For many UA students, cooking skills are often neglected, and culinary classes are hard to come by. But for those looking to befriend their kitchen, author Nisa Burns offers up recipes and tips to help any student conquer cooking in “Kitchenability 101.”

“’Kitchenability’ is a very unique word,” Burns said. “It’s all about becoming best friends with your kitchen in order to feed yourself lunch and to gain confidence in cooking in the kitchen.”

Burns, a culinary graduate of the Art Institute of Virginia Beach, described the process of making cooking easy and natural as “kitchenable.”

“I give college students a guideline – simple, easy recipes to take away with them,” Burns said. “That was my whole concept.”

Burns started as a nursing major, and during exam weeks would cook as a way to get her mind off of her studies.

“I would go cook. It was my solace, my relief,” she said. “Some go run, I cook. I noticed I was going to the kitchen to find peace and thought, wow, I really enjoy this.”

After her realization, Burns began blogging and talking with friends and ultimately decided to write a cookbook.

“I called an editor out of the blue almost three years ago,” she said. “One thing led to another. I wanted to make this book and help a lot of people, beginners.”

Burns said she decided to focus on the college demographic because, while there are thousands of simple and easy recipe cookbooks, there were none to help teach a college student how to cook.

In order to facilitate the process for beginner cooks, “Kitchenability 101” provides students with shopping plans, supply lists, budgeting tips, skills and recipes for cooking in college spaces. Select recipes also feature QR codes that link readers to online demos of Burns preparing the dishes.

“Anybody can cook, but some are afraid,” Burns said. “I’ve always been involved in the kitchen, so I knew the results of cooking and knew the benefits. Some parents don’t cook, some do, but it’s all about exposure and all about risk.”

Claris Leigh Feibelman, a junior majoring in nutrition, said she likes the idea of a cookbook geared toward college-aged students.

“Most college kids don’t even know how to use a standard cookbook,” Feibelman said. “I think more students would be encouraged to cook [with ‘Kitchenability 101’] because they would know what to buy and what to do, and it wouldn’t be a huge time commitment.”

Burns said students should compare the kitchen to a relationship.

“Would you jump right in and say ‘I love you’ and marry?” she said. “Absolutely not. But don’t overdo yourself or overwhelm yourself – that’s what a lot of people do.”

For many students, money is often limited, but Burns said students can cook great meals for low prices if they learn how to budget. She suggests potluck style dishes.

“Chicken chili is perfect for study groups,” she said. “You can get friends to buy one of each ingredient, and everyone pitches in.”

If potluck style is not ideal, readers can find numerous recipes, ranging from Nutella French toast, avocado lettuce wraps, lemon cilantro chicken, feta-spiked turkey burgers and more. The recipe amounts vary in size but remain manageable so students won’t be left with too many leftovers.

“My roommate and I always talk about serving sizes being too big,” Feibelman said. “If there is [a cookbook] that lets you cook in smaller amounts, that would be helpful.”

For future endeavors, Burns said she hopes to be able to publish more books.

“I would love to write a series,” she said. “My dream is to write another book for when the college students have graduated, a book that’s a little more sophisticated, since they will already have the basic skills.”

The book, she said, would adapt with the students as they transition into their new adult lives.

“I want to expand ‘Kitchenability’ as they grow,” she said. “The goal is to grow with my audience.”

“Kitchenability 101” is available to purchase online at amazon.com. For more information, visit kitchenability.com.