So, you’ve just received confirmation from UCAS: you’re heading to university! Officially becoming a student is such an exciting time.
Soon, you’ll apply for a loan with GOV.UK and begin looking for term-time homes. Whether you choose to live in university-managed halls in your first year or a private property, staying on top of your to-do list is what’s going to make life easier.
As providers of student accommodation in Liverpool, we know exactly what uni kitchen essentials you need.
1. Cooking Basics
Our first 6 uni kitchen essentials are the bare bones.
Some of these items may come included with your student kitchen, or you may be sharing them with housemates. Either way, it’s good to have at least one of the following cooking basics in your arsenal:
- A medium non-stick frying pan: A student’s must-have! The pan should feel light enough to hold in one hand, but come with a base thick enough for even heat distribution.
A single pan will cover a range of meals, from morning eggs at 8 am to veggie fajitas shared with flatmates.
- Small saucepan with lid: A mid‑size saucepan will do porridge for one, pasta for two, and work great for reheating yesterday’s curry without hogging half the hob.
You’ll want a thick, flat base and a pouring rim that saves spill‑overs.
- Baking tray/roasting tin: A medium-depth, heavy-gauge steel tray will serve you well during term-time. Use it to crisp frozen chips and roast vegetables: just be sure to choose a tray that resists warping at 220 °C.
- Silicone spatula: Silicone far outweighs plastic because it’s heat‑safe to at least 220 °C. These spatulas won’t scratch non‑stick pans are an unbeatable baking tool.
- Wooden spoon: The tool that will see you through university and even beyond, a wooden spoon is an all-rounder!
Wood stays cool to the touch and shouldn’t damage non‑stick coatings. However, dishwashers can warp and crack timber, so remember to rinse it straight after use and let it air-dry.
- Colander: When shopping for colanders, we recommend choosing a stainless steel product with a footed or ring base, so that pasta drains far above murky sink water.
2.Food and prep tools
University is the perfect time to hone your culinary skills. With quick turnarounds between lectures and late-night delights during study sessions, you’ll need the proper tools to become a master chef!
- 8‑inch chef’s knife: When it comes to cutlery, we don’t recommend scrimping: a cheap knife will make chopping onions feel a thousand times harder. Instead, invest in a mid-price chef’s knife!
- Paring knife: A pairing knife is much smaller than a chef’s knife, but it tackles trickier chopping tasks, such as garlic, fruit, and chopped vegetables. Go for stainless steel to dodge rust when one of your housemates ‘forgets’ to wash up!
- Chopping board (non‑slip glass): Save your blades (and your fingers) with a non-slip chopping board. Glass is the preferred choice, as it reduces cross‑contamination and won’t deposit microplastics into your food.
- Measuring jug (heat-proof/500ml): Glass measuring jugs can withstand oven heat up to 300 °C and can be easily used for fridge-to-microwave swaps.
- Digital kitchen scales: Great for portion control and baking accuracy, having digital kitchen scales to hand can help you master recipes.
- Medium mixing bowl (glass or stainless steel): What happens when you need to make a big salad or a portion of popcorn, and there’s no big bowl around? One of our favourite uni kitchen essentials, a glass or stainless steel bowl, should last you through years of exciting snacks.
3. Tableware and serving
Once you’ve cooked up a storm, it’s time to plate it up! Students who live on their own (perhaps in a one-bedroom studio) may need to purchase larger quantities of tableware and serving pieces.
But if you’ve got six roommates, all of whom bring a full dining set, you’ll have a lot of dirty dishes to contend with!
- Dinner plates (x2): Stick with two stoneware plates: one large, one small. Good quality stoneware won’t face too many cutlery scratches and should stand up well to food stains over the years.
- Deep pasta/salad bowl: Is it a plate, is it a bowl? Who cares, it’s massive! A deep pasta bowl gives you the flat base of a plate plus the spill‑proof sides of a bowl.
- Large mug: A bigger-than-average mug can be great for housing tea, coffee and pot noodles (especially when there are no dishes).
- Glass tumbler: No one wants to drink from the same plastic glass for three years. Instead, purchase at least one glass tumbler, perfect for cordial, fizzy drinks and iced coffees.
- Reusable water bottle: An overwhelming number of studies suggest that staying hydrated is the key to improving concentration. When you hit the books, an insulated, stainless steel water bottle should be one of your top uni kitchen essentials. These products can keep drinks cold for up to 28 hours!
- Cutlery set (knife, fork, spoon, teaspoon): If you plan to use the same dining set for three years, we recommend investing in high-quality cutlery. One four‑piece setting in 18/10 stainless steel (18 % chromium, 10 % nickel) should resist wash and keep its shine (even after repeated washing).
4. Food storage and organisation
Once you’ve made all this lovely food, where to store it? You don’t want to be the housemate who leaves their garlic bolognese uncovered in the fridge, so to avoid this, be sure to stock up on cheap food organisation tools.
- Clip‑lid food storage boxes: Air-tight glass is what you should be looking for. Modern lids snap on with an airtight silicone gasket, meaning even the most pungent of dinners won’t spill in your backpack.
- Plastic freezer/storage bags: If you’re new to cooking, it’s very easy to get portion control wrong. In the event you make enough soup for a family of four, plastic freezer bags make it easy to label and stash your excess food.
- Clip‑top glass jar (1L): Dry goods, like pasta, coffee and oats, can be kept in an airtight glass jar with a rubber seal.
- Lunchbox (BPA‑free, microwave‑safe): Did you know that making your own lunch could save you £1,000 per year? Stainless steel models with dividers will last far longer than plastic. Plus, they’ll keep your food fresher for longer and won’t retain odors or stains.
- Fridge shelf organiser tray: There’s nothing worse than heading home with a food shop, only to find disorganised, rotting fruits and veg at the back of the fridge. Cut out food waste with one of our most practical uni kitchen essentials: a fridge shelf organiser tray. Clear plastic, specifically, lets you eyeball expiry dates in seconds.
- Reusable silicone food wrap/bag: Made pasta for lunch and dinner? Don’t let it go to waste: reusable silicone food wraps seal tighter than foil (and many stay freezer‑safe down to 40 °C).
5. Cleaning and safety
What uni kitchen essentials list would be complete without cleaning products? Keep a tidy ship by investing in the following products with your housemates. Chip in a couple of pounds, and you’ll be stocked up until next time!
- Washing‑up liquid: A must-have for keeping all your new cutlery and plates clean!
Budget brands offer great scents for as little as 50 pence. Apply washing-up liquid directly onto a dish sponge before giving them a scrub in warm, soapy water.
- Dish sponge & scourer: Speaking of sponges, you’re bound to need one (or twelve! Swap yours every fortnight (or sooner if it smells) and pair it with a non‑scratch scourer so you don’t damage non‑stick pans.
- Microfibre tea towel: Give kitchen roll a miss. Microfibre tea towels are the way forward when it comes to drying. However, some research has shown that they become a culprit for cross-contamination if damp, so be sure to throw yours in the wash weekly.
- Antibacterial surface wipes: Crumbs, stains, and liquid spills aren’t just unsightly. If left for prolonged periods, these quick-to-clean messes can deposit bacteria across your food prep area. Don’t leave it until later: purchase a pack of antibacterial surface wipes as an instant line of defence.
- Oven glove: Self-explanatory, but a proper glove rated to 250°C will protect your wrists and fingers.
- Small lidded bin & roll of bin bags: No one wants to take the bins out, but it’s better than having your student accommodation swarmed with flies and cockroaches.
Offset some of the flow by keeping a small lidded bin in your room. Don’t forget about bin bags!
We have student accommodation in some of Liverpool’s best student areas!
Your packing list for uni kitchen essentials is complete: now, all you have to do is find your term-time home. Luckily, we have student accommodation in Liverpool’s best student areas: Wavertree, Kensington, and the city centre.
In our flats and studios, you’ll find fully-furnished social kitchens and lounges: perfect for starting this new chapter of your life.
