By: Emma Gaudette

Being a junior, this is the first year that I’ve had to actually cook for myself. Gone are the days of simply walking into any restaurant on Maple Street to quickly grab a bite to eat. I can’t believe I’m semi- admitting that I miss America’s salads, but I do. I miss the convenience of picking up something that I need without the effort of actually cooking it.

This year, cooking is a process. This is how my dinners usually go: I have to decide what I want, go to Kroger, make the food, realize I did a step in the process wrong and start over to finally make a terribly mediocre meal.

Although I still don’t have cooking down to a science, I have come across some kitchen hacks that can make a life a little easier!

1. Use a plastic bottle to separate egg yolks from the whites!

(Source: Buzzfeed.com)

2. Put pancake batter in a plastic bag for an easy and mess free way of pouring the batter out.

(Source: lifehack.org)

3. Freeze herb mixtures and even pasta sauces in ice cube trays so that you can just pop in as many cubes as needed without having to defrost an entire portion.

(Source: lifehack.org)

Sarah Mosby, a junior at Miami has had similar problems as me with cooking.

“My mom has always done all of the cooking in my family. I’ve never learned how to actually cook for myself so trying to start this year was tough. I use the ice cube tray hack a lot because I tend to make a lot of pasta,” Mosby said

Try out these hacks — they’ll definitely help when you’re trying to make a more than mediocre dinner!

Edited by Elizabeth Hansen