Lifetime Achievement
What are your alternatives? The microwave and mini fridge in your apartment can only get you so far. That, and your part time job barely gets you enough gas money, let alone dough to splurge on groceries. We have a culinary dilemma here.
Needless to say, you will become a microwave chef by the time you graduate. As you walk across the stage at graduation to receive your BA, they might as well hand you a golden spatula as well to signify that you can feed yourself and your friends edible food from the rawest forms of food life.
If You Can't Be Rich, Be Creative.
Garlic powder, oregano, cumin, red pepper, tumeric, paprika--even salt--you can buy these herbs powdered for about a dollar each. It's well worth the investment. I'm steering my college cooking away from the recipe book and more toward a "do what feels right" approach, so I offer the same advice to you. Buy what smells good. Season your chicken, your veggies, your pasta, your rice--season everything. That's what makes a meal taste good.
-a microwave
-a crock pot
-a skillet
-a casserole dish
-Tupperware. LOTS of Tupperware.