9 Super Important Dorm Room Kitchen Essentials So You Aren’t Relying on the Dining Halls
In college, you get sick of the dining halls really quickly. It is super important to have some dorm room kitchen essentials on hand so you are able to store and make some of your own food!
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You can literally never have enough snacks in your dorm room. Whether you are storing microwave meals, chips, candy, popcorn, or fruits/vegetables, you are going to need it all in the dorms.
Especially in such a small space, having certain dorm room kitchen essentials is going to keep everything organized and stored for whenever you need some food.
This post is all about dorm room kitchen essentials!
Dorm room kitchen organization
If you are planning on having a kitchen area in your dorm room, you will 100% need some organization items. Especially for such a small space, these things are going to make it a lot easier to store as much as possible.
You’ve got a couple of options when it comes to dorm room kitchen organization. You can choose whichever works for your stuff and your space best!
Over-fridge shelf
If you want a lot of kitchen stuff, this is the absolute best dorm kitchen organization item you can buy.
The best part about this is that it goes right over the fridge and uses a bunch of space that is usually wasted. It has a spot for a microwave if you have one, plus another shelf for storage.
You are definitely going to be able to store a lot with this.
over-fridge organizer
Another option, if you are looking for something smaller, is this over-the-fridge organizer.
This is great for storing little snacks, paper goods, silverware, and whatever other kitchen items you’ve got in your dorm room.
This is pretty compact and just sits right on top of the fridge. Then, you’ve got the pockets on either side for storage.
Rolling cart
Another recommendation for a whole lot of storage is a rolling cart like this. Whether you’ve got kitchen stuff you need to organize or anything else in a dorm room, I always recommend these carts because they can literally be used for anything.
This is the perfect place to organize some smaller snacks, paper goods, and all your dorm room kitchen essentials.
I used one of these in my sophomore dorm and it was so nice having everything in one place.
Dorm room kitchen Supplies
Once you have something to organize everything in, these are all the dorm room kitchen supplies that are helpful to have in the dorms.
Dishes
You do NOT need a full set of dishes in a dorm room. Obviously, this is going to be different for everyone depending on your habits and meal plan, but generally speaking, you don’t need many dishes.
During my freshman year, I had a single bowl and some paper plates, and that’s all I needed. Sophomore year, I had a couple of bowls and plates, but not a crazy amount.
Remember, you don’t have a kitchen, so you don’t need a crazy amount of dishes. Also keep in mind that whatever dishes you have, you have to wash. It’s a lot easier to just have a couple and wash them more often. Otherwise, you will end up with a bunch of dirty dishes all of the time.
If you are looking for some cheap and easy dishes, the 50-cent ones at Target are perfect for dorms. Each piece is 50 cents, and you can get matching bowls and plates.
Silverware
For silverware, you definitely don’t need a whole set, but it is helpful to have some pieces for when you eat meals in your dorm.
Freshman year, all I had was a multi-pack box of plastic silverware and it lasted me the whole year. In sophomore year, we had a bit more silverware (that may or may not have been *borrowed* for the semester from the dining hall).
You definitely don’t need to go crazy with silverware. Again, the more you have, the more you have to wash and store.
Air fryer
Air fryers are becoming more and more popular, and they are honestly a great investment for a dorm room. This is a very all-in-one kitchen appliance, so you don’t really need anything to go with it.
Air fryers are great for cooking a lot of food you can keep in your dorm mini fridge or freezer.
If you think you are going to get sick of the dining hall quickly, this is definitely a good thing to buy.
This will also last you a while, so you can bring it to whatever apartment you live in after the dorms.
Cooking utensils
Depending on how much you plan on cooking, you may or may not need some cooking utensils. I’ve never had any in dorms, but it could be something to buy if you are planning to cook.
Also, check out if your dorm has a communal kitchen. This is a great way to be able to cook even if you are in a dorm room.
Getting a couple of basic cooking utensils, like spatulas, tongs, and more, could be helpful if this is the case.
Toaster oven
A toaster oven is another option to buy for your dorm room. This will act as a mini oven and let you cook a lot of freezer foods without having to microwave things.
If you don’t want to have to rely on the dining halls for every meal, this will be super helpful.
Dorm room snacks
Now that you have the storage pieces and all the cooking essentials, the most important part is getting some snacks for your dorm room!
It is definitely really nice to have a dorm room stocked with snacks, easy meals, and random food for when you just don’t feel like having to go to the dining hall for food.
Even if you don’t have much to work with to cook, there are so many options for healthy (and not-so-healthy) snacks and meals in dorm rooms.
For all the best ideas, check out this article: ADD DORM ROOM SNACKS ARTICLE
This post was all about dorm room kitchen essentials!
