How to Cook at College

I used to be afraid of making eggs and toast, but I've become an avid cooker in college. I used to buy a whole month's worth of frozen foods from Trader Joe's; now I buy fresh food and make meals almost daily. I'm really proud that I've grown in this aspect since coming to college. Cooking your own food is healthier than eating pre-made food and cheaper than eating out or ordering. It's also very calming, and the self-sufficiency will make you feel like the semi-adult you are.

Here's some tips:

1. Learn how to cook some simple meals, such as stir fry, omelets, soup, or burgers. You can throw pretty much anything in your fridge into soup, a stir fry, omelet, or pasta with sauce. 
2. Learn how to dress up the basics. For example, I take ramen and cook it with extra vegetables and scrambled egg in it to make it more nutritious and filling.
3. Buy and learn how to use spices! If you're unsure of what spices to use with a dish, look it up on the internet. There will be a variety of suggestions for almost everything. Buy pre-made spice mixtures, such a poultry seasoning, stir fry ginger, adobo, or herbes de provence. Don't underestimate salt and pepper.
4. Cook a lot at a time so you have leftovers. You'll thank yourself tomorrow when you have delicious leftovers rather than that frozen meal.
5. Don't be afraid to collaborate with your friends on cooking. You won't always have all of the ingredients for something. Offer to share the food you're making if your friend can contribute some of the ingredients. Don't be afraid to ask to borrow tools or spices! If you're only going to use a blender once, borrow your friend's. Also, shopping, cooking, and eating with friends can make the whole process a lot quicker and more fun.
6. When buying ingredients, always buy store-brand or generic brand. It's cheaper and it's exactly the same thing.
7. Buy fresh ingredients whenever you can, and try to buy things in-season (when they are cheapest and freshest). Look for farmer's markets! Never over-buy fresh ingredients because they go bad quickly.
8. Finally, experiment with food and spices.

My house has about 75 cookbooks, one for each cuisine, and I stole some of them so I could cook at college. Some of the best resources I have for recipes have been cookbooks, but there are tons of online recipes. If you don't want to invest in an actual cookbook, here are some links:

Vegan recipes
Quick snacks
Study snacks
Kinda artsy food
Lots of recipes for students
Grilled cheese
Healthy recipes
Best foods for students by activity
Yummy smoothies
Mac&Cheese in a mug
Specific smoothies
How to make tons of cookies
Breadsticks
Vegan pasta
More vegan recipes
A mass post of recipes for college students

General recipe sites:

Allrecipes
Food Network
Betty Crocker
Food.com
Whole Foods
Trader Joes

More important links:

Shelf life of food
How to use spices
Sides
What fruits and veggies are in-season

Happy cooking!