Written by Milcah Fajardo.
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
When it comes to cooking as a student, your time to make dinner can go one of three ways depending on what level of lazy you’re on:
One: You actually put the time and effort into cooking a well-balanced meal with the fresh ingredients you have bought.
Two: You’re too lazy to put the time and effort into said ‘well-balanced meal’ and swap those fresh ingredients for turkey dinosaurs that take 20 minutes in the oven with minimal effort.
Or three: You can’t even muster the minimal effort to make your turkey dinosaurs and you fancy a takeaway, so you spend an additional £10-15 on Ubereats, Deliveroo, or JustEat.
Cooking has always been left as an afterthought for students because it has always seemed so tasking to find the time and effort to buy ingredients and make a wholesome meal.
But since the creation of TikTok, thousands of chefs and home-cooks have taken to the platform to share new and fun ways to make good food that takes no longer than a minute to watch.
On TikTok, you can find new simple and affordable meals to cook that are not only student friendly but will get you excited to make them. Here are 4 TikTok chefs and home-cooks to watch.
Stella & Spice – @stellanspice
Stella ‘n’ Spice is a husband and wife duo that specialises in Korean and Mexican cuisine along with fun cocktail recipes to go with them.
The Mexican recipes allow you to use fresh and affordable ingredients packed with classic Latino flavours, like their Birria Quesa Tacos video.
Their Korean recipes teach you how to make healthy-soul warming dishes that leave you feeling warm and rubbing your belly after.
A lot of their dishes are made in large portions meaning you can feed your whole flat for dinner or save yourself cooking the next few days by meal-prepping the leftovers.
To cap it all off, Stella ‘n’ Spice shares amazing cocktail recipes that bring those well-missed cocktail bar night-outs right into your home that will wow all your flatmates.
Joshua Weissman – @flakeysalt
This chef started out on YouTube and is now successfully sharing his passion for food on all platforms including TikTok.
For students like me who struggle with an addiction to takeaways, Joshua Wiessman shows how to make all the takeaway meals we all know and love and helps you save your money doing it.
In his ‘But Better’ series, he takes big names like McDonalds, KFC, and Dominos, and shows you how you can make your own cheaper and tastier take-away without going into your overdraft.
So next time you’re craving a McMuffin, a Meatball Marinara Sub, or even a Starbucks Frappuccino, give your bank account a break and head over to Joshua Weissman’s TikTok on how to make them at home.
Tiffy Cooks – @tiffycooks
Tiffy Cooks posts quick and easy Asian recipes that makes Asian cooking look effortless. With cuisines like Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese and more, Tiffy Cooks introduces you to the world of Asian home-cooking.
This account has over 260 mouth-watering recipes with various segments to help you find the perfect recipe for you. Segments like ‘5 Ingredient Recipes’ to ‘5 Minute Meals’ are perfect for the student on the budget and the student on the go.
I recommend trying out her ‘One Pot Dinner Extra Creamy Japanese Curry’ to satisfy your Japanese food cravings.
Sam Eats – @sameats
This TikTok chef is for all you ASMR fans and for those of you missing restaurants being open and want to bring those well-missed dining experiences into your home.
His videos take simple home recipes we all know and love, like lasagne and French toast, and goes above and beyond in elevating the dish, showing you the difference between eating and dining.
For a perfect Friday night dinner meal for your flat, a loved one, or even simply as a treat for yourself, watch his ‘Steak Frites’ video.
In this video, Sam Eats shows you how to go that extra mile in making your own garlic and herb butter from scratch that puts the cherry on top for your dinner.
