It’s a sad but accepted fact that college dining hall food is egregiously bad. Most use cheap ingredients, and are producing food for the masses, often sacrificing taste. Obviously, there are a few outliers, but it’s safe to say that going from NYC’s wealth of culinary options to a college dining hall will be a rough transition for all of us graduating seniors. I hope to make that jump slightly less shocking to our digestive tracts by providing a few easy, must-know recipes to take along with us on this four year adventure.

First, let’s think of what we can do with the dining hall’s easy-access classics. A microwave will be your best friend—especially with breakfast. Did you know you can microwave bacon? It only takes 45 seconds to get a perfectly crisp piece! Carrying on the breakfast path, overnight oats are an incredibly easy and delicious option. Annabelle Prastowo (’26) has a delicious recipe that I’ve slightly adapted over the past year. The first thing you need is a jar or a glass. Combine a ½ cup of oats with ¾ cup of oat milk, a pinch of sea salt, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, two tablespoons of chia seeds, and a hearty glug of maple syrup. Stir until completely mixed and refrigerate overnight. If you’re feeling adventurous in the morning, I recommend topping the oats with raspberries and heading on your way!

Moving onto my personal favorite meal of the day, lunch (you could also eat these for dinner)! First we have tried and true peanut butter noodles. Consisting of five easy ingredients: a packet of ramen noodles, peanut butter, soy sauce, butter and water, there are a million ways you can customize these to make them your own. Maya Grauer (’26), for example, prefers her noodles ridiculously sweet (achieved by adding copious amounts of peanut butter). Check out the NYT’s recipe at this link to read more: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025047-peanut-butter-noodles. If you’re not a huge fan of peanut noodles (nice way of saying you either have an allergy or are insane), don’t hesitate to explore this other fun lunch option: microwave baked potato. Technically, all you need for this recipe is one ingredient: a russet potato. However, if you choose to go the one ingredient route, I almost guarantee you will have the most boring meal of your life. So, I recommend splurging on some sour cream, salted butter, bacon bits, chives, and some extra-sharp cheddar cheese. To make this warm ball of heaven, all you have to do is poke your potato all over with a fork (please do this or it will explode) and then chuck it into the microwave for about six minutes. Once your timer sounds, flip your potato over and throw it back in for an extra five. When it’s been cooked to perfection, take it out of the microwave, slit it down the middle, and sauce it up with your accoutrements.

Last, but most definitely not least, let’s talk dessert. How could we not start with the world-famous microwave brownie! Mix three tablespoons of cocoa powder, three tablespoons of flour (or protein powder if you’re a gym rat), three tablespoons of granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, three tablespoons of milk, 2½ tablespoons of vegetable oil, a dash of vanilla extract, and a generous sprinkle of chocolate chips together in a ramekin or coffee mug. Chuck the mug into the microwave for one minute and you have yourself a delicious brownie! If you’re not so into chocolate, that’s a-okay, try out this microwavable banana pudding recipe. All you need is 100 grams of butter, two bananas, 100 grams of light brown sugar, 100 grams of self-raising flour, two teaspoons of cinnamon, two eggs, two tablespoons of milk, and a pinch of salt. Simply microwave the butter to melt it (around 30 seconds), mush the bananas with a fork and combine with the butter, and mix in all other ingredients. Throw it in the microwave for eight minutes on high and you’re good to go. 

Whether you are interested in trying out some of these recipes in college, or just love to read about food, I hope this article was helpful! Good luck everyone, and never forget the power of a microwave. 😉