The next semester of college is coming up fast. Whether you’re sending your first child off to their freshman year or looking to upgrade a current dorm room kitchen, Walmart has most of what you need. That includes all the basics such as good quality microwaves and mini-fridges to items you may not have thought of, including sandwich presses and rice cookers. Good nutrition is a must if you’re going to succeed in school, after all.
In this article: Keurig K-Iced Essentials K-Cup Coffee Maker, Beautiful Electric Gooseneck Kettle and Ninja Blast Personal Portable Blender
Before you go on a buying spree, remember that dorms have many restrictions, mostly as a matter of safety. The two biggest restrictions when it comes to dorm kitchen gear are specific restrictions set by the school and the size of the dorm. Before buying anything, even a microwave, check with the school to ensure you understand its limits. For example, some dorms may not allow an air fryer in the room, but may allow you to use it in a common kitchen space. In this instance, you’d have to decide if it’s worth hauling the fryer back and forth each time.
You also need to consider how much space you actually have in your dorm. This is a huge consideration for microwaves and mini-fridges, especially since they take up a large amount of space. Plus, you only have storage space for so many appliances, even if you grab small ones, such as a sandwich press and an egg cooker.
There are two tiers of dorm kitchen essentials: must-haves, and nice-to-haves.
The top two must-haves for every dorm are the microwave and the mini-fridge. Unless restricted by the school, having a way to heat up leftovers and small meals is a must for maintaining morale, while the food storage benefits of an in-room mini-fridge are too many to list.
After these, comes anything you personally consider essential. If you have to have a cup of coffee in the morning, some method to make one becomes a must-have. Or, if breakfast every morning is always some hard-boiled eggs, an egg cooker would be a must-have.
After your must-haves have been, well, had, comes everything else. Before you consider buying any nice-to-have, take a hard look at whatever space you have left in your dorm. Ask yourself if feeling that much more cramped in an already small space is worth it. If you’re not sure, try living without it for a week and see if it becomes a must-have. If it doesn’t, then it’s probably better to save the space, not to mention the money.
Keurig K-Iced Essentials K-Cup Coffee Maker
If there’s one thing a college-bound student is going to need plenty of, it’s coffee. A pod coffee maker is your best bet since that keeps the mess to a minimum. Plus, the K-Iced can make iced coffee as the semesters change. It can also make large-volume cups for thermoses.
Eggs are a phenomenally nutritious way to start a long day of classes and homework, but making them is almost always messy. With this egg cooker, that mess is much more limited. It’s primarily for making hard-boiled eggs, but it also comes with a steamer basket that lets you steam a variety of food.
There are only so many PB&Js or cold ham and cheeses a person can take. With this mini sandwich press, you can make a quick and easy grilled cheese or any other simple, hot sandwich. An indicator light tells you when it’s hot enough to cook.
Beautiful Electric Gooseneck Kettle
A good electric kettle is a must-have for any college dorm, enabling pour-over coffees, soothing herbal teas and luscious hot chocolates when you need a pick-me-up. This one has a no-spill spout and can boil its water in a bit over four minutes. It comes in seven colors.
If your dorm is going to be small and you only have space for so many kitchen gadgets, one of them should be an air fryer. Even if you only use it to bake frozen foods, that’s still a huge range of choices your dorm kitchen can suddenly be capable of.
For many dorm dwellers, living on a strict budget is a must. Under those circumstances, you need filling, low-cost food and rice is an excellent candidate, as it can be paired with essentially anything. It can make up to 6 prepared cups of rice, perfect for meal prepping.
Nostalgia 2-Quart Popcorn Popper
Not every dorm kitchen gadget has to be practical. This popcorn popper lets you make your own popcorn, carefully controlling how much oil, butter, salt and other flavorings you want. It can hold up to 8 cups of freshly made popcorn. The cooking plate is nonstick for easier cleanup.
MyMini Noodle Cooker and Skillet Hot Pot
There’s a reason ramen and college students are a cliche. But you don’t need to suffer with the cheapest ramen when you can whip up some fresh ramen of your own. Plus, you can use the skillet as an actual skillet, cooking oatmeal, eggs or even some queso.
Ninja Blast Personal Portable Blender
If you want to avoid the freshman 15, you need to eat some healthy food. With this blender, you can quickly get a few servings of fruits and veggies. The base is rechargeable, so you don’t even need to blend your food until the second you’re ready to enjoy it.
Beautiful 1.1 Cu. Ft. Microwave
Even though dorms should have a microwave in a common area, that microwave is probably not the best. Plus, having one in your room means more time focused on your studies. This one has sensor cooking and reheating, so you don’t need to guess how long to cook.
Arctic King 3.2 Cu. Ft. Mini Fridge with Freezer
A mini fridge is a must for every dorm room, even if it’s just to keep leftovers and some cold cuts on ice. This one also comes with a small freezer section for mental breakdown ice cream and anything you may be able to bake in an air fryer.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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