9 College Food Hacks You'll Wish You Thought of First

If I'm being 100% honest, I hate cooking. This is my first year living off campus, and without a meal plan, you could say I've gotten a little creative with my cooking methods. So this blog post is for all students who want to get clever in the kitchen, whether its because you're too lazy to cook like an actual adult, or maybe you're already getting tired of the meal plan options and you want to experiment in your dorm's kitchenette. Either way, I hope you enjoy some of the following college food hacks I've either come up with or come across in my days at IU. You're welcome.

1. Lazy person's grilled cheese

As far as I know, I made this up. But I may have not been the first person to ever think of it. Anyway, you will need:

• toaster
• microwave
• bread
• cheese

Toast your bread. Afterwards, add cheese. Then microwave your toast with cheese for ~2 min, or until cheese melts to desired point.

Variation: My sister will turn the toaster on its side, put in the bread with cheese on it and meat (e.g. ham), and make herself a hot sandwich. Put a plate next to the toaster so that when it pops out, it will land right on your plate (remember since it's sideways).

Pros:

• fast
• less dishes than regular grilled cheese

2. Stove-top s'mores

As far as I know, I also made this one up. You will need:

• access to a gas stove
• marshmallows
• graham crackers
• chocolate
• roasting mechanism (e.g. chopstick? butter knife? Get creative)

Turn on the gas and start roasting your mallow until golden brown (or desired color).

Variation: You can also get creative with your s'more-making ingredients. For ideas, click here, or try making it with a Reese's cup.

Pros:

• chocolate
• marshmallow
• fast

3. Ramen-noodle spaghetti

Credit for this one goes out to my sister's boyfriend. You will need:

• ramen noodles
• microwave
• spaghetti sauce

Make your ramen noodles, but leave out the flavor packet. Then add pasta sauce. Voila.

Variation: If you're feeling fancy, try alfredo sauce.

Pros:

• fast
• cheap
• less dishes than preparing real adult spaghetti

4. Lazy apple pie

You will need:

• apples
• cinnamon
• honey
• butter (optional)
• a microwave

Slice up some apples, add cinnamon, honey, and a little butter if you want and microwave for about three minutes. Yum...

Variation: Try serving on top of vanilla ice cream, because "stressed" spelled backwards is "desserts."

Pros:

• fast
• less dishes
• de-stress with dessert

Check out these images I've seen floating around online of people being awesome and hilarious with their kitchen creativity.

5. Turn your coffee maker into a hot dog stand

6. When you don't have a strainer

7. When you don't have a microwave

8. When (if) you have leftover coffee

Freeze them into cubes to use in iced coffee

9. And this genius piece of advice:

Share your own food hacks in the comments below! Tell your friends!

Check out these related articles from WeAreIU.com:

• Ten Tips for Grocery Shopping in College
• Eating Cheap in College
• Dine First Class on Campus: The Restaurants at Woodland

And these other articles from Buzzfeed about food hacks:

• 42 Clever Food Hacks that will Change Your Life
• 40 Creative Food Hacks that will Change the Way You Cook
• 34 Creative Kitchen Hacks that Every Cook Should Know
• Food Hacks News