25 Best Uni Kitchen Essentials For Students
Your student list for uni kitchen essentials.
With the right uni kitchen essentials, you can make some fabulous meals. It also helps with bonding with your flatmates too (just make sure you get your stuff cleaned and put back!).
Plus, in the long run, it can save you some money, as you’ll have a full arsenal of equipment to make almost anything you fancy.
So, if you’re moving to halls for the first time, or want to upgrade your current kitchen set, we’ve popped a list together of all the student uni kitchen essentials you’ll ever need. We’ve got brands Amazon and deals from the likes of Wowcher where you can get some premium kitchen products for students at a lower price.
With our student uni kitchen essentials list, you’ll be able to cook some banger recipes, like these 40p meals, or recipes for world vegan month. Plus, if you need a list of everything you need to take to uni, check out our what to take to university checklist.
Student uni kitchen essentials list
Below is a list of kitchen essentials for you to consider when you move to university. You’re very welcome.
1. 50 Piece Non Stick Kitchen Starter Set — Argos, £60
If you just want the bare student kitchen essentials, then Argos’ set of uni kitchen essentials is enough to get you started. It’s a great way to get your essentials for now and build upon with more items on this list.
The set comes with saucepans, kitchen utensils, knives, food storage, baking trays and much more.
Plus, it’s super light and easy to transport. You can get a discount with us too!
Get an Argos student discount.
2. Tower T17021 Family Size Air Fryer with Rapid Air Circulation — Amazon, £43.42
An air fryer makes for a fantastic addition to your university starter pack. They reduce the number of fats and oils you consume (thanks to not needing any oil to cook with), and they’re much faster to use than an oven. So, if you’re a fan of making say, chips on the regular, you’re gonna want an air fryer for speedy cooking.
Get an Amazon student discount.
3. Neo Nordic Illuminated LED Glass Kettle — Wowcher, from £22.99
A kettle is another staple for the uni kitchen. Even if you’re a fan of making a nice hot cup of tea, kettles can speed up your cooking time when making rice or pasta. Fortunately, when it comes to cheap kitchen accessories, Wowcher never fails when it comes to both price and quality. Enjoy the Neo Nordic Glass Kettle for less!
Get a Wowcher student discount.
4. TOMORAL Measuring Cups and Spoons Set of 13 — Amazon, £12.95
This measuring cup set from Amazon contains both measuring cups and spoons, making it a great student kitchen set for avid bakers. They’re made of stainless steel too, making them easy to clean, dry and store.
Get an Amazon student discount.
5. 16 piece essential cutlery set—M&S, £12
Another essential to your uni kitchen set has to be cutlery. After all, you need to be able to eat your food! M&S has some premium stainless steel cutlery that’s easy to clean and will last you throughout your uni years and beyond.
Get a Marks & Spencer student discount.
6. Salter BW05751S Megastone Saucepan Set— Amazon, £49.99
Buying a saucepan set is should be top of the list with student kitchen supplies. You can use them to boil noodles (a student staple), pasta (yet another student staple), rice, vegetables and more.
7. Compartment BPA Free Reusable Meal Prep Containers— Amazon, £12.95
Food storage is absolutely essential for your student kitchen set. It means you can store leftover food to cook at dinner time or take out for lunch, It can save you some serious cash in the long run too. We’re a huge fan of these freezable food storage containers, so you can meal prep, freeze, and eat it at a later date.
Get an Amazon student discount.
8. Black Silicone Double Oven Gloves — Dunelm, £12
How are you going to take your hot food out of the oven? With oven gloves, of course! Be sure not to miss out on this, it’s one of the most important uni kitchen essentials. While using a tea towel also works, there’s a much higher chance of injury. Trust us, a pair of oven gloves could literally save your life.
9. Stainless steel colander — Amazon, £7.20
An example of cheap kitchen accessories has to be a colander. And yes, you could rely on being super swift in pouring liquid down the drain from your saucepan…But a colander could make things 100x easier (and save your food from going down the sink too!).
Get an Amazon student discount.
10. Evokk kitchen utensils — Amazon, £19.99
A kitchen utensil set means you can come armed to your student kitchen with everything you need to cook your favourite meals. We’re talking, ladles, serving spoons, whisks, tongs…Having them all as one student starter kitchen set will save you time and money from buying them separately.
Get an Amazon student discount.
11. Masterchef stainless steel non-stick knives — Amazon, £9.77
Even just one chopping knife is enough to get you through uni. But if you’re a fan of having multiple for different uses like slicing bread or tough veggies, then a collection of chopping knives makes for a kitchen starter set. We love this slice, dice and prep knives set, and we think you will too.
Get an Amazon student discount.
12. Ultimate non-stick handle wok— Amazon, £14.99
Stir-fries are probably going to be one of, if not the only healthy meals you make at uni. A wok is a great addition to your student kitchen, as it lets you fry off tons of veggies and other ingredients in a flash. This non-stick wok is large and easy to clean, meaning batch-cooking your stir fry will be super easy. Speaking of non-stick…
Get an Amazon student discount.
13. Tefal taste twin frying pan— Amazon, £27.49
There’s nothing worse than spending hours scraping off leftover food at the bottom of a pan. Want to save the trouble? Just buy a non-stick frying pan. It’s the ultimate addition to your uni kitchen set.
Sometimes a wok is a little too big to cook with, so we really like this set of a medium and small pan to cook things like eggs or fry off some meat.
Get an Amazon student discount.
14. Personalised chef chopping board — Not On The High Street, £24.50
If you want your deposit back, you’re not gonna want to chop food on the counter. Invest in some chopping boards (one for veg, and another for meat products). This one from Not On The Highstreet can be customised too. Put your favourite quote on there for a pick-me-up while you cook.
Get a Not On The Highstreet student discount.
You’ve got the fancy chopping board, so here’s a quick lesson on how to chop garlic like a pro…
15. Heavy-duty 4-sided non-slip grater — Amazon, £12.32
Grating your own cheese is much cheaper than buying ready-grated cheese. It’s also great to grate things like beetroot, carrots, potatoes and other vegetables too.
Get an Amazon student discount.
16. Magican can opener — Robert Dyas, £9.99
One of your cheap kitchen accessories has to be a can opener. You’re gonna want one for the many tinned tomatoes, beans and tuna you’ll get through as a student. This cheap can opener from Robert Dyas is durable and reliable. You can save money on it using our discount too.
Get a Robert Dyas student discount.
17. Bottle opener corkscrew — Amazon, £8.27
For those that drink alcohol, a wine opener also doubles up as a beer bottle opener too. Thus, it’s great to have in your uni kitchen set. You never know when you’re going to accidentally buy a corked bottle of wine, thinking it was screw top!
Get an Amazon student discount.
18. 32cm baking tray — Dunelm, £1.50
Roasting trays are a must for a university starter pack. You can pop almost anything on it to cook in the oven such as chips, pizza, fish fingers, home-baked cookies and more.
19. Pegboard personalised mug —Not On The Highstreet, £15.95
Caffeine is a student must! Getting a trusty mug will help you throughout your years as a student. We absolutely LOVE this customizable set from Not On The High Street. If one of your housemates is making a round of brews, the cup will tell them exactly how you like it.
Get a Not On The Highstreet student discount.
20. Pyrex measuring jug — Amazon, £5.50
Measuring jugs are an essential bit of student kitchen kit when you’re trying to measure ingredients out for an impressive dorm meal. This Pyrex one is incredibly reliable and makes for some cheap kitchenware for students.
Get an Amazon student discount.
21. Multifunction sharp kitchen scissors — Amazon, £3.99
Scissors are always handy to have. They can help you cut into some vacuum-packed foods, or even get used to cutting meat and vegetables. Keep a pair handy for your student kitchen, it’s certainly safer than using a knife.
Get an Amazon student discount.
22. Set of 2 plates in green — In The Style, £3.00
Cheap crockery doesn’t have to mean lower quality. We love this set from In The Style (yes, they do home and kitchen wear. Perfect for students!). Their super unique crockery set with a beautiful shade of green and makes for some nice, yet cheap tableware. Of course, if you’re just after the basics, we also recommend this 12 Piece Marble Plate Set from Amazon.
Get an In The Style student discount.
23. Tea towel— Oliver Bonas, £15
Tea towels are incredibly useful for a student kitchen. They can help you dry your washed dishes and wipe down surfaces. We also think they can make a student kitchen look fabulous too, like this colourful Oliver Bonas one.
Get an Oliver Bonas student discount.
24. Ergonomic vegetable stainless steel peeler —Amazon, £5.39
Two for the price of one! We love this stainless steel ergonomic set of vegetable peelers from Amazon. Veggie peelers are a staple for any university starter pack and are far safer than using a knife for peeling veg.
Get an Amazon student discount.
25. Russell Hobbs Legacy 4-slice toaster — Argos, £40
Toast…or more specifically, beans on toast, is something you’re gonna rinse during your time as a student. Toasting bread makes for quick snacks or addition to meals, so be sure to add this Russel Hobs toaster to your student kitchen set.
Now you’ve got the kit, you can learn to cook!
Check out our video on 5 essential cooking skills for Freshers:
And that’s our best uni kitchen essentials rounded up! We hope it’s given you a well-rounded view of the type of items to kit out your uni kitchen with.
How long does pasta take to cook?
Dried pasta, including spaghetti, penne, linguine, and tagliatelle takes roughly 10-12 minutes to cook. On the other hand, ravioli or fresh pasta is much quicker to cook and only takes between 3-5 minutes to boil in a saucepan.
How long to cook sausages in the oven
Assuming you cook at a temperature of 200C, it takes roughly 30 minutes for meat sausages to cook in the oven. Bear in mind that it will take an extra 10 minutes to cook if the meat sausages are frozen, and less so if they’re vegetarian sausages (roughly 15-18 minutes).
Always check the package instructions, which will usually give you the time and temperate if the sausages are chilled for frozen.
How to cook mince
How to cook mince depends on what you intend to do with it. If you want to brown the mince, you’ll only need it in the pan for a few minutes to turn brown (but not cook all the way through), but if you’re cooking, say, a spaghetti bolognese, then there’s a method to cooking mince the best way.
- Add a little oil to a hot pan
- Add your pack of mince
- Break the mince up and keep stirring it so it doesn’t stick and cooks evenly
- If too many juices pool at the bottom, strain the mince and pop the mince back in the frying pan
- You can even keep the juices to create a stock
- Cook until the mince is medium-brown and no red (raw) parts remain.
What is induction cooking?
Induction cooking as essentially hobs that use electricity to heat up pots and pans. You’ll usually find these in your university dorm, as they’re much safer and simpler to use.
It’s different to thermal conduction, such as gas or electric element transferring. Instead, it heats the pot or pan and itself until it’s ready to be used for cooking. The infrared energy of an induction cooker ensures even heat distribution from the burner to the pan, which then transfers to the food. A major difference between an induction cooktop vs electric cooktop is that once you turn off a burner from an electric cooktop, the surface will continue to be hot for some time.
Sign up to Student Beans to get even more home student discounts, and redeem the brand discounts we mentioned above.
