Marcus Webb
Hostel kitchens are one of those things that sound awesome in theory, and more often than not turn into a mediocre mess. Some hostels have fully-stocked up-to-date kitchens, making it an absolute pleasure to cook up a storm. Other hostels have the grand total of 1 working cooker, 2 mismatched pots, and a sink stacked high with somebody else’s dishes. For many people, the savings from cooking don’t quite add up to the amount of time and stress involved in sourcing, preparing, and cleaning up after food. For me, cooking in hostel kitchens is something I have done roughly 200 odd times over the last couple of years of travel. In this article I will outline when it is worth cooking in a hostel, when it isn’t, and go into detail about the ways in which you can get the most out of it, including 4 of my favorite recipes that are designed to be easy to make in just about any kitchen, use very cheap ingredients, require very little in the way of specialized equipment, can be prepared in the space of around 30 minutes or so, and will generally not result in an excessive amount of leftover food (because shared fridges in hostels are generally a nightmare).
Cooking in hostels is a thing that can work, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. For the last couple of years or so, I’ve cooked in the kitchens of a number of hostels, totaling roughly 200 odd meals. Here’s the run down on what I found worked, and what didn’t.
It’s expensive in this country and there are plenty of restaurants that serve nice meals for $15-30. On the other hand, for 3 night stays or more the savings from cooking your own meals in the hostel kitchen can add up quickly. It really depends on how well equipped the hostel kitchen is and how close the local shop is (preferably within a 5 minute walk). If the kitchen is well equipped and the shop is nearby then there’s a lot of money to be saved ($8-15 per meal, that’s $50-100 per week for 2 people).
When it does not work: Really cheap countries to eat out in (Southeast Asia and parts of South America for example). Savings would be a few dollars a meal, not really worth your time. You’re only staying for one or two nights, the cost of the small quantity of food and your time to find and buy it would be more than just eating out. A very overcrowded kitchen, or a poorly equipped one to start with. Places with food so good that it would be a waste to cook (some of the really amazing local street food for example).
The following are the four meals that I actually do cook while traveling: they all tend to have the following characteristics: (1) they use cheap ingredients; (2) they require little equipment; (3) they can be prepared quickly; and (4) they typically don’t produce leftovers (which are often a problem in shared fridges).
Pasta with vegetables and olive oil. I add whatever is on sale at the market (onions, garlic, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes) to the cooked pasta in a pot and then add some olive oil. I season with salt and pepper to taste. This is a very cheap and healthy meal that only takes 20 minutes to make. You only need one pot and one knife to make this meal. It costs about $2-4 per person for this meal.
Rice with eggs and a vegetable – Boil rice (use a cooker if you have it or a pot with double the amount of water in it. If it starts boiling turn the heat right down and put a lid on. Cook 2 eggs. Use a pan if you have one. Scramble or fry the eggs then add chopped up vegetable in the pan from before and stir up with the eggs. Add soy sauce to the rice then add in the egg/veggie mixture and serve with a dash of chili sauce on top. – $2-3 per person. Takes 25 minutes. Uses: a cooker and/or a frying pan.
Simple Large Salad with Bread and Cheese. As the name suggests, this consists of no cooking. The idea was to find something which meals could be made without the use of cooking. As it turns out, so many simple, and healthy meals are made without the use of the stove top. This consists of, a large loaf of bread from the local bakery, a wedge of local cheese, mixed greens, large tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. The dressing consists of simply olive oil and salt. 10 minutes, $4-7 per person. Knife, plate, etc.
Add any leftover bits and bobs to instant noodles and cook as per the packet. In the last two minutes of cooking add chopped up bits of veg. When the noodles have been cooked and have been poured into a bowl, fry up an egg and place on top of the noodles. Add any desired sauce on top.
Of course there is a clever way of buying and stockpiling for the hostel kitchen as well. Only buying food for two days instead of the whole week for example. Using the bulk bins in supermarkets, instead of prepackaged bags or containers for instance. And then there are end-of-day sales where a lot of bakeries sell the remaining products of the day for a lower price as they would otherwise go to waste. This can apply to many markets and stores where they clear out their produce and products near closing time for a lower price. Finally it is wise to look for local versions of products as well, instead of imported ones that are sometimes even 30-50% cheaper! And always remember your reusable shopping bag, as a lot of countries charge for plastic bags now!
CLean up after yourself: The worst thing you can do is leave pots and pans from the meal you have just cooked for other people to wash up the next day. They will give you filthy looks and wonder how you can be so inconsiderate. Wash up immediately after each use for the dish. Then put it away in the correct place. Clean up the stove tops before you leave the kitchen for others to use. It is also very considerate to label your leftovers in the fridge with your name and the date that you checked in. This stops other people from tossing them and you having to replace them. Do not take over the whole kitchen with your food preparation and try to be considerate of others around you. Being friendly and saying hello is also very important as well as chatting to the other travelers around you. The kitchen is a social space and that is where you are likely to get the most interaction with other travelers.
Unquantifiable is the big bonus you get when you are doing your cooking in the hostel kitchen: it is very social! Usually there is the talk about what you are preparing for dinner. After that there is nothing else than adding some fresh produce and maybe some left overs of other fellow travelers from the fridge. Or they can give you tipps for the local shop where you can buy the cheapest stuff. Many great friendships started when in a hostel over cooking pasta!
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