Updated with current information for 2023
When you move out of Ohio University housing and into your own Athens Ohio apartment, there’s a lot more freedom. Nobody’s looking over your shoulder. You aren’t paying an arm and a leg to essentially rent a single bedroom you have to share with a roommate who’s often a complete stranger. You also can say goodbye to dorm cafeteria food. The only catch? You’ve got to cook for yourself. And you’ll get sick of eating nothing but ramen day in and day out. Don’t worry. You’ve got this. With these 10 cooking hacks, you’ll be coming up with your own scrumptious meals with hardly any effort at all (and maybe your roommates in your student rental will want some, too).
Weave Bacon Squares and Bake Them
Frying bacon is for the birds. Bacon will actually cook much more evenly in the oven and is not as easy to burn or set off the smoke detector. (Don’t forget to use a timer!) You could weave it into a square and then you can get more even solid hunks that are great for sandwiches. Just don’t leave the window of your apartment open – especially if you live somewhere close to campus like Uptown or Court Street. You may have to ward off an army of hungry college students that smell the fresh Bacon aroma.
Wrap Your Beer in Paper Towels
It’s college, so anything with beer counts as a culinary trick. Living far off-campus means that beer has time to warm up after leaving the liquor store, especially if you bought your booze Uptown. Wrap bottles of beer in wet paper towels and put them in the fridge. They’ll cool down quicker and be super cold later.
If you live in a big house – like a five-bedroom rental, for example – your many roommates will thank you.
Hash Browns in a Waffle Iron?
Hash browns are a pain, but not if you’ve got a waffle iron. Throw them on the iron and close it. It cooks nice and brown much more evenly. It’s an easy breakfast to make that you can enjoy on that big porch in your rental’s front yard.
Stale Bread = Easy Garlic Bread
Take old stale bread and run it under water. Stick a few cloves of garlic in along the surface, butter it up and stick it in the oven. It’s easier than toast and practically tastes gourmet. Pack it away and enjoy it at Strouds Run with a special someone on the shore – it’s basically bruschetta. If your rental doesn’t have parking – or you just don’t have a car in general – you can walk to campus if you live close by and enjoy it on College Green!
Taco Night? Broil Those Babies!
Pre-make tacos on a cookie sheet, separating them with balls of aluminum foil. Place them under the broiler for a few minutes and you’ve got perfectly even melted cheese. Delicious! Cook dinner for your entire Athens Ohio apartment with no effort at all.
Reheat Spaghetti in Boiling Water
Cook up a bunch of spaghetti one night. Reheat the leftovers by throwing the bare leftover spaghetti into boiling water for just a few seconds. It will taste absolutely fresh. Mix with sauce from the jar with about 20 seconds in the microwave, and Mama mia! Fresh spaghetti as good as your mother used to make with no effort at all. This is helpful when you have lots of friends over – enjoying the nice space your student rental has to offer, of course.
Sauté Frozen Veggies for a Quick Side Dish
Don’t have any fresh veggies on hand? No problem. You can sauté frozen veggies like broccoli, green beans, or mixed vegetables for a quick and easy side dish. Just heat up some oil in a pan, add the frozen veggies, and cook until tender. Season with salt, pepper, and any other spices you like.
Oregano is an easy one that basically replicates Chipotle’s fajita veggies if you’re not living Uptown and the walk to the eatery is further away than it was when you lived on campus.
Make a Quick and Easy Quesadilla
Running low on groceries? You can make a tasty quesadilla with just a tortilla, cheese, and any leftover meat or veggies you have in the fridge. Simply place the tortilla in a hot pan, add cheese and your toppings, fold it in half, and cook until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crispy.
Enjoy it while watching the sunset that the awesome view from your rental provides.
Use Your Rice Cooker for More than Just Rice
If you have a rice cooker, you can use it for more than just cooking rice. You can make easy one-pot meals like quinoa, pasta, and even steamed vegetables. Just add the ingredients and some water or broth to the rice cooker, and let it do the work for you. This is helpful if you live in a two or three bedroom apartment with multiple hungry roommates – everyone can split the cost and get dinner from just one pot!
Create Your Own Salad Dressing
Skip the store-bought salad dressing and make your own with just a few simple ingredients. Mix together olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, and any herbs or spices you like. Shake it up in a jar, and you’ve got a delicious homemade dressing to top your salads.
Your place will be known as the “cool apartment” with the way you’re cheffing up great food! Just make sure to give us some credit when the whole of Court Street is banging on your student rental for some food!