Students

Teaspoons!!!! You can never have too many.

Electric sockets should be normal square pin ones as I think the round pin style have been declared too dangerous and the uni local to me spent a fortune getting all the halls up to a reasonable standard. Unis are basically landlords so they have to comply with H & S legislation and other landlord legislation. Don't know whether they get exemptions from some things though.

One useful item I have seen recently is a small tabletop halogen oven which lets you cook things quite quickly.
 
How big are the halls he's sharing with, generally everyone will bring a full-ish set of everything so if he's sharing a kitchen with 5-6 others that'll be 20 saucepans, 40 plates 100+ pieces of cutlery etc. We had a flat of 9 sharing a kitchen (Whitworth Park - Manchester) and half my stuff stayed in the bottom of a wardrobe until we were running low due to breakages.

Don't bother getting quality stuff that will last because it won't, it'll be treated like rubbish, worn out and dropped.

Just send a couple of plates, sets of cutlery a sauce pan and fry pan and a couple of notes to get anything that is missing.

I wouldn't worry about pint glasses, no doubt the kitchen will acquire some from various local establishments. It's not big or clever but I've still got one or two uni pint glasses ten years on and I don't ever remember buying any.

(Scissors - everybody forgets scissors)
 
Better add first aid kit.... safety pins and small sewing kit :) Ready for anything then!
 
Frying pan, can-opener, and enough plates and glasses so you don't need to wash up for a week
 
redddraggon said:
The Proper Manchester Uni?

I'm there, I'm one of the Tutors in halls.
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sorry Yeah the proper one.. we are visiting next month neither of us has ever been to Manchester so should be intresting.
 
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gumbo-67 said:
am i being thick again
1. i can't see the image
2. is there a joke there? sorry

ok seen now..lol Didn't know Viz was still going lol
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I was tryng to post an image, but couldn't get it to work, so linked to Wiki instead......:lol:
 
toaster, tin opener, pan, 1x plate, 1x bowl, 1x fork, 1x knife, 1x spoon, 1x wooden spoon

very specific I know, but that is essential as no doubt your son will eat toast, beans/pasta very regularly to save money for beer and women

(btw, been to uni twice... both times left with qualification... so speaking from experience)
 
AndrewA123 said:
never went to uni myself but I have heard that the JML/Lakeland Microwave Omelette makers are a big hit - assuming he likes eggs/omelettes :)
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*shudder* teach him how to cook...eggs should NEVER be cooked in the microwave lol. If you like eggs... watch this video and basically... do that. You can miss out the creme fraiche if you want.

lawrie29 said:
IKea do do a couple of starter boxes with loads of stuff in them. Might be worth a look.
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The starter boxes are useless. no student wants or needs the 4 or 6 of each of plate, side plate and bowl that those have, just all means that the kitchen gets clogged up with a million plates.

have a complete list

forks, 2
knives, 2
spoons, 2
teaspoons, 2
tea towels, couple packs, they get shredded pretty quick.
plate, 2
pasta bowl, 2
3 saucepan set (ikea, cheap)
2 frying pan set (ikea, cheap - 1 baby one)
Wok.
cooking fork, spatula and spoon set - all mini (good for mini frying pan above), ikea, cheap
strainer, 1
bottle opener, 1
pepper and salt grinders (ground salt from rock salt's way nicer...)
depending how foodie he is, some herbs... mixed italian herbs (adds a bit to pizza or pasta), chilli flakes (add a bit of kick to pasta tomato sauce or chilli) and chinese mixed spice (throw a bit in stir frys) are a good starter mix.
1 oven dish for nachos/lasagne
1 baking tray
1 pizza tray
1 pizza wheel
1 decent knife. Ikea do one for £12 that's alright. No need to buy more, one knife is good for everything but grapefruit lol
wine glasses, 2
pint glasses, 4
sandwich bags, get in the habit of putting cheese / opened food in them - keeps it fresh longer.
cheese grater
tin opener
toastie maker's kinda nice,
some people like george foremans too.
scouring pads, 1 pack
washing up liquid, 1 bottle
pink rubber gloves, to embarrass him, 1 pair. :D Bonus points if you present them in front of his flatmates, and make a reference to 'his sensitive skin ;) '

And I'd suggest putting one set of cutlery and crockery in a box to get dumped under his bed, no need for more most of the time, and only having one of each /forces/ you to do the washing up ;)

really, don't over sweat it, stuff like kettles, microwaves etc are often provided but if they're not... the whole flat trip to tescos is always pretty fun anyway and breaks the ice :)

but make him to cook (full meals) a few times before leaving, if he hasn't cooked much :)


contrary to popular belief, it IS possible to cook more than baked beans in a student kitchen...and most do lol! A previous flatmate of mine did have an A6(!) piece of notebook paper listing in entirety the meals she knew how to cook... :cuckoo:
 
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itsdavedotnet said:
*shudder* teach him how to cook...eggs should NEVER be cooked in the microwave lol. If you like eggs... watch this video and basically... do that. You can miss out the creme fraiche if you want.



The starter boxes are useless. no student wants or needs the 4 or 6 of each of plate, side plate and bowl that those have, just all means that the kitchen gets clogged up with a million plates.

have a complete list

forks, 2
knives, 2
spoons, 2
teaspoons, 2
tea towels, couple packs, they get shredded pretty quick.
plate, 2
pasta bowl, 2
3 saucepan set (ikea, cheap)
2 frying pan set (ikea, cheap - 1 baby one)
Wok.
cooking fork, spatula and spoon set - all mini (good for mini frying pan above), ikea, cheap
strainer, 1
bottle opener, 1
pepper and salt grinders (ground salt from rock salt's way nicer...)
depending how foodie he is, some herbs... mixed italian herbs (adds a bit to pizza or pasta), chilli flakes (add a bit of kick to pasta tomato sauce or chilli) and chinese mixed spice (throw a bit in stir frys) are a good starter mix.
1 oven dish for nachos/lasagne
1 baking tray
1 pizza tray
1 pizza wheel
1 decent knife. Ikea do one for £12 that's alright. No need to buy more, one knife is good for everything but grapefruit lol
wine glasses, 2
pint glasses, 4
sandwich bags, get in the habit of putting cheese / opened food in them - keeps it fresh longer.
cheese grater
tin opener
toastie maker's kinda nice,
some people like george foremans too.
scouring pads, 1 pack
washing up liquid, 1 bottle
pink rubber gloves, to embarrass him, 1 pair. :D Bonus points if you present them in front of his flatmates, and make a reference to 'his sensitive skin ;) '

And I'd suggest putting one set of cutlery and crockery in a box to get dumped under his bed, no need for more most of the time, and only having one of each /forces/ you to do the washing up ;)

really, don't over sweat it, stuff like kettles, microwaves etc are often provided but if they're not... the whole flat trip to tescos is always pretty fun anyway and breaks the ice :)

but make him to cook (full meals) a few times before leaving, if he hasn't cooked much :)


contrary to popular belief, it IS possible to cook more than baked beans in a student kitchen...and most do lol! A previous flatmate of mine did have an A6(!) piece of notebook paper listing in entirety the meals she knew how to cook... :cuckoo:
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love ya thank you..
 
My best advice is to wait and see. When I was at uni we ended up with too much of the same.
 
When my daughters went we found that the first year in halls was well provided for but the second year onwards when they moved into rented was when the kitting out was necessary.

Alternative to all the kit, get a female flat mate:lol:

Ken
 
It all depends on what the halls provide - but he will need all this stuff once he moves out of halls so I suppose it's just a matter of time anyway.

I think a trip to Argos is the way forward... they have this set on offer for £26.99 from £49.99 at the moment - it won't be great quality but that's not what he needs..

That covers:
•5 piece utensil set and 2 x colanders.
•5 piece knife set in block.
•7 piece gadget set - scissors/peeler/corkscrew/bottle opener/grater/pizza wheel/tin opener.
•16 and 18cm saucepans.
•24cm frying pan and 14cm milk pan.
•4 x egg cups and 5 x coasters.
•Chopping board.
•2 x metal trays.

Other than that I would say:
Plate Set £7.99
Cutlery £3.49
George Foreman Grill £20.99 - doubles as a toastie maker.
Set of four glasses.

Half of the plate / cutlery / glasses sets can go under the bedso it doesn't all get mangled in the first 6 months...


Other suggestions to get him off to a good start -
Laundry basket
Laundry Bag
Clothes airer
Washing tablets / conditioner.
Kitchen cleaning stuff - Tea towels / scrubbies / washing up liquid / surface spray.
Plastic storage pots for leftovers.
Sandwich / freezer bags.
Foil / clingfilm.
Home cleaning stuff - multi-surface cleaner / toilet cleaner / bleach / bathroom cleaner etc etc...
HUGE bag of toilet rolls.
Kitchen roll.
Small toolkit - nothing fancy but enough to put together a flat pack bit of furniture.
Small first aid / medical kit - to cover colds / coughs / flu / pain relief / stomach ache / and the usual first aid items... and of course condoms. I would have really appreciated this one myself - medicine is expensive!

Hope that helps :thumbs:
 
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LARGE boxes of paper plates - stuff washing up, just bin the dirties!

Cash for the chippy/other take-aways to taste.

Get him rat-bottomed a few times before he goes away - so drunk he's puking and says he'll never drink ever again - repeat until he really doesn't want another drink, ever!

Manchester? How about a stab vest?
 
gumbo-67 said:
Grant (my little boy) is off to Uni this year. for those of you who have been what is the bit of kitchen equipment you couldn't have done without?

also anything else i may need to get him??

Thank you in advance
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Depends if he can cook or not.

If he can be trusted around sharp objects.. then making sure he knows how to get all the way from whole chicken to stock/soup will save him a fortune.

Far better then pre-loading with stuff he may not need is making sure he knows some basic skills and some straightforward basic recipes with the confidence to adapt them. Being able to do roast chicken and mashed spuds, or a bolognase/chili is a handy skill in a flatmate. You'll also sleep better knowing he can look after himself.
 
daysleeper thank you for that.. helps alot. Nod..... yes well. ad thak you evryone with this
 
P.s. plenty of houses in 2nd/3rd year DO come with utensils etc.
 
I used my slow cooker quite a lot - would stick some meat and veggies in in the morning before an all day practical and come home to nice stew, or chilli

Normally let my hallmates have a bowl and then it became a weekly ritual and I never bought any ingredients for it for the rest of the year


After that I probably used my wok most for stir fry - so quick and easy, only 1 pan to clean, Tesco did a great tray of oriental veggies
 
adam* said:
P.s. plenty of houses in 2nd/3rd year DO come with utensils etc.
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I've never heard of a house/flat/halls in bristol which has utensils included. You're lucky if you get more than a cooker and a fridge!
 
A personal Chef would be the best option for him.
 
Must be tight down south. Geordie landlords are nicer!
 
My brothers came with utentils, but they were fit for no one after the previous tenants!
 
Yv said:
definately an electric griddle, the george foreman type but any good brand will do the job, so many things can be cooked on them quickly and easily :thumbs:






....and a pan for the baked beans/tinned tomatoes :D
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Agree with this.

I'm in halls which are uncatered, which I love!
George is a saviour - you'll be surprised how quickly it thoroughly cooks meat!

Also, make sure your son can cook pasta, then he can make loads of meals which are really easy.

Don't get pot noodles, they look the same going in as they do coming out.

Also, get cheap pans etc as other flatmates knock them around (especially boys!), I'm with girls so mine are good as new!
I don't know what your son's like but if he drinks get a bucket for his room incase of an upcoming event during the night.
I don't drink alcohol so I don't have any trouble ;)

Oh, plenty of fruit so he doesn't end up looking like something out of Lord of the Rings!
 
Bellyboy thank you for all of that and thanks to everyone that i have not said thank you too there has been alot of helpfull hints tips and know hows i have copied and pasted most of the stuff on here taking so long to writ it all out and again can't thank you enough.
 
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