Cooking and catering

The communal kitchens are within clusters throughout  the building. Please be mindful of quiet times to avoid disturbing your neighbours.

Cleaning
Please keep all communal areas clean and tidy, just as you would like to find them. Leaving communal areas in an unacceptable state, e.g. blocking sinksor toilets , is a disciplinary matter.

Kitchen cupboards
The cupboards in the communal kitchens are labelled with the bedroom numbers in the clusters. Please respect your fellow residents’ personal items stored in these cupboards. It is advisable to label items and store in sealed containers. You must clear out your cupboard completely before you leave.

Fridge/freezers
There are two fridge-freezers and an undercounter fridge in every cluster. Food items should be labelled to avoid accidental use by others. Fridges must be kept clean and tidy. Out of date items will be removed from the fridges and thrown away.

Here are a few tips to help you protect yourself in shared cooking spaces:

• Wipe down surfaces before use with sanitiser
• Use your own sponge and tea towel
• Keep your own cooking utensils separately
• Label food clearly and keep food in sealed containers
• Dispose of out of date items

Kitchen rules

• Never leave cooking unattended: if a member of staff   finds food cooking unsupervised, they will switch it off for safety reasons.
• Always use the extractor when cooking on the hob, failure to do so can activate the fire alarm
• Keep kitchen doors closed
• Kettles should be used to boil water, nothing else.
• Clean up: please keep the space clean and tidy, ready for others to use

Tips for using the hobs

• Pans that work with the hobs are stainless steel, cast   iron, carbon and enamelled steel. Aluminium, glass and ceramic will not work on the hob.
• Turn pan handles inwards to prevent accidental knocks
• Avoid deep fat frying and do not add water to fat
• Don’t forget to use the extractor fan at all times

Tips on using microwave ovens safely and efficiently
The microwaves are combination oven/microwaves, if unsure please ask a Duty Manager how to operate them.

Microwave mode - make sure packaging is microwave safe, use only plastic, glass, or ceramic labelled microwave proof, do not use metal or foil.

• No whole eggs - do not heat raw eggs in their shells or whole hard-boiled eggs; they can explode
• Follow the cooking instructions on your food. If in doubt, cook for a short period, e.g. 30-60 seconds, check your food and repeat as needed.
• Note the wattage of the microwave oven
• Ensure there is a vent in any cling film or cover, open carefully to avoid steam burns- Allow 1-2 minutes cooling time after cooking.

Convection oven mode - treat like a standard oven, make sure packaging is oven proof, do not use plastic containers. Use oven gloves and beware of hot steam.

Kitchen packs (for Kennington)
Kitchen packs are available to purchase at Reception for £84.00.

Contents:

• 1x crockery kit: knife, fork, tablespoon, teaspoon, 
    dinner plate, side plate, cereal bowl, mug and 
    glass tumbler
• 1x utensil kit: corkscrew, slotted serving spoon, solid 
    serving spoon, slotted turner, tin opener, wooden
    spoon, vegetable peeler, kitchen scissors, plastic 
   colander and tea towel
• 1x cooking kit: 20cm non-stick saucepan with glass
    lid, 24cm non-stick frying pan, chopping board, 
   baking tray, chef’s knife and utility knife.

For GPS:

Go to https://www.unikitout.com/collections/student-kits to purchase your kits.

Allergies
If you have food allergies, please inform your fellow cluster residents, Resident Advisor and Duty Managers, especially if your allergy is severe.