1. Tussey and Terrace (TNT)

Best dorm kitchen on campus. I say this because if I need some sort of pot or pan, the TNT kitchen will usually have it. Has an extensive spice collection on the side as well. Out of all of the freshman dorms, it’s not even a competition for who has the best kitchen (Lesher would be 2^nd).

2. Lesher

It’s a nice area that opens up into the lounge so you could also have a potluck or small dinner event here. It’s one of the only kitchens on this list that is in a public area (which is nice if you aren’t the hyper intensive in-the-zone-leave-me- alone chef persona). I’ve only cooked here twice and I’ve had decent experiences. For some reason, each time I’ve cooked here, the refrigerator is stock full of random items and it’s important to find other places to keep the Caesar salad cool.

3. South

The kitchen in South is an extension of the lounge. That’s about all I know. It’s a bit smaller of a cooking space than TNT, but since it’s a wide open area, it serves better as a social hangout spot. Unlike TNT, it doesn’t require an RA to come and unlock it which is a big plus. I’ve never cooked here so I can’t really comment on the state of pots, pans, utensils.

4. East (Flory, Kline, Long, Miller)

Here is the middle of our list. I’ve never been inside of one of East’s kitchens. All I know is that they occasionally sell chicken nuggets here on weekends. If it’s good enough to sell reheated poultry bites, then it’s good enough for spot #4 – a nice baseline for our list.

5. Sunderland

Another kitchen that you need an RA to access. The kitchen is right next to the ping pong table room so you could technically throw a big dinner night and have entertainment options. On the downside, I’ve seen people cook elaborate dishes in here and I have no earthly idea how because the condition of cooking supplies also seems to be pretty limited (at least the last time I was there).

6. Cloister

I struggle to think of a dorm during the 2020-2021 academic year that consistently set off the fire alarm more because of using the kitchen. Does it help that the smoke detector is right above the stove? If you were seriously going to cook something, you should plan ahead. I’m not sure why, but this kitchen doesn’t have forks. But it does have metal chopsticks, a bamboo sushi rolling mat, and two blenders. Rumor has it that Juniata is planning on doing renovations to the entire lounge/kitchen area this summer to open up this area and turn this cooking area into an open hangout spot, just like Lesher. I have my fingers crossed.