ESCAPING THE TOAST TRAP

Students are returning to college after the summer break, ready to face the big challenge: how to feed themselves on a paltry grant. Michael Bateman hands in simple recipes for impecunious chefs, gets top marks for his list of essential kitchen equipment, and learns that a wok can be a useful ally

Students may no longer be revolting, even if the meals they eat continue to be so. The days of student rebellion are long gone; the days of student overdraft have instead arrived.

There's not much in the weekly budget for food these days. A recent report revealed that the average student leaves university pounds 3,000 in debt. Eating in college can be painful. Eating in digs, bedsitters, shared flats may be no less painless, for different reasons. Do-it-yourself cooking can be a reckless business, especially now that cooking has been more or less struck off the school syllabus.

It's possible to rise above mediocrity, though, as two Cambridge students in the early 1970s showed. Rowley Leigh and Alastair Little shared their expensive passion, eating out and cooking fantastic feasts every weekend (bankrupting themselves in the process). But both survived to become leading exponents of Modern British Cooking, Rowley at Kensington Place, in west London, Alastair in Frith Street, Soho, and at his new restaurant in Lancaster Road, off Ladbroke Grove.

They are exceptions to the rule, but the determined student has a fight on their hands. Students say it's no joke trying to balance the equation of time and money along with hazards including ovens that don't work, pans that go missing, partners who don't share your high regard for quality or, more likely, who leave the kitchen in a mess.

Jo Raggett, 24, who has just finished at Manchester University, and is now working in television production, shared with a vegetarian for her first year. "It was speed cooking. The vegetables went under the grill, full steam ahead, burn them." Then she shared with a large group, nine in a flat, and, although there were two ovens, everyone wanted to cook at the same time. "The question is, how much can you cook in a pan? And how much mess can you make? It was everyone for themselves. The object is to get in and out in half an hour." So as to get on with the real business of university life? "That's right. Socialising."

Jo had an advantage, having enjoyed cooking at home with her mother, and knowing the basics. "We used to team up at weekends to entertain, cooking simple food like spaghetti, garlic bread, nothing extravagant, I made chillies with mince and loads of vegetables, curries. I learnt to make risotto from recipe books."

Jo spent more than the average student, she reckons, about pounds 25 a week. Cash is the key factor, agrees Catherine Standing, 23, who is at Coventry University, studying business studies. "I cook with the cheapest ingredients that I can buy and make up all the flavour with loads of garlic and herbs. Meat just isn't economical, you can't afford to buy a packet of chicken breasts. It's what can you do with half a pound of mince that matters. It has to be easy and not expensive, so it's mainly pasta or chilli."

The object is to cook everything as fast as possible, she says, so the wok has been her saviour. "It's high-speed cooking, and you can stir-fry loads of cheap vegetables. Luckily Coventry market is fantastic."

The oven is important, though. "I get in at 4pm, put potatoes in the oven at 5pm, and by 6pm there's a meal with the least fuss and the least mess." She's actually grown to be an enthusiastic cook, having just equipped herself with a luxurious new steamer. "But I won't be taking it to college. Eveything you have gets ruined. Nothing is sacred."

Moselle Dibdin, 21, who is at Brookes College, Oxford, studying business and marketing, is a keen cook. This gives her the edge over colleagues who may have to make do with baked beans, pasta and cheese, fried sandwiches or take-aways. "But take-aways are cheap. There are about 14 Indian restaurants in Cowley Road, so prices are competitive."

Moselle is Canadian. "Most people haven't got the time to give up to learn how to cook, but I'm lucky. I cooked at home a bit. I like to entertain, but it's a question of time and money. It is quite difficult. Some things I buy cheap, but then I'll buy expensive olive oil." She is a vegetarian but says this is not a problem and she has managed to work up a Greek meal, an Indian meal and also a Mexican meal, all of which she can now easily make without reference to a cookery book.

When we spoke she was busy preparing refritos (with a can of kidney beans from Tesco, which she mashed and fried in oil with tomatoes, chilli, garlic, coriander and cumin) stuffed into tortilla pancakes (which also came from her local Tesco), burritos (like tortillas) with guacamole (avocado with tomato, lime juice, chilli and green coriander salsa), and crispy nachos and olives which she serves with melted cheese.

Little wonder that students who cook rate high in the popularity stakes. Jo Raggett says she has friends who eat in hall who hanker for a really good meal. "Their food is so stodgy they leave most of it. Half of it is disgusting. Then they get hungry and go out and buy a take-away. They say to me, can I come round and cook?"

Jo uses Jenny Baker's Student's Cookbook which has just been revised and republished (Faber pounds 6.99). There are in fact very few books designed especially for students, although Cas Clarke's Grub on a Grant (Headline pounds 5.99) is a big-seller.

The archetypal students' book is Katharine Whitehorn's classic Cooking in a Bedsitter (1961) revised and reissued by Penguin in 1982. It was prompted by the columnist's own experiences as a postgraduate in United States sharing a house and the cooking with a Finn, a Chinese American, two bona fide Americans, and a Filipino. She and the Finn were worst: "The Finn was if anything worse than me. She used to go grumbling around supermarkets and saying she couldn't get fish-heads for the next fish- head soup and I knew what Finnish cooking was like and I used to sink to my knees in the supermarket and give thanks that she couldn't."

Jenny Baker was a professional caterer, though self-taught ("I don't have Cordon Bleu qualifications") when she wrote her book, son Mark and daughter Madeleine heading for university. It is a fiercely realistic book, aware of constraints on time, money and equipment. Indeed, a large part of the book is devoted to cooking in one pot on a single ring. The big advantage of her book is that it doubles as a beginner's course, allowing you to graduate from basic to complex.

Here are some recipes from the new edition and Jenny's list of equipment.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

This soup, which is nicknamed London Particular after Dickens's description of a pea-soup fog, is thick and rich and immensely filling. It is made with bacon and yellow split peas.

2 rashers streaky bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

225g/8oz split peas

1 litre/134 pints stock or water and 1 stock cube

salt

pepper

Put the chopped bacon into a saucepan and cook it over a low heat until the fat runs out. Add the onion and carrot and stir them over a low heat for a few minutes. Pour in the liquid, add the split peas and crumble in the stock cube. Add half a teaspoon of salt and a sprinkling of pepper. Bring the soup to the boil, cover and simmer it over a low heat until the peas are tender, about 45 minutes.

RICE AND BEANS

All over South America there are recipes for rice and beans from the Cuban Moors and Christians, made with black beans and white rice, to Jamaica's rice and peas, traditionally made using pigeon peas or dried red beans. They make wonderfully filling and tasty single-pan meals and are full of nutrition. If you're especially hungry, top them with a fried egg. They are almost all made in much the same way, the only difference being in the flavouring. Some use hot chillies, others paprika or cumin or herbs like bay-leaves and thyme.

The following basic recipe uses canned red kidney beans but it can be varied by using almost any other kind of pulse and even by substituting the rice with another kind of grain - choose from bulgar wheat, buckwheat, millet or couscous.

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped, optional

12 green pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 can or 1 mug cooked red kidney beans

12 mug white rice

1 mug water

salt

pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the chopped onion, garlic and pepper for a few moments over a medium heat. Add the chopped tomato and cook for a minute or two longer before sitrring in the beans, rice and water. Season with the salt and pepper, bring to the boil and cover. Lower the heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes before lifting the lid.

STIR-FRYING

This is where your wok really comes into its own. Invented by the Chinese, it is the perfect receptacle for cooking one-pan meals and for stir-frying. This method is both very quick and also highly nutritious, especially for vegetables which are cooked for the minimum amount of time, thus retaining all of their crispness and freshness. You can stir-fry a single vegetable or try a combination of meat, fish and vegetables, perhaps with added pulses, eggs or cheese.

The secret of stir-frying is to prepare all the ingredients before you begin cooking, cutting everything into small and evenly sized pieces. Once everything is ready, the wok is heated over a medium flame with a little oil and then the stir-frying can begin. The Chinese often start off by frying a small sliver of root ginger, finely chopped, which gives a sweet, peppery flavour to the dish, followed by garlic, onion or leek. Stir-frying means what it says: just keep stirring and frying using a wooden spatula.

STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES

Almost all vegetables can be stir-fried. Hard vegetables obviously take longer than soft ones, but you simply cook the hard ones first and add the softer ones for a few minutes. With a bit of practice you will soon get the hang of it.

2 tablespoons oil

sliver of root ginger, finely chopped

1 onion, leek or clove of garlic, chopped

1 or several vegetables, cut into small even-sized pieces

a little water

salt

pepper

soy sauce

Heat the oil in the wok over a medium heat and fry the chopped ginger and onion, leek or garlic for two to three minutes. Add the harder vegetables, like carrots or sweet peppers, and stir-fry for three minutes. Add softer vegetables like mushrooms or tomatoes and continue to stir-fry until all the vegetables are hot but still crisp. Add the water, put on the lid and simmer over a low heat for three to four minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and a sprinkling of soy sauce.

VARIATIONS

To make the above into more of a meal, you could try adding one of the following variations.

Beansprouts: these are sold in many supermarkets and greengrocers. Add a handful or two at the end of the cooking time and stir-fry them until they are hot through.

Nuts and seeds: add about one tablespoon of any chopped nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts or mixed nuts or one teaspoon sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Pulses: stir in half a mugful of any canned or cooked pulses, once hot through, sprinkle in two to three tablespoons of grated cheese or small pieces of curd cheese.

Rice or other grains: stir in half a mugful of any cooked grains, break in an egg, and stir well for two to three minutes until it is all heated through.

HAMBURGERS

These are simple to make and much cheaper than bought varieties. You can vary the mixture by adding a tablespoon of grated cheese or a little mustard. The finished hamburgers can be topped with grated blue-vein or plain cheese, or sweetcorn and chopped apple or a tablespoon or two of chilli sauce, pickles or relish. Eat them as they are or sandwiched between soft rolls. As an alternative to beef, you can use minced chicken, lamb, pork or even venison.

100g/4oz mince

1 teaspoon finely chopped onion

salt

pepper

1 tablespoon oil

Mix the mince with the onion, salt and pepper. With wet hands, shape the mixture into two balls, then flatten into cakes about 1cm (12in) thick. Heat the oil in a frying pan and when it is very hot, add the cakes, cook them over a high heat, allowing about five minutes on each side. The fierce heat will prevent the hamburgers breaking up as they are cooking.

POTATO BURGERS

Follow the above recipe, but instead of just mince use equal quantities of mince and mashed potatoes.

DHAL

This wonderfully spicy Indian dish uses split red lentils which need no preliminary soaking. It can be kept quite simple as in the recipe below or you can try and jazz it up by including a sliced red or green pepper and perhaps a couple of tomatoes. You can eat the dhal with nan bread, which like root ginger, is now sold in most supermarkets and Indian shops. Buy the ginger in a smallish piece and then cut a fine sliver from it and store the remaining ginger in a cool place; the cut side will heal itself.

1 mug of red split lentils

214 mugs water

1 bayleaf

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

sliver of ginger, finely chopped

12 teaspoon ground cumin

Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan over a high heat. Bring them to the boil and lower the heat and simmer together for approximately 30 minutes, until the red lentils are soft and have absorbed the water.

EQUIPMENT

You may be lucky and find yourself living somewhere with a fully equipped kitchen but most students have to make do with quite basic facilities, which means you will have to buy certain items yourself. Of course if money was no object you could get everything you needed from the huge range of kitchen equipment sold in supermarkets, department stores and specialist shops. A better bet is to haunt local car-boot sales, charity shops and jumble sales, which is not only fun but also a quick way of collecting everything you need for very little outlay. Different people have different ideas, so the list below is only a guide as to what I think you would find useful. However, in order even to begin cooking, you will need a few essentials and these are listed first. As to the others, buy them gradually as and when you need them.

ESSENTIALS

Bottle opener and corkscrew

Cheese grater

Crockery: one small and one large plate, a bowl for cereal etc and a 300ml (12 pint) mug which can double as a measure.

Colander or sieve: for straining vegetables, pasta, the contents of cans.

Cutlery: one knife, spoon, fork and teaspoon

Frying pan: an 18cm (7in) non-stick pan would be ideal for one person but don't use metal implements, scouring pads or powders as they will damage the surface.

Knife: a really sharp kitchen one.

Saucepans: two or three ranging in size from 1 to 3 litres (2-6 pints). Non-stick or enamel-coated are easy to clean, heavy-based pans are less likely to burn.

Set of cook's measuring spoons: spoon measurements are based on standard sizes; one teaspoon is 5ml, one dessert-spoon is 10ml; one tablespoon is 15ml.

Spatula or fish slice: made of non-stick material.

Tin opener

Wooden spoon and fork: more effective than metal for stirring pots and pans.

Wok: for stir-frying vegetables and making quick dishes. Go for one at least 38cm (15in) diameter, because even when cooking only small quantities of food, the curved shape of the base ensures the food uses minimum oil and maximum heat; if cooking large amounts you need the space to toss the food. Buy it if you can from a Chinese store because the price will be lower than at specialist kitchen shops.

USEFUL EQUIPMENT

Below are listed items of cooking equipment which you will find useful to add gradually to your arsenal. With luck you'll find you can share some of them with fellow students.

Baking sheet: useful for cooking pizzas, pastry dishes, foil parcels etc.

Bowls: one large for mixing and one pudding basin.

Casserole: useful for making stews and it can double as a saucepan. Can be earthenware or metal. Enamelled cast-iron is ideal but expensive, well worth looking out for at car-boot sales or in charity shops.

Chopping board: wooden or melamine.

Cling film, foil, greaseproof paper, kitchen paper roll

Egg whisk: you can manage with a fork but a whisk speeds the process.

Flat tin or ring: 18cm (7in) diameter for pizzas, quiches etc.

Gratin dish: a shallow dish made in earthenware, heat-proof glass or tin for baking.

Grill pan with grid

Insulated flask: one with a wide mouth for making yoghurt or keeping soup hot for a packed lunch.

Loaf tin: 1 litre (2 pint) size for gratins, meat and vegetable loaves .

Measuring jug: one that gives solid and liquid measurements.

Mouli-legumes: a gadget with three blades for grating, mashing and shredding. Especially useful for pureeing soups.

Potato baker or skewers: on which to impale baking potatoes and so reduce the cooking time by about 15 minutes.

Potato masher

Roasting tin

Rolling pin: if desperate, use a bottle

Rubber scraper: for scraping those last morsels out of a pan or bowl.

Steamer: collapsible metal steamer that fits into a saucepan and lets you to use the pan to cook two or more things at once.

Teapot: saves on the tea bags if you're always having friends over.

Vegetable peeler: handy for peeling vegetables really thinly and more effective than using a knife. Can also be used for slicing cheese. Look out for the swivel-bladed variety; once you've mastered the technique of peeling away from yourself with quick, light strokes, you'll find it a great aid.

PRESENT LIST

There are other more expensive items which you might find useful, although none of them is essential.

Electric hand-held blender: these are far cheaper than most table top models, prices start at around pounds 15. They are simple to use, take up little space and are very easy to clean. They do a multitude of cooking chores including pureeing, mixing, beating and blending.

Electric multi-cooker: a godsend for those with very limited cooking facilities, as it will fry, grill, roast and bake.

Electric sandwich-maker: great for quick snacks but beware, you'll have a queue of friends around.

Electric slow-cooker: cooks at a very low temperature and is therefore cheap on electricity. Can be used for soups, stews, vegetables, even cakes and puddings. However, the cooking process takes up to 10 hours, so it is only for those who like to plan ahead.

Electric toaster