asking to borrow - cheeky fuckery?

[PolkerrisBeach]

We are getting our kitchen replaced in a couple of months. It's a big job, involves knocking a wall down and it will be at least 2 weeks without full use of a kitchen.

We have a microwave and can plug fridge and freezer in elsewhere in the house. I won't have use of anything else apart from a toaster and a kettle though. Was planning on asking on Facebook whether anyone could lend us any cooking equipment like a george foreman grill, a plug in hob, toastie maker etc etc etc.

DH thinks this is cheeky fuckery and we should just buy stuff. My point is that it's wasteful to buy stuff for using over a very short period only and that we're usually more than happy to lend heaters when someone's boiler breaks down.

We are having our kitchen done now and have been managing just fine with an electric pressure cooker (I've already made beef stroganof, chicken casserole, rice, gammon joint and pea and ham soup in it.) We've also got our microwave kettle and toaster set up and it's been a lot easier than expected if you can get your hands on an electric pressure cooker you'll be set.

Of course you should ask. This is part of what friends and communities are about. You're not putting pressure on anyone, just asking around.

I find your DH's attitude weird, socially isolating and depressing.

Not cheeky at all, I bought one of those mini oven/hob/grill things one Christmas Eve when my oven blew up and I couldn't get it repaired in time for Christmas and cooked a whole Christmas dinner on it. It sits in our garage now, but has been invaluable for cooking extras the following Christmas and lending to friends who have had a kitchen ripped out or a broken appliance.

I would be happy to lend a friend it again. I am sure yours would too.

I think its okay to do a Facebook shout. We have a for man that rarely gets used and a state of the art Juice maker that cannot have used more than twice. My friend was bouth a pizza oven and its still in the wrapping. Agree with your sentiments. But also with the poster who said a bottle of wine would be on order or better still a 'kitchen launch'. Cut the ribbon in a Queen mask and bless all who cook and stir in her. Invite all the lenders to the kitchen launch.

I don't think its cheeky at all! Better to use what is already there rather than contribute to landfill. I have two slow cookers (different sizes), so would happily lend one of them out, and a sandwich press...which is useful for making hot meals.

We were in exactly the same situation (and at the same time of year) 2 ears ago. We had a lot of fun with our barbecue - it is amazing what you can barbecue and great fun in the colder weather. Packet rice, chilli and frozen vegetable curry were our staples on other nights. We ate out one night, had one take away a week and then as above.
I have a slow cooker but we didn't use it.

And yes to the previous poster that mentioned an electric pressure cooker. You can do anything in an Instant Pot, and very useful even when the new kitchen is in too, so worth the investment.

Are the kids getting close to leaving the nest age? If so I would probably buy them and store ready for them. Or buy of Facebook marketplace cheap and when your done put them back on for sale. But no it’s not cHeeky fuckery to ask your Facebook friends.

Not cheeky at all. We had a temporary kitchen for 9 months when the "modern" kitchen and bathroom extension was ripped out and replaced.

We managed with a microwave and a mini worktop oven/grill. We have loaned that to 3 friends so far, though we did get a cold water supply/waste so plumbed in a temporary sink, dishwasher and washing machine.

If you have to buy anything you get get really cheap single induction rings (saw them IKEA the other week). I would have been able to manage with that and a toaster, I reckon.

I don't think it's cheeky bit if you are having a whole Kitchen done then I'd think it was an odd thing to do. I'd buy a new cheap combi oven with job plates on. Then I'd give it away afterwards. It wouldn't be wasteful then.

I’d loan a slow cooker cheerfully and have offered laundry services to friends in a similar position

YANBU. Borrow it , clean it, and return it with a gift to say thanks, no CF involved.

When my kitchen was being done, we pretty much lived off ready meals, ate them right out the tray to reduce washing up too.

It's fine, I'd happily lend a toastie maker to a friend. I'd probably offer a dinner invite too, you could end up dining out for free all week (mind the liver).

November me too. We will be without ours for five weeks. I have a microwave, slow cooker & camping gas stove. I've done it before 30 years ago and just had a stand tap and three kids under 8!

If you were my friend I wouldn't bat an eyelid to that request. It isn't cheeky at all but women tend to rely on friends for practical help perhaps more than some men. My DH won't ask for help at all. Next door lad apologised for lift to hospital request when he fell off the roof!

I would say that a camping gas stove is useful for power cuts if you have an electric stove. Single ring ones are about a tenner in Halfords. I can recommend them I take it camping on weekends.
We have the dishwasher sticking out already as the washing machine packed in three weeks ago and was replaced by insurance and has a wider door so won't fit. We are rearranging this run and putting a slim line one in. I've ordered my kitchen just have to decide on the stove now between two.
Good luck with yours😄

You absolutely can microwave pasta. I use a large tupperware container with a lid, boiling water, dash of salt, 15 minutes and done.

I dont think it is cheeky at all if you ask the right way, and I think it would be a waste of money to go out and buy stuff. Of course, if you wanted a slow cooker or something anyway, it is a good excuse.

I also think you would manage just fine with a microwave, toaster and kettle, although you might end up spending a bit extra on food (eg. buying soup rather than making from scratch, microwave rice rather than a normal bag etc).

Breakfasts are easy - cereal and/or toast/bagels etc. I think you can also boil eggs in a mircowave, and the microwave is my preferred method of cooking bacon. My dad makes his porridge in the microwave.

Lunch also easy- sandwiches, salads, Covent Garden soup, jacket potatoes (although I prefer my jacket ptotatoes to be finished in the oven for a crispy skin - so it depends if you are fussy about that!)

DInner :
batch cook stuff in advance for heating in the microwave
Noodles and couscous are just cooked in water boiled in the kettle - no need for the pan to continue boiling on the hob. Apparently you can use the same technique for pasta (although takes longer), although I would probably try first with fresh pasta!
Rice - microwave sachets
Most veg can be cooked easily in the mircowave (or you can buy specific microwaveable packs)
Meat is probably the hardest (apart from things like bolognaise sauce made in advance). I would probably pick up a rotisserie chicken on my way home from work one day, and you can also get pre-cooked salmon, prawns etc.
The odd takeaway
The odd meal out.
I am sure you could also wangle an invitation from a friend or family for sunday lunch!
As someone mentined, you could also use bbq for meat (or a disposable if you dont have one).

I thikn the washing up will be more painful than the cooking, as someone else mentioned!

Be worthing buying a slow cooker and maybe a barbeque. Other than that, borrow.

Well if it's family and friends. Then what is the harm.

You can get microwaveable pasta and pouches of sauces too from Dolmio (hope this link to Sainsburys website works):
www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/my-dolmio-pasta-twists-200g

You can also buy these:
www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/dolmio-carbonara-microwaveable-pasta-sauce-150g
or maybe
www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/dolmio-tomato---basil-microwaveable-pasta-sauce-170g

They're more expensive but very handy.

Get an airfryer, I hardly use my oven now, you can cook pretty much anything in them, I use those microwave jacket potatoes and then put them in the airfryer to crisp up the skins. I've got a philips one and find it's brilliant - bought one for my son at uni, great for fish fingers, oven chips, sausages, bacon, pies, yorkshire puds, sausage rolls....

I didn't have a slow cooker before I had my old kitchen totally overhauled, but a friend lent me a slow cooker. I found I could manage really nice casseroles etc with it, and one way of thanking my friend was sharing some of the dishes cooked with it. When the kitchen was finally finished, I was allowed to keep it as it had been so little used by the original owner. Not in constant use now, but very handy for big occasions like Christmas. If you have a microwave and a toaster, you'll be well away.

We were without a kitchen for 6 months (and bathrooms / carpets / interior walls for that matter) - microwave, toaster, slow cooker and camping gas stove were all we needed. The fridge freezer was in the garage and I had the dishwasher plumbed into the garage sink for the duration! We used a couple of old ikea desks as work surfaces with pots etc stored underneath. The advance planning and batch cooking meant that it was the healthiest we’d eaten for months!

If you do use a camping gas stove you’ll need to open a window while cooking but it’s still better than being completely outside.

Asking to borrow things like this is perfectly normal! It what friends and neighbours are for. People love to help.
Plus you will find you get a lot of invitations for meals if you are public about it. One of my friends (who is very sociable) ended up only faking about two meals a week when her kitchen was redone.

Oh - and I forgot to answer the original question. Not CF at all, we borrowed a friend’s barbecue for outside cooking in better weather and a slow cooker from another friend. Both given back 6 months later sparklingly clean and with wine/beer/chocolate.

I would ask face to face or by individual texts rather than a public message but in principle it seems fine.

Be prepared to be inundated with a lot of secondhand kitchen stuff that no one wants back!

I have a rarely used deep fat fryer and an electric pie maker (which you can keep) and an excellent electric pizza oven (I’d want that back) if you can get to the CR postcode area.