Best Cookbooks For Cooking in College

Worried that sending your new freshman off to college means their diet will consist of boxed macaroni and cheese and cereal? Perhaps your son or daughter is moving into their first off-campus apartment and away from regular meals in the dining hall. If so, our sister company, Simon & Schuster, serves up the goods once again. These cookbooks feature delicious recipes and easy-to-follow instructions that will inspire your kids to drop the ramen habit and try their hand at making their favorite meals.

The Kitchy Kitchen
Claire Thomas

Every cook needs an arsenal of staples, but the real fun comes in making basic recipes your own. The Kitchy Kitchen introduces readers to Claire Thomas’ unfussy and personal style of cooking – and features sidebars showing how to adapt and expand upon recipes you’ve already mastered. Perfect for the adventurous young cook who is looking to become more creative and confident in the kitchen.

Chloe’s Kitchen 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way
By Chloe Coscarelli

Chloe Coscarelli wowed millions when she won Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” with vegan cupcakes. Her vegan reinterpretations of classic comfort dishes like burgers, fries, meatloaf, along with some lip smacking desserts – including her winning cupcake recipes – make this book a hit for sending any vegan, vegetarian, or plain old picky eater off to college. You’ll know they’re eating something healthy no matter which of Chef Chloe’s recipes they make!

This Is A Cookbook: Recipes for Real Life
By Max and Eli Sussman

James Beard Foundation 2012 Rising Star nominee Max Sussman and his partner-in-crime (and brother) Eli are known for their skills in hip New York restaurants like Roberta’s and Mile End Deli. Featuring 60 killer recipes made from easy-to-find ingredients, the Sussmans take the guesswork out of cooking and break it down simply – this is the perfect kitchen companion for the more experienced home chef or the kid who can’t even boil water. With recipes for meals for one, two, or many, your freshman will be on the road to foodie in no time.

4 Ingredients: One Pot, One Bowl
By Kim McCosker

College kitchens tend to be tiny if they even exist at all and it’s tough to plan a meal when you need to have countless different pots and pans to make something substantial. With these recipes that only include 4 ingredients, one pot, and one bowl (okay, and some utensils to eat and stir with), there’s no excuse not to cook at home. The more than 80 recipes include: Creamy Bacon and Sundried Tomato Chicken, French Lamb Casserole, and Baked Rice Pudding. Cooking just got a whole lot easier.

My Year in Meals
By Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray’s fan base is likely moms and not the typical college students. But, with 365 different recipes straight from Rachael’s own kitchen, you know these are going to be delicious – and easy to make. From everyday meals to complicated culinary feats, including Almond Custard Brioche Toast, Egg Tagliatelle with Truffle Butter, Butternut Squash Risotto, and much more, by the time Parent’s Weekend rolls around, your child will consider going out for their own show on the Cooking Channel.

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn’t Cook from Scratch – Over 120 Recipes for the Best Homemade Foods
By Jennifer Reese

Popular food blogger Jennifer Reese shares 120 recipes and practical yet deliciously fun “make or buy” recommendations, all while making a fantastic case for the frugal-chic lifestyle and giving us a full picture of what a truly “homemade” life looks like. Here’s an example: make the bagels and buy the cream cheese. Students away from home for the first time will appreciate the goods they had growing up but revel in success when they make something from scratch.

Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express: 494 Inspired Seasonal Dishes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less
By Mark Bittman

From the beloved New York Times columnist, also known as “The Minimalist,” comes a collection of 404 seasonal, quick and easy recipes with the taste and flair of a five-star restaurant but without any of the anxiety or fuss that comes with cooking in one. And considering the limited time students have between class, clubs, social engagements, and homework – twenty minutes or less is about all they have to prepare a meal. This is a good bet to break the ramen or boxed macaroni and cheese habit pretty quickly.