Any helpful tips for living without a working kitchen for a few months?

[Deb in NZ]

Dh is renovating our house.  He's been working on this for the past 7 years.  Today we demolished our old kitchen as both our boys will be moving away from home in the next month.  He assures me that we will be without for kitchen for weeks, not months, but as he is in the early stages of 2 bathrooms, an office, & the new master bedroom as well I'm realistically looking at no kitchen until possibly as late as mid-year.  Luckily it will be just dh & I for most of that time, so I won't be trying to feed a houseful.  I have a couple crockpots, a microwave, a toaster, & a single portable hob.  I work as a relief (substitute) teacher during the school year, so won't have heaps of time, so easy, simple meals are best.  At the moment our lounge is cluttered with most of the kitchen gear & we are washing dishes in the laundry tub.  The only thing that I left in the kitchen was inside of the lower cabinets as dh said they wouldn't be touched when he took down the walls & ceiling.  Well, the guys managed to tip over the cabinet with my dishes & casseroles in it  :glare: not quite the way I had planned to declutter.  I haven't dared to see what survived the crash yet.

 

TIA

[Rosie_0801]

Bread, cheese and salad.

 

Eat of the the tin and feel no shame about it.

 

Go out. It's important to support local business.

 

 

:leaving:

 

[OneStepAtATime]

What happened to your refrigerator?  Is it still there?

 

Personally, I think I would have DH drop everything else and focus on the kitchen (as long as you currently have one working bathroom).  Too many projects at once means nothing actually gets done in a timely fashion and a kitchen can drag on forever but is frequently the heart of the home.  Maybe with both of you working on it with whatever free time you have and setting a realistic deadline that you both agree you will stick to (barring unforeseen structural issues) it will be completed in weeks instead of months.

 

Is it possible for you and DH to sit down and prioritize all the projects, write down deadlines to shoot for with each one and come up with a game plan for completing them in a timely fashion?  Living in a perpetual construction zone would drive me nuts.

 

In the meantime, are you able to set up a mini-kitchen in some other room for your remaining appliances including a refrigerator?  Or is your whole house one bit construction zone?  When we did extensive renovations including no kitchen it really helped for me to designate a section of another room as our "kitchen".  I kept everything we planned to use for kitchen stuff in that one spot, including the microwave and refrigerator.  

 

For food, I'm with Rosie, do cheeses, bread, salads, some canned soups, fruit, sandwiches, and maybe twice a week do something in your crockpot.  Plus, with the microwave you could do something like this if you were able to buy a precooked chicken:

 http://www.cooks.com/recipe/xx6vo66k/easy-microwave-chicken-casserole.html

 

Good luck!

[Ausmumof3]

A friend did this recently and she survived. She washed in the laundry sink, baked cakes in a crockpot and made toast in a frypan. It wasn't easy I don't think but she does have a gorgeous kitchen now.

 

I agree with trying to get full focus on the kitchen and just keep things moving because if your dh isn't doing the cooking he's likely to underestimate how hard it will be.

 

Also in summer you can do a lot of BBQ which is easier.

[Deb in NZ]

What happened to your refrigerator?  Is it still there?  Yes, we have a fridge & an up-right freezer as well, & a BBQ.

 

Personally, I think I would have DH drop everything else and focus on the kitchen (as long as you currently have one working bathroom).  Too many projects at once means nothing actually gets done in a timely fashion and a kitchen can drag on forever but is frequently the heart of the home.  Maybe with both of you working on it with whatever free time you have and setting a realistic deadline that you both agree you will stick to (barring unforeseen structural issues) it will be completed in weeks instead of months.  The only good thing about having multiple areas being worked on at once is that when we need to get in subbies (plumber, electrician, etc) they can do multiple areas in one visit.  The plumber especially has been a pain to get to come in a timely manor.

 

Is it possible for you and DH to sit down and prioritize all the projects, write down deadlines to shoot for with each one and come up with a game plan for completing them in a timely fashion?  Living in a perpetual construction zone would drive me nuts.  I've done this at  least 3 times since we started 7 years ago.  Dh looks at it & says, "yes, that looks reasonable."  But he still plods along or gets sidetracked.

 

In the meantime, are you able to set up a mini-kitchen in some other room for your remaining appliances including a refrigerator?  Or is your whole house one bit construction zone?  When we did extensive renovations including no kitchen it really helped for me to designate a section of another room as our "kitchen".  I kept everything we planned to use for kitchen stuff in that one spot, including the microwave and refrigerator.  The original plan was to complete the 2 remaining bathrooms, office, & new master bedroom first.  Then we would move into the new master bedroom & our current room would be used for storing gear from rooms worked on last.  The first stage was completing the new laundry room & bathroom off the rumpus room.  That is finished now so we do have a working bathroom & laundry,  I had planned to use the rumpus as a temp kitchen while working on the kitchen, but it is full of gear for the 2 bathrooms, so is not suitable for a temp kitchen now.  

 

For food, I'm with Rosie, do cheeses, bread, salads, some canned soups, fruit, sandwiches, and maybe twice a week do something in your crockpot.  Plus, with the microwave you could do something like this if you were able to buy a precooked chicken:

 http://www.cooks.com/recipe/xx6vo66k/easy-microwave-chicken-casserole.html  That looks like a good plan.  I did put all our pantry supplies into banana boxes that are currently under our coffee table.  I think I need to try to "shop" the pantry, freezer, etc. first & eat down our supplies.  

 

Good luck!  Thanks  :001_smile:

 

Edited January 21, 2017 by Deb in NZ

[Annie G]

With a grill and a fridge available I'd probably grill a bunch of chicken breasts to use all week. Top salads, put in a wrap, dice and put into a crockpot soup ( chicken chili or something).  There's lots of ways to flavor them and you can eat them warm or cold. 

 

With a single eye hotplate I'd probably cook something that would last 2 or more days- something you can reheat in the microwave. Maybe a mac and cheese or meat/veggie stir fry. 

 

Hope your reno goes quickly and smoothly!

[wintermom]

I completely agree with prioritizing the kitchen above everything else - as long as you have a working toilet and shower. ;)  We just did kitchen renos last summer. It's quite stressful, and when you can't make proper meals, wash, etc. the time without a kitchen drags on. Not to mention you have several other rooms in various states of construction - for the last 7 years. I'd be fuming by now. You must be the most patient woman alive. 

 

I think at this point, a few weeks or months with or without a kitchen is probably a drop in the bucket. You probably need professional help to get your house properly finished. Your mental and physical health are going to start paying for this, if they haven't already. Living in the middle of construction for years isn't the healthiest lifestyle. Imagine all the dusts and chemicals you're all breathing in.

[JFSinIL]

When we redid our kitchen we used a heavy duty extension cord and had the 'fridge in the dining room but still plugged into its dedicated socket in the kitchen.  Microwave, crock pot, toaster in dining room.  There were some Boston market and KFC nights, but then we only had to live w/o a full kitchen for a week or so. I can not imagine going months w/o a full oven and stovetop. If you hubby finds he misses nice home cooked meals, he may prioritize the kitchen, so feed him a lot of bleah nuked stuff to try and speed things up?  or insist he take you out for dinner every other night? :-)

Edited January 21, 2017 by JFSinIL

[Lanny]

Much good luck with that huge project!   I remember the sister of a late friend told him what a horrible mistake it was, for them to continue living in their house while it was being remodeled.   After your DH is finished, it will be wonderful, but, in the interim, it will not be fun.  Frozen Dinners, Take Out Food, Eat Out, eat your major meals when you are not home.  

[Heathermomster]

Hire a contractor and get them started on the kitchen. If this has been going on for 7 years, you are a patient woman.

[OneStepAtATime]

Does your DH have executive function issues?  Might you be interested in the book Smart But Scattered to maybe help him actually complete things without getting too distracted?

 

And i agree, would it be possible to hire a contractor for at least finishing the kitchen?  Or getting the big stuff out of the way then you and he can finish the rest on your own?

[KatieJ]

We did a full kitchen remodel a few years ago. It always takes longer than planned, so just settle in and make it work.

 

One of children moved out, so we had an empty bedroom. That became my kitchen.

 

Stock up on paper goods no try really hard to not feel bad about the waste.

 

Electric fry pan, micro wave and toaster oven and a crockpot were my cooking tools.

Toaster oven allows you to bake a few cookies or brownies when the mess is getting to you. Or bake a casserole, chicken pot pie or even potatoes.

We did dishes in the laundry tub. I kept a dishpan in my kitchen and just carried it to the laundry room.

Mine was in summer, so we ate salads and sandwiches mostly.

A friend and my married daughter brought food over occasionally.

I missed pasta, so I cooked somevst my daughters and just reheated in the microwave.

If you want to make soup or something that requires chopping and cleaning veggies, consider precut fresh or bags of frozen.

Mostly I did meals with minimum prep and cleanup as the dishes and no water in my kitchen was the most inconvenient.

A friend who wentbthru tjis with 3 young kids st home would go to her moms once a week or every other week and do some cooking and baking there. Then at home thry had freezer meals.

[StaceyinLA]

Two words.

 

Instant. Pot.

 

Okay, so maybe not just two words, since you have to address doing dishes (I'd be buying a LOT of disposable everything).

 

I'd likely do stuff like make several huge batches of something in the instant pot on Sunday and then just reheat and eat those things for the week, along with lots of salads with as many raw veggies as I could throw in, and fresh fruits.

 

I'd likely do a chicken or some chicken breasts (versatile - can eat alone or throw in salads), some sort of soup or chili, and maybe some sort of roast. I feel like those three things would last us the week.

 

I'd keep plenty sandwich items on hand because that's always easy.

[Tina]

Several months after gutting our kitchen, I was real good at fixing meals in the electric frypan.  Then dh hooked up my gas stove in the basement. I hated having meals in the basement.  Lots of paper plates, and the laundry sink for other dishes.  I was without a kitchen for 8 months.  Since then, we've only had everything from three rooms of the basement stuffed into the back corner.  Ugh.  I don't ever plan on having several rooms done at once again.  I have our room just about ready to repaint, but he wants to redo the closets in there.  Putting if off. lol

[Guest]

I did this.  We had a refrigerator down the hall in the storage room, the sink in our downstairs wet-bar, and a very small microwave.  I bought a single-burner hotplate, and had I to do it again, I would have spent the money on one of the kind that uses magnetism to heat the pot which cooks the food.   I was anxious about the house burning down the whole time we used the regular hotplate--and I have been in multiple situations since where it would have been exceptionally handy to have one of those magnetic hotplates.  Parties and so on.  

[idnib]

Seconding the Instant Pot.

[Lady Florida.]

We had this situation when we renovated our kitchen shortly after we moved in. My biggest complaint was not having a sink to wash dishes. I washed them in a tub in the tub. Ugh. Like you, we did have our refrigerator. We kept pantry items in Rubbermaid type bins in the spare bedroom, and I had a few bins in the dining room for the stuff I used often.

 

I would have loved it if the Instant Pot was around back then! I'll add my voice to those who say one would be perfect. If it's not in the budget, then make use of your crock pot as much as possible. Microwaved meals even made from scratch, get old really fast. I know this from my experience. 

 

If you normally like to cook, you'll be so glad when it's done and you can actually cook real meals again. Good luck!

Edited January 21, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[barnwife]

You can get a project done fast, or good, or cheap if you're lucky. Maybe two if you're really lucky.  Never all three.  Hopefully you knew this before starting remodeling, or you should know it by now.  The advice to tell your husband to set a completion date and stick to it is about as helpful as his bar friends telling him how to tell you to lose weight, right?  

 

Set up a dedicated area, even if it's the shared laundry area or whatever, just so everything has a place and isn't moving around.  Lower your standards to what you feel like doing in that makeshift kitchen.  If it gets on your nerves, get away for a day, weekend or a week.  The inductive "hot plate" is a great idea, everybody loves them that has them.  

Edited January 21, 2017 by barnwife

[Seasider]

You can do wonders with a toaster oven. I'd also invest in some crock pot liners during this time (which I would normally avoid because plastic).

I found the real challenge wasn't cooking, but cleanup.

 

Also agreeing with those upthread, ask your dh to focus exclusively on the kitchen until it is complete. It's not a great idea to renovate more than one space at a time because you really need the endorphin rush from finishing one room to motivate you to undertake the next well (ime, anyway).

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Seven years...

 

I would be very, very tempted to rent a trailer (caravan) and park it in the driveway so I could have some facilities. Tell dh you'll return it when the kitchen is done. The less affordable this is, the sooner you'll have a functioning kitchen.

 

I realize this is not what you asked, but if the other ideas don't work out, perhaps it's another option!

[LifeLovePassion]

We used paper plates, cups, bowls and silverware as much as possible. Lots of sandwiches and cereal. We did dishes in tubs on the steps. Took about 6 long diy weeks.

[Deb in NZ]

Thanks for all the ideas.  Luckily I haven't had to do without a kitchen until yesterday.  The single hob I got to supplement my small appliances is an inductive hob.  Our new stove is inductive, so I thought it would be a good way to learn to cook on one.  Also, I liked the fact that it didn't get hot as cooking in rooms not designed for cooking can be a challenge.  I sold the idea to dh by saying that the hob could come in handy for when we have a larger dinner party (i.e Thanksgiving, etc.) or to take when we travel to cook in our room.  Dh has been able to organise a corner of the rumpus for me to use as a temp kitchen.  It's not ideal, but will work much better than our very cluttered lounge that is a dumping spot for gear from other rooms being worked on.  

 

I have one week left before school starts for the new year & another 3-4 before I normally get consistent work.  I'm aiming to use this time to do a ruthless declutter as everything is our of closets, cabinets, etc. & I can see we have tons more than we need.  Thanks again for all the words of encouragement.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Deb in NZ

[myfantasticfour]

With my kids' food allergies, I have to pack up a DIY kitchen every time we travel, unless we book a full-kitchen suite, but when we've had to stay in a motel room with 4 kids and just a coffee pot and minifridge and microwave, granted it was only for a couple of days, but I got some experience.

 

In your shoes, and if I didn't have kids with food allergies restraining my choices, I would want most, aside from microwave and minifridge and coffeemaker:

 

-Dual-burner portable range (also called a hotplate, but a good one with solid burners, one large and one small) so I could use a regular skillet and saucepan, tea kettle, etc.

 

-Rice cooker (so I could, depending on toppings and accoutrements, make Indian, Mexican, Korean, Japanese including smoked salmon sushi!, Southern with sausage and cream gravy, or even rice pudding with raisins, milk, and eggs)

 

-One of those sandwich irons that makes hot toasted sandwiches cut into triangles with melty insides, great for homemade pizza pockets or reubens, and if you use butter and sprinkle the bread with cinnamon sugar, and fill with frozen fruit, make hot fruit pies.

 

- Japanese Benri-Na Mandoline, for making quick work of veggie snack trays, cole slaw, thin-sliced salad bar or sandwich toppings, etc. and just a rinse-off, to clean

 

And I would have no shame in serving canned soup to go along with a Build-your-own Salad and Sandwich Bar.

I would also eat a lot of smoked salmon with cream cheese on toasted bagels, cold-cut and cheese sandwiches, and super nachos (canned refried beans, shredded cheese, salsa, and prepared guacamole on tortilla chips)!

[rose]

Rice and beans. Beans are done in the crockpot and rice in a rice cooker. If you don't have one get one with a timer function so that you can time it to finish with the beans. I do this every time we do an errand day.

[TX Native]

Rice and beans. Beans are done in the crockpot and rice in a rice cooker. If you don't have one get one with a timer function so that you can time it to finish with the beans. I do this every time we do an errand day.

If you serve this everyday, and your husband is like mine, he will be very motivated to get the kitchen done ASAP.

[Spy Car]

 

Camp Chef.

 

Trust me.