Hostel kitchens are actually goldmines if you time it right

I was at a hostel in Lisbon last month and noticed how many people waste money eating out because the kitchen is a mess at peak hours. I started cooking breakfast at 6am and dinner at 4pm, completely skipping the crowds and finding fresh ingredients people left behind. Has anyone else figured out weird timing tricks to make hostel cooking actually work?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jason1mo agoTop Commenter

man totally agree with you on this. i did the same thing in a hostel in budapest a couple years back. i figured out that if you go right when the kitchen opens at 6am there's nobody around and you can actually cook a proper breakfast without fighting for the stove or the sink. plus people leave behind half bags of pasta and spices all the time, it's like a free grocery store if you time it right. i also started doing my dinners at like 4 or 5pm just to beat the rush and have the whole kitchen to myself, then i'd just reheat leftovers if i got hungry later. one time i found a whole block of cheese someone left in the fridge with a note that said "free to use" so i made mac and cheese for three days. the trick is knowing when the hostel does its cleaning rounds too, because sometimes they toss stuff that's still good right before the evening rush.

paul1171mo ago

free to use" cheese lmao that's gold. i used to think the early bird thing was overrated but you kinda sold me on it. never thought about hitting the kitchen right when it opens but it makes total sense with all the leftover stuff people ditch.