Growing up, I would sometimes play the part of “kitchen assistant” to my parents if they needed a pot stirred or a potato peeled, but that was the extent of my cooking experience. I came to college wary about cooking independently. Given all the restrictions that have come with COVID-19, this semester I decided to try to change that — to have something I could control — by cooking more of my own meals. Though this new challenge has been an additional time commitment beyond trying to stay on top of the academic monster that is grad school, I’ve begun to develop a kitchen routine in the form of “meal prep” that has at least proven to be suitable to my novice-level cooking.
 
Whether you’re a beginning culinarian like me or a master chef, meal prep can be a great way to have your food ready in advance and allow you to focus more on other daily demands. The following are a few things that you may want to consider when starting your own meal prep journey.
 

Planning
As any meal prepper worth their salt knows, with meal preparation for future chow, planning is key. By considering a list of ingredients that you’d like to use in your food over the coming days, you’re better able to avoid food waste and save yourself hours in the kitchen. While researching large-serving recipes that seem to be to your tastes is one option, another is to use YouTube to get ideas from other meal preppers putting together their planned food.

 
Diet Restrictions
Whether you’re following vegetarian, paleo, vegan, keto, “normal” food guidelines, or any other diet, meal prep is an option for you. The important thing is that you make things that you’ll be willing to eat all week. It’s pointless to make five ultra-healthy meals that will send you running to McDonald’s by Wednesday.
 
Cooking Level
I’m just now trying my hand at culinary creations, and frankly, if I (someone who could probably burn water) am able to make something very nearly edible, then you can too. Some recipes do require more experience than others, so trying to roast some vegetables before trying to conjure up something more difficult like a properly-executed Baked Alaska may be a safe bet.
 
Time
Balancing classwork and other activities in the midst of a pandemic can be enough of a challenge without having to stress over what you’re going to make and/or purchase for dinner. Meal prep has proven to be a relatively hassle-free way to have my food ready for the week ahead. It was initially a bit cumbersome to set aside the hour or two on my meal prep day to get my grub ready for the week ahead, but if you want to start cooking regularly, don’t worry about the daily time commitment. This method is a great place to start.
 
Budget
Like most fiscally-conscious college students, I still find myself gravitating towards the greasy, salty, and crunchy fast food options readily available throughout College Station (shoutout to my boyfriend for reintroducing me to Taco Bell). However, cooking in general (and especially meal prep) has shown me that I’m able to put together something nutritious and delicious from relatively inexpensive ingredients. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Let assorted vegetables shine by tossing them with some olive oil and Italian seasoning and roasting them in the oven, then do that same thing with chicken breasts, and you’ve got lunch all week.
 
Supplies
Regardless of what you’re thinking of making, there are a few basic bits and bobs that are particularly useful for your kitchen. Tools of the trade like baking sheets and MixMasters are helpful but not essential. You can fashion almost any cooking utensil or instrument with basic silverware, a bit of tin foil, and a clever mind.
 
If you take anything from these thoughts, it should be that there is an endless amount of cooking information out there. Again, I’m also still honing this skill, but I hope that my shared experience may start you in the right direction.

—Erin Herndon

Erin is a master’s student in the Department of International Affairs.