Box grater with measuring storage and removable blades (big, small and rasp holes) for hand held use. This one is anonyplastic (no abrasion of the plastic or heat, so I gave in), but the blades are stainless and it's very well reviewed.

More small pieces to contain and keep track of, but more options.

So what do you think of this plan? I still like the salad spinner plan for elegance, but this one has increased options and less worry about breaking the bowl.

Floral, they are absolutely forbidden to use any kind of kettles, multicookers, etc., in their rooms. This girl has to take her toaster to the kitchen to make toast. With a pot, which has a pouring edge, she can boil water. And someone else is sure to have an electric kettle for the borrowing. I had one of those immersion coils when I was in college. It never got the water hot enough. We were allowed those, travel irons (low electric draw) and low powered hair dryers or curling irons. We also had a big, well equiped kitchen, steps away, and comprehensive meal service. Most of the meal plan money goes to labor, so you can't opt out. If you have a specific, unusual diet for religious or health reasons, they'll buy your special food for you (vegetarians, vegans and gluten free have options in the regular menus). Rather than comprehensive at this girl's university, they have the ”station” plan, where whether it's in a common dining room, with several food style options at different stations in the room, or an on campus eatery, what you eat is charged against your student account. I don't quite get how that works out with the meal plan, but maybe the plan is just a minimum. There are a lot of food choices, and extended hours, but campus food isn't always what one needs. This campus also seems to run more to fast food types of choices than proper meals. And the girl in question is an athlete,

I got hold of the mom today. As I suspected, the girl has dishes that can go in the microwave (which I think means there is a microwave) and flatware. I ran list #2 by the mom who thought it sounded good, and like what's needed. I kicked out the spiralizer, which I'd sourced to see if I could replace the non-spin functions of the spinner for the same price and rating, but she doesn't need it and keeping track of the pieces isn't worth it. I also realized that the grater comes with a peeler, which also does the julienne peel thing, which is adequate to start with. The measuring cups with the bowl set are metric, but close enough to cups measures to be fine for not baking. She can also use them for prep bowls. And I added a pretty tin of Spanish EVOO..

Thank-you all for helping me think this through, and sort out what's important. I'm placing the order now.

Probably too late but I would have given her an amazon voucher or something like that to kit herself out with what she wants.

That's a good idea in many cases, but the gift isn't so much the stuff, but the time. Her mom had given her an odd steak knife just to have something that cuts, and the girl was wondering if she should have found a cutting board, but had no time (or transport) to get one. I started with bamboo, for the price, but wasn't happy with the hardness and resin, then found the rubberwood one for 20% less and it’s a better cutting surface. Stuff like that. Other than the pots, by looking for discounts and coupons, checking the reviews for drawbacks (a lot of bargains, are, of course, junk. I was looking for quality items, priced to move), and the materials for safety (still a lot of bad plastics and other no-nos out there), I found everything of decent quality for the least price. And it was fun. For her, it would have been a big chore with a lot of indecision, and she needs sleep. ;) Anything that survives the year will be useful in the next, when they can move to student apartments. Anything that gets lost, stolen or destroyed is no biggy to replace.

You're a great shopper! When reading the thread, my first thought was a 5-6" cast iron skillet for eggs, grilled cheese, etc., followed by a people-powered can-opener, which I see in your list. Also, a Gladware/Zip-Loc/plastic box with a lid to hold all the small loose items would help her carry those things around. I'm looking forward to your follow-up post!

Thanks! Yeah, the hard part about people powered is that 10% can't use them. There's one turn lever, 2-handle made for lefties, but it's bulky, pricey and looks uncomfortable, especially for people with small hands. The ”ambidextrous” one desn't have the handles, looks more comfortable to the hands, but still only goes one way. If you're a rightie, you turn the lever away, which is more ergonomic, but you can turn the can around and turn the lever toward you, with your left. She's young and strong, so I think she'll be able to do it without much problem. At least she won't be tying herself into a pretzel just to open a can!

Well, you know your daughter better than anyone else??????, I would not want to cook that much or make that many complicated salads if I were in college. A few micro things. Sandwiches. Rip and eat. Eat out. No cook.

Not my daughter, but I've known her since she was a fetus. :) She doesn't have to cook. She wants to. Not a lot. It sounds like the university is providing the kind of food you mentioned, and not so good on the veg. I got a well reviewed set of utensils for the price of a single grilled cheese turner, so she can also have a cooking spoon and ladle, which are hard to live without, and tongs, skimmer, etc., which are good to have. The other thing she wants for her birthday is a photo printer, but after shopping it, I handed my data to her mom and said, "You choose!" I'm much better at kitchen set-up, and had y'all to help me. ;)

But she's not allowed to use an electric kettle in her room! Not that your DD was allowed to have booze. At least in California, enforcement seems stronger on the fire safety issues than underage drinking (which she currently doesn't do). This food prep/cooking setup was what she wanted for her birthday. I'm a realist. I know she's most likely to use the turner (the only specific request), and the pan for a grilled cheese or eggs, and those mostly if she misses dinner, so maybe once a week or two, plus whatever veg she's craving, but she'll be in an apartment next year, so no waste if she cooks even less than that. This group of girls has already been cooking quite a bit. That may slow down once the novelty wears off, but, again, in the apartments she'll want (need) to cook more, so none of it is waste. Even if the oil goes off, it's a pretty tin, which she can reuse, and was a loss leader. And it's what she wants for her birthday!

I've decided, instead of wrapping paper, I'm going to use those silver quilted grocery delivery bags that have been accumulating here since the pandemic restrictions on returning them for reuse.

That would be my choice. The quilted bags. So easy to carry. Can't believe i actually bought a couple a few years ago to keep in my car for groceries. I have so many now from WaldenLocal that did not want them returned until recently.

A second one folded and tucked in could be used for grocery shopping.

I agree if the desire to cook wears off, a small soft crate of goods and kitchen supplies will be used next year. But not having even a basic set up---small pan for an egg, grilled cheese, cutting board, small chef knife, etc. ---no way of knowing if not in posession.

My dorm year had an excellent meal plan but we had a mini fridge in our room for drinks and late night snacks. Cheese, crackers...peanut butter, tuna, celery, carrots, were my go-to. No shared kitchen but a toaster, kettle, sink, in a shared lounge study room on each floor. No burner. Meal cooking was discouraged.

Next years shared apartment was full on wok cooking. Kept my egg pan in my room. Still hide my favorite to this day from house guests.

We use a couple of our soft sided 'crates' for road trips now when the destination has a kitchen. Amazing how little is needed for a week or two of meals.

This darn Vrbo kitchen above had horrid pots and pans and not even a cutting board. (lower right pics). I borrowed a spare board from my mother. One soft crate kitchen/spices/dry goods and one crate produce with an ice pack.

I would not recomend cast iron or enameled dutch ovens for a young crowd. I did all i needed with my small cast iron and a 3 quart enameled dutch oven. Cast iron i think is an advanced cooks appreciation for care and understanding.

The vitrinox knife i've given as gifts for young budding cooks, nieces and nephews, but the kiwi set is an amazing deal and recommended by chefs for new cooks. I still travel with the knife in the front of the three i picked up in a thrift store in college. Probably a buck or two.

One thing my daughter used a lot was a med sized GF type grill with different cooking plates. She made grilled cheese, chicken, burgers, waffles, hash browns etc.. And it was easy clean!

Nancyjane, it sounds like your daughter's grill thing was a great upgrade from the dormroom classic clothes iron on paper sack cooking. :) Turns out these kids aren't even allowed the low powered travel irons we had. Some of the dorms are exceedingly old, so I wouldn't be surprise if it was based on them, and applied to the newer ones to be fair. Like the girl in question, we had a full kitchen in each building where I went, so I never did the iron thing, but the grill, and John's neglected multicooker are definitely good choices if one has electricity and no stove stove.

Sleevendog, thank-you for understanding! Great suggestions and I'll keep them in mind for the future. I was going to provide a version of your "soft crate" but got to the point where I decided she should choose her own and could start with the reused cardboard carton I'm packing in, and decide what will suit her circumstances best. Because they've squeezed extra kids in, they have storage, but it's odd shaped. I did make sure that everything would fit in 2'x1'x1', and even in the boxes it does.

Yes, it all arrived today. I did check things, and they are as promised. The box from the utensils is big enough to hold them easily plus the other small pieces. I think the company decided that the skill level needed to get them in tightly cost more than the slightly larger box required to make and ship. Or packing too tightly damaged the goods. Anyway, I'm pleased. I've tried to be mindful of limiting waste. I'm going to put some extra silver bags surrounding the "wrapping ones" for padding, rolled into florets. :) I think she'll get a kick out of it, and will find uses for them. :)

Re cast iron, I did give a proper Japanese cast iron for Japanese omelettes to a teen when he was maybe 14--along with required reading website on how to care for it. He read it and takes care of his pan. :) Start 'em young, I say! But I wanted as close to indestructible as possible for this girl. A dorm, or even roommate situation, is not the place for quality cast iron. The Magma pots are good and heavy and work on any kind of heat, and the ceramic interior should make them easy to clean, even after an oops.

My folks had a carton with cooking basics for travel too. The idea that VRBO wouldn't have a cutting board is kind of shocking! They should at least have those disposable plastic ones with they're worried about guest not taking care of it.

LOL, John, that's what I would have used the cart for, and the InstaPot would be a great ice bucket. Of course, a million years ago when I was college age the legal drinking age in Michigan was only 18!

It seems like all the questions here have been answered, so I don't have much to add. The Princess has an off campus apartment with 3 other girls, and she says they have everything they need, unless I want to buy a case of ramen noodles, several cans of whipped cream and pods for the Keurig. She says between working and attending class she really doesn't have time to do a lot of cooking, and as long as she has the Keurig and flavored syrups and whipped cream, she can make her fancy coffee for breakfast. That's not really healthy, of course, but I'm sure she won't die of malnutrition.

Annie

I couldn't help myself...they had the spice bottle S&P grinders for the same price as cardboard picnic shakers. Last few bucks in the budget. ;)

This was like a small, but high stakes, version of the shopping game I used to play. those had parameters, budgets, and often required shopping at one, or mostly one, store online. They didn't demand great reviews, thorough investigation of materials, etc. , but it was still fun, :)

The pot box didn't fit in the flat quilted bag—I'd thought I had a turkey sized gusseted one, but I guess that was passed to a friend for reuse. So the pots went into a brown paper bag with corrugated in the bottom. The box of tools was a tad long, so got a messier stow of diagonal bags, top and bottom. I need to pretty this up some and add a card, but now is when I remembered to take a picture.

finish spelling plllog on the box