What you can cook in a UChicago dorm

You can bring your own fridge or rent a combination fridge and microwave unit. A microwave on its own isn't allowed, and if you bring your own fridge you can't also bring a separate microwave. Housing says the reason is electrical current limitations.

All of this comes from UChicago Housing's own 2026-27 documents, checked again on September 29, 2026.

The fridge and microwave rule

You can rent a combination fridge and microwave unit from BedLoft, the vendor Housing names, or bring your own fridge. If you bring your own, you can't also bring a separate microwave. Housing's list of what comes in a room includes neither a fridge nor a microwave.

Standalone microwaves are banned. Housing's resources page says a microwave has to be a combo unit, and it names BedLoft for fridge and microwave combo rentals. If you want to heat food in your room, rent the combo unit. If you'd rather have your own fridge for cold storage, you walk to a kitchen to heat things up.

Apartments work differently. Campus North, Renee Granville-Grossman and Woodlawn list apartments among their room types, and Housing says students assigned to an apartment already have a full-size refrigerator and freezer. If that's your assignment, the fridge choice above doesn't apply to you.

Before you buy a fridge, email housing@uchicago.edu to confirm the size limit.

What is banned outright

Most of the 2026-27 list is appliances with exposed heating elements, and it names them.

• Hot plates, electric skillets, toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, slow and instant cookers
• Tea kettles
• Grills, and anything gas or charcoal
• Standalone microwaves, unless part of a combination fridge unit
• Space heaters and air conditioners

The rest of the list isn't about food. It bans LED light strips, halogen lamps, wireless printers and routers, virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Home, lofting kits, and upholstered furniture including futons and beanbag chairs. Pets are out too, except a fish in a tank of five gallons or less. Anything on the list that gets shipped to campus goes back to the sender.

Kettles and coffee makers

The 2026-27 list bans tea kettles by name. Housing notes that the list isn't comprehensive, so email housing@uchicago.edu before you buy an item it doesn't name, like a coffee maker.

The community kitchens

Each of the seven residence hall pages lists Community Kitchens. Ask at your house meeting or email housing@uchicago.edu to find out where yours is and what's in it.

You can't use another hall's kitchen on your own. Housing's standards say nobody enters a building they aren't assigned to unless a resident taps them in and stays with them, two guests at a time. Housing's guest rules say a resident has to let you in and stay with you. Check with your RA before you plan to cook there.

Campus North and Renee Granville-Grossman have courtyard grills.

The short version

Rice cookers aren't named on the 2026-27 list. The closest banned items are slow and instant cookers, so email Housing before you bring one.

In first year, your room handles cold storage, plus reheating if you rent the combo unit. Any real cooking happens in a shared kitchen. For everything else there's the cheap eats guide.

When you can't cook

Pool is a food deals app for UChicago students. It's free, and only verified students can use it. It helps with the meals the dining hall doesn't cover and your room can't cook, starting with 2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl and 2-for-1 subs at Subway. The dorm rankings cover which building you'd want to be in.