Every college student knows the hit that your diet takes when you’re in school. There are a lot of factors that play into the unfortunate diet. To list a few: eating at dining halls, being pretty much broke, laziness, or if you’re like me, not having access to a kitchen to cook your own meals.
Since my dorm has no kitchenette, I had to get creative with my cooking appliances. To be clear, that was basically just a rice cooker and a microwave.
Here are five things I made in my rice-cooker that didn’t turn out so bad:
1. Soup
This one might seem kind of obvious but personally, soup is so much better when it is not from the microwave. Just grab your favorite can and pour it into the rice cooker, then set it to white rice. Watch the cooker as the soup heats up (if it gets too hot it will boil and come out of the steam hole— not that happened to me or anything…), when your soup is heated to your liking, serve it up.
2. Chili
You can make your own chili or just heat up a pre-made can. Make sure you check on it so as to avoid the soup debacle. Again, much better than being made in the microwave.
3. Tortellini and Meatballs
I know that this contraption is called a “rice cooker” but I took it to the next level and tested out its ability to cook not only pasta, but also meatballs. Basically, I learned that my small rice cooker is capable of a lot if you give it enough time. After bringing the tortellini to a boil and cooking the noodles fully, I strained the water and added marinara and some frozen meatballs. It may have taken a while, but the rice cooker is definitely capable of this endeavor.
4. Red Beans and Rice
A more simple route, red beans and rice makes for a filling meal. Just add a can of beans, onion, some spices, maybe even sausage, and cook it with your rice. Don’t doubt this combination, it won’t let you down.
5. Oatmeal
If you are sick of those dusty microwave oatmeal packets, break out your rice cooker and mix up some steel-cut oats and milk. Yum.