Kitchen Appliances for Student Life
By Micah Cheek
The class of 2020 is moving into their dorms, and equipping them with the kitchen appliances they need is a delicate dance. About 20 million students attended American colleges and universities last year, according to the U.S. Department of Education, and the number of people in this age group is growing and is expected to keep growing over the next few decades.
Universities have detailed rules on what kinds of appliances are allowed in student housing. At the University of Arizona, for instance, the only refrigerators allowed in dorm rooms are smaller than 5 cubic feet, and no open-coil heating elements or open flame cookers are allowed due to fire concerns, so the only midnight oil that can be burned is figurative rather than literal. This also disqualifies panini-style grills and anything powered by gas. “No George Foremans or toasters are allowed,” says Dana Robbins-Murray, Assistant Director, Marketing, Residence Life for the University of Arizona. “We do sometimes have challenges with students bringing fridges that are too large for the room. The refrigerator must be less than 5 cubic feet in size, 120 volt, and an energy rating less than 2 amps.”
Most University of Arizona dorm residents purchase meal plans and eat in restaurants on camps, but they use microwave ovens or mini fridges for making snacks to boost their energy for those late-night study sessions. Many university dorms also provide community kitchens for students who want to cook full meals.
A coffee maker is essential to students who are cramming for midterms or cranking out research papers due the next day. The SAVOY EC314 Stainless Steel Coffee Maker is the hero product in the SAVOY line and offers all of the bells and whistles students are looking for, wrapped up in a sleek, modern design. A customized coffee experience is key with the SAVOY EC314 and the machine features a variety of functions that allow users to enjoy their coffee just the way they like it. The Regular and Bold settings provides the user control over the richness of their coffee. The 1-4 Cup Function ensures that whether you are brewing for just yourself, or a large group, you get the same quality cup of coffee every time. A Keep Warm Function keeps coffee warm for up to four hours at three different temperature options and has a thermo-sensor that ensures the coffee stays at the desired temp. The Auto-On allows dual program settings for weekday and weekend so that coffee is always ready when needed. A pause and serve feature allows removal of the carafe at any time.
A slow cooker is a great option for making large batches of meats or soups for weekly meal planning. The Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker allows consumers to adjust, manage and monitor their slow cooker from anywhere using a smartphone or tablet. The first smartphone-controllable slow cooker, with the WeMo app users can receive notifications, change the cooking time, adjust the temperature, turn the slow cooker off, or check the status of their meal quickly and easily from anywhere at any time. It has a 6-quart capacity and retails for $129.99.
Rice cookers have been saviors for many college students, and models with many customizable settings are available. Japan’s pre-eminent kitchen appliance maker unveiled the latest addition to its line of rice cookers with the 3-Cup Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer (NS-LGC05) at the 2016 International Home & Housewares Show. The Micom’s advanced one-touch fuzzy logic technology not only prepares perfect rice every time, the microcomputer chip allows the rice cooker to cook different types of grains to perfection. Additionally, heaters on the bottom, side and lid work in unison to generate even heating, ensuring a consistent finished product. The 3-cup capacity (approximately 6 cups cooked rice) is the perfect portion for roommates or smaller groups, and the rice cooker’s compact size and attractive brushed steel exterior make it a modern, versatile addition to any countertop. This model features a convenient detachable inner lid for easy cleaning, extra-large LCD display with clock and timer function, an automatic keep warm function, built-in retractable power cord and menu settings which include white/mixed rice, sushi rice, brown rice, GABA brown rice, long grain white rice, steel cut oatmeal and quick cooking.
