Must Have Kitchen Appliances In The Collage

I was extremely excited to move off campus into my own apartment with my roommates. I was pleased to have my own bathroom, bedroom, and especially a kitchen. I never realized how essential a kitchen, bathroom, and their appliances were, until I moved into a college dorm my first year of college. I was ready for the thrill of college life, however I did not realize how small my dorm room was. 

The dorm consisted of two bedrooms and three closets, but no kitchen and no personal bathroom. The thought of independence was exciting but I was ill prepared for college life without a readily accessible kitchen, bathroom, and their respective appliances.

The first week contained a sharp learning curve about college life. My previous living conditions included prepared meals by my parents using a variety of common kitchen appliances. Meals prepared by toasters, ovens, stoves, you name it, were no longer readily accessible. 

Perishable foods that must be kept refrigerated or frozen obviously cannot be properly stored without a refrigerator or freezer, especially in the tropical, humid, Florida weather. You never realize how important these appliances are until they are not accessible. Such appliances may seem trivial and perform seemingly easy tasks, however kitchen related tasks are much more challenging without these appliances.

Microwave

My grandmother explained how thrilled she was to receive her first microwave back in the 1970’s from her husband. Food items could now be heated quickly and efficiency. My college dorm was not equipped with a microwave, meaning all stored foods in the dorm must be kept at room temperature. 

I would often crave for simple heated snacks such as popcorn and hot chocolate, but be unable to prepare them. Lack of a microwave also meant I could not heat up dinner leftovers. Eating leftovers cold is rather unappetizing and not safe.

As a college student I would spend many nights studying late and I remember feeling hungry for a midnight snack of ice cream. I missed the convenience of walking to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator to make myself a snack or grab a glass of milk with cookies. 

My mom used to bake cookies in her oven and the aroma will fill the house after walking in from school and band practice. Not to mention all the other baking she did, like Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinners.

Sink

Believe it or not, the college dorm room did not include a sink. The sink is an essential appliance because people wash their hands using a sink. Washing one’s hands in a sink is the best way to prevent pathogens from spreading, so sinks should be more accessible at colleges. 

In order to wash our hands, students had to walk down the hall to the communal restroom, which had a very weak and inefficient faucet. The sinks would often times clog and overflow as the water slowly dripped from the bacteria infested faucet. Gone were the days of washing hands with a powerful stream of water from a pristine sink. 

Showerheads

The showers were of similar condition. The showers had non-adjustable showerheads that were only capable of the same slight trickle of water. They smelled funny too. The showerhead at my home provides a wide and powerful stream of water that can be adjusted. Universities should invest in better sink faucets and showerheads to provide better means of cleaning oneself.

Living in a dorm without a kitchen, sink,and comforts of home I was accustomed to, made me much more thankful for what was given at home. It taught me to appreciate these appliances, even the ones as small as a toasters and espresso machines. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning and having a piece of toast or a hot bagel with coffee to get my day started. 

These simple little things make such a difference in the life of a college student or any person in general. These are the reasons I decided to move into an apartment that included these appliances. My apartment has a full kitchen with a large and powerful sink. The apartment includes a powerful and adjustable showerhead capable of fully cleansing a person. The apartment also has enough space for other important kitchen appliances.

Espresso Machine

College students need ample amounts of sleep to function in the classroom. According to kitchebathguides.com Most students, do not receive very much sleep because of intense coursework. As a result, students will need something to boost their energy in the morning. An espresso machine provides the all-powerful substance of coffee to students in the morning. 

Instead of having to wait for the local Starbucks to prepare coffee, one can simply prepare it his or herself first thing in the morning with an espresso machine. Some come with a large variety of settings, from latte to cappuccino, one or two shots, and are capable of preparing and blending a delicious drink in a minute or less. Certain espresso machines also control the temperature and timing of the brew, allowing the drink to be prepared exactly as one wants it.

Refrigerator

The apartment contains appliances for cooking meals and storing them. The college student can finally cook nutritious meals with a stove and oven, and avoid junk food. One of the leading causes of foodborne illness is improperly cooking and not heating food. Utilizing appliances that heat food are necessary to eat food safely. Meats should especially be heated thoroughly to ensure pathogens are absent in the meat. 

Colleges should do their best to provide kitchen appliances that ensure foods are prepared safely. Foodborne illness can also arise due to not properly storing food in dry and refrigerated environments. Microbes thrive in moist, warm environments. The weather of Florida provides an environment where microbes thrive rather easily. A refrigerator can store foods for an extended period of time while slowing microbial growth. Without this measure to store foods, most food must be consumed immediately, or be thrown away.

Dishwasher

A kitchen appliance that maintains a sanitary environment is the dishwasher. The dishwasher eliminates a very disliked chore: washing dishes. The machine will take dirty dishes and silverware and thoroughly sanitize them. College students are often too lazy to wash dishes, so the dishwasher will eliminate the time-consuming chore. 

The dishwasher also provides a means of storing dirty dishes, instead of piling dirty dishes in the sink. Many arguments between college students arise from piling dishes in the sink. The dishwasher completes a disliked chore, and prevents people from fighting.

Many essential kitchen and bathroom appliances are absent in college dorms. Colleges should invest in these appliances to enhance the health and lifestyle of students. Common household appliances provide sanitary safety measures for food, and enhance one’s ability to function in everyday life.