<p>Good luck with demi-glace. I’ve never attempted it but heard it’s a pain in the as$.</p>
<p>To the OP:</p>
<p>If you want to get started with cooking you by no means need to start with shaved beets and fennel or a demi-glace. Here are a couple of fun items to cook:</p>
<p>– A simple marinara sauce (tomatoes, onions, garlic, red wine) over linguine
– Spinach omelet with feta
– Homemade burgers (ground beef, lamb, or turkey, with breadcrumbs and seasoning)
– Some simple salads: Salads are great because you start to appreciate how flavors can come together and how creative you can be in the kitchen. You can start with a simple three-bean salad or something a bit more exotic, like a mango-cucumber.</p>
<p>I bet Papaya King is looking better to OP all the time.</p>
<p>You’re supposed to have learned to cook at Cornell, when all of a sudden you found yourself in a house in collegetown with a kitchen which was too far away to conveniently be on the meal plan.</p>
<p>what happened to that?</p>
<p>I still remember calling my mom from my Dryden Road slum dwelling & asking her how to make a hamburger.</p>
<p>A slice for breakfast.
A slice for lunch.
A slice for dinner.
I’m jealous.</p>
<p>Riceboy - will you have a kitchen?</p>
<p>haha. economic living and manhattan don’t go together. i think i spent 14 dollars on a sandwich on 34th street once. </p>
<p>three words- if you’re not to worried aobut your sodium intake: ramen. ramen. ramen.</p>
<p>don’t live off of Ramen noodles. They are not the pinnacle of health. At the very least, add some chopped frozen vegetables to the hot broth, add some chives, add some peanuts from a bag, and for something that will lend a great flavor boost, add some thin slices of pork that you cooked right before.</p>
<p>we still haven’t heard from the OP if he/she (um, Riceboy - are you a male) has a kitchen??!!?</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s just off Union Square is the cheapest grocery store in Manhattan, if you do have a kitchen.</p>
<p>ramen + a chicken breast or can of tuna is a decent meal (macro wise). just dont drink all the broth to cut down on your sodium.</p>
<p>Yep I have a kitchen, I’m not sure if I will be using it regularly though because I’m sharing it with complete strangers that are rooming with each other. </p>
<p>I actually did pack a lot of ramen -_- Yeah, I really need to find easy recipes. Pasta is usually no prob for me, but I would like to eat something else every night. Can anyone suggest good sites for easy recipes?</p>
<p>[YumYum.com</a> - Student Cooking Ideas](<a href=“http://www.yumyum.com/student/]YumYum.com”>http://www.yumyum.com/student/)
[Recipes</a>, Menus & Cooking Ideas from Epicurious.com](<a href=“Recipes & Menus | Epicurious”>Recipes & Menus | Epicurious)
[College</a> Student Cookbooks - Home Cooking](<a href=“http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blmisc36.htm]College”>The Spruce Eats - Make Your Best Meal)
[Amazon.com:</a> Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook: 100 + Great Recipes with…](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Help-Apartment-Has-Kitchen-Cookbook/dp/0618711759/ref=sr_1_1/104-7249453-4788764?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184470045&sr=8-1\]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Help-Apartment-Has-Kitchen-Cookbook/dp/0618711759/ref=sr_1_1/104-7249453-4788764?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184470045&sr=8-1\)
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<p>What’s all this about expensive food in NYC? I think the city’s where you find some of the CHEAPEST foods around.</p>
<p>Halal carts
Chinatown - everything’s cheap. How does $1~$3 for filling lunch/dinner sound?
St. Marks 2Bros $1 pizza
Dominoes
Papa Johns</p>
<p>This one could depend on the person, but I think Hale & Hearty’s soup is decent. $4 for a small cup of soup, which always fills me up. Their sandwiches ($4 for half) are not filling at all, but the flavors are heavenly. <3</p>
<p>buy cheap vegetables from china town or street vendors. Stir fry them with vegetable oil and fennel seeds. Buy chicken from store, fry that with oil too and season the chicken with lemon, pepper, and salt. Mix the chicken and veggie together. Put this away in a plastic container and when you feel hungry, pour some of the salad onto your plate and decorate your platter with half cut tomatoes (Yumm and healthy). This is pretty easy and some of the stir fried chicken can be put to use in a sandwich with lettuce, white cheese, and maybe onions (but i hate onions). If you wanna go veggie, make lasagna or spaghetti with freshly cut zuchini, bell peppers, onions, and whatever topping you want. Cook the veggies enough that they have a tender but crunchy spot (they taste fresh that way).
You can buy lunch but dinner is too expensive so avoid that. Don’t waste money on food you can make. Pack enough lunch so that you won’t stay hungry. Pizza is a nice lunch from dominoes and you can basically save it for dinner to (no?) so no harm done there. </p>
<p>Hope these options help!</p>
<p>“Chinatown - everything’s cheap. How does $1~$3 for filling lunch/dinner sound?”
It sounds like less than what it actually costs to eat lunch in chinatown, that’s how it sounds.
Particularly if you have to take public tranportation to get there and back.
Not to mention the time required, if you don’t live right nearby.</p>
<p>gomestar - are you a guy and single? My daughter will also be in the city. She’ll be living in a dorm sharing a kitchen. She is worried about food. She is a foodie, but is limited when it comes to cooking. She said on top of her list when it comes to husband material is ability to cook.
My husband is a borderline gourmet cook, so no mac and cheese at home. This past year, her dad has tried to show her to do some quick/easy recipes while she lived off campus. She doesn’t like to eat out much because of calories, and her dad likes her to eat organic food. Instead of ramen, she will buy fresh udon instead. </p>
<p>You will buy a monthly metro pass in NY. I think it’s $75/month. It’s fun to go down to Chinatown on weekends, but during the week it’s too time consuming.</p>
<p>I think shopping at Whole Food is a great idea. No matter how expensive it is, it’s still healthier and cheaper than eating out. Depending on what kind of work you’ll be doing, having lunch with colleagues is a great way for networking. My daughter probably will be eating at her desk most of the time, and people will order out or bring food in, which can be expensive($10-$15). I told her to bring her lunch (salad and chicken) few times a week, and tell people that she is on a diet. </p>
<p>Money can go fast in NYC if you don’t budget yourself - few drinks/ cab rides, and there goes your food money. Do a spreadsheet of your income and expenses. I think you are getting some great ideas on food. But I would say don’t skim on food, eat healthy and well. If you are short on food money, I would have a discussion with your parents to see if they could help out. I would want to make sure my daughter is eating well, but not to fund her partying in the city.</p>
<p>I’m actually living right next to China Town, but I have the unlimited metro pass too. So far I’ve found some pretty good places for $2.00 dinners so far, but I can only point at the dish from the menu since I can’t speak Chinese :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone!</p>
<p>Also, anyone know where I can find free Wi-Fi anywhere? Luckily I have a Starbucks account, but I only have a max of 2hrs/day</p>
<p>Wireless Access: NY Public Library – [Wireless</a> Internet Access (Wi-Fi) | The New York Public Library](<a href=“http://www.nypl.org/help/computers-internet-and-wireless-access/wireless-internet-access]Wireless”>Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi) | The New York Public Library)</p>
<p>Hmm IIRC there’s a library branch on East Broadway, at Seward Park.</p>