How to Cook at Home in a Foreign City

The first thing when you are cooking abroad you must do is abandon the idea that you are going to be able to recreate your favorite dishes from home. It simply is not going to happen the way you think it will. Mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes, but maybe the milk tastes different, or you can’t find russet potatoes.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The best strategy you can adopt to survive in a foreign city is to learn to adapt. And that goes double for cooking. Pay attention to what others are cooking and what is served at restaurants. Spend some time walking the aisles of grocery stores and supermarkets to learn what ingredients are common, available and cheap. Often you will find ingredients you are accustomed to being cheap are outrageously expensive. And vice versa. This presents a fantastic opportunity to try new foods and dishes.

Learn to measure in metric. Those teaspoons and cups you’ve been measuring things in all your life aren’t going to cut it anymore. In fact, you most likely won’t be able to find measuring cups at all abroad. Liquid measurements are easy, however. Most places will have measuring cups in milliliters. Dry ingredients are easy too, if you have the right tool; you’ll need a scale to weigh grams. This is actually a benefit, as measuring by weight is more accurate anyway. It’s easy to find a website that will help you convert measurements. Finally you’ll need to learn Celsius as your oven will not have Fahrenheit.

That is if you have an oven. Many apartments, and especially student housing, do not. But don’t let that scare you — there are plenty of great dishes you’ll learn how to prepare on the stovetop.

Learning to cook abroad can be daunting; but it’s a challenge rewarded with new delicious dishes and a sense of achievement.