Losing my Kitchen - how to cope

[IDismyname]

We're having an extension done atm. They will be ready to knock through in the next week, and I will lose my kitchen and utility room from then until (at least) Christmas.

So - top tips for surviving the chaos...?

Whats best to cook with? Microwave - slow cooker...? Both? What do I cook that needs minimal washing up? (I have paper plates for breakfast and lunch, but draw the line at supper off one of those!)

They've offered to plumb in the washing machine outside the back door, although when its lashing down with rain and pitch black outside, I'm not too sure if thats going to work (or if its particularly safe!)

Any ideas - good or bad - welcome!

(I am at my best in the kitchen. Love it. Its my spiritual home. I'm going to find this HARD!)

Microwave and slow cooker. If you can, freeze stuff in advance as well. Borrow other peoples kitchen's if you can. Also eat food that doesn't need cooking, salads, fruit, etc.
Do your washing up in a bowl in the bath, there will be less because you wont be using loads of pans.
I survived for 3 weeks, but I was so relieved when I could have food that wasn't one-pot meals or reheated supermarket slop. We don't eat many roast dinners, once a month maybe, but that's what I missed the most.

I'm doing this at the moment and it's hell. I feel really grotty from eating badly. I'd invest in one of those two ring hobs, they're not expensive. I've yet to find a decent ready meal.

We set up a table in our living room and I am now an expert on ready meals and takeaways. Go out and visit loads of friends and family for dinner. Always have a large jug of water for when they turn the water off. We are signing off our 12 week 2 storey side build on Friday and just have flooring to go. It is worth it in the end

I had no kitchen for six months once. Bought a plug in table top hob for £20. So could boil/fry, do pasta, rice, etc.

We were lucky that fridge, freezer, washer could fit in the utility room.

Just cooked in the sitting room for months. And ate out quite a bit!

Hmmm. Bit late to batch cook and freeze a whole load. Oil fired range coming out sometime tomorrow :(

I did cook a huge leg of gammon a few weeks ago and turned that into slices that I froze, so ham sandwiches will always be an option!

Thanks for your sympathy. Its going to be a loooooong autumn!

I do now have a gas hob thingy, so can at least do stir frys and boil veg etc.
Thank you !

I would consider setting up as much of a "kitchen" as you can. It's a long time to be without any kind of cooking or cleaning facilities.

Get at least a microwave, kettle, toaster and set up your washing machine somewhere else (or pay for a laundry service?).

Pick up a cheap halogen oven. It was a life saver during our extension, that and the slow cooker and a friends borrowed camping hob. We didn't wat too shabby really. We did have the dishwasher plumbed I think it did make a huge difference but you will train yourself to be super efficient with utensils and crockery.

I'd get a two "burner" electric cooker. We bought one when we did our kitchen and two of my friends' sanity was also saved by it when they had no kitchen.
It won't let you cook elaborate meals but simple pasta and veg and soups etc.
I'd never have my washing machine plumbed in outside.

Can you scrounge a George Forman type thing from anywhere?

And make friends with things like packet rice, spuds cooked in microwave - which can then be mashed. Figure out what other veg can be cooked in micro too - quite a lot! Scrambled eggs are ok in microwave - not the same, not as smooth and soft, but still good.

These are pretty good. I had one when I didn't have a kitchen for about four months and it was fine.

Main thing for me was to keep as much work-surface on the go as possible. You can always do salady meals, so no need to get malnourished, but whether you cook stuff or not, you need some space to prepare it. Reduce equipment as much as reasonably practicable: having more dirty dishes on the go than strictly necessary is only going to get you down in a restricted space.

Our extension was finished in the summer and we were without a kitchen for 16 weeks. We were able to keep our oven as the builders put a normal plug on it and we could move it round the building site. We kept our washing machine plumbed in too, although that moved around too. We washed up in the bath upstairs and this was a complete pain. I invested in 3 builders buckets and used these to cart the stuff upstairs. I could then wash in another one and out the clean, wet things in the third to bring back downstairs. We did intend to use the slow cooker but had no work surface and everything was so filthy I really couldn't face preparing much fresh food. We ate out a lot and were invited to friends at least once a week. I also became over familiar with waitrose ready meals and microwave rice... I don't think it was as bad as I was expecting and now I have my lovely new space and fab kitchen.

Thanks for all your ideas and help. I need to keep focussed on the finished kitchen, and embrace ready meals (and paper plates!)

Two burner electric hob is 30 quid and a lifesaver. If its really going to be months, definitely plumb washing machine in somewhere and consider a mini oven that's the same size as a microwave. Means good ready meals are an option.

Electric frying pans are bloody brilliant - like this www.lakeland.co.uk/14356/Prestige-Multicooker You can do everything in them - toasted sandwiches, steaks, casseroles, stir-fries, even bake cakes.

My parents had no kitchen for a very long time during building work. They got the builders to rig up quite a lot of the old kitchen in their sitting room. I can't remember which bits but think it included the dishwasher (waste water pipe out of the window and into the drain) and a hob and microwave, plus fridge. Any chance you can do this?

With a hob + decent casserole dish you can do many meals. It's the washing and washing up that will be the bugger.

Frozen veg sachets are your friend. 2-3 mins in the microwave. Lovely. Uncle Bens rice as well. we live on these

It is a long time though. I did without for a couple of weeks once while I was rebuilding ours, and it was hard work.

Do not plumb in the washing machine outside. It's bloody dangerous. You can fit them in a bathroom but only if they are not going to get splashed with water - they are not IP44 rated appliances. So not suitable for outdoor use.

Bbq !

We are in this hell at the moment with no end in sight as bloody joiner has just cancelled again to install new kitchen. Arggghh!

Slow cooker - cooked a whole chicken in mine on Sunday. Yes, we didn't have roast potatoes and the trimmings (microwave baby new potatoes with microwaved frozen veg) but it was close! Curries / stews / chilli etc.

Microwave noodles / baby new potatoes / gratin / swede mash / rice packets (Aldi do lots of these relatively cheap).

George Foreman - can still have salmon fillets / chicken breasts / roasted peppers. Use it for toasties too for lunches. Do bacon on it for weekend brunch.

Camping hob (one ring) although slightly concerned about using this indoors! Can still fry eggs / boil pasta / stir fry for fajitas etc.

Washing up - we're washing up in the bath - not a massive issue although seeing a pea floating past you when you're having a soak (because you'd missed it when cleaning the bath out) isn't the most pleasant experience.
Yes to getting one (or two) of those big flexible plastic buckets.

Millions of anti-bacterial wipes - every time I come to prepare food there seems to be a new layer of dust so wiping down surfaces is my second job at the moment. See if you can buy a couple of big plastic storage boxes with lids so your crockery / cutlery isn't covered in dust.

Washing machine - a gazebo over the top? Is the plug exposed? I'd be wary about that. The shed is a good suggestion.

It isn't just the plug. If an electrical item is covered in rainwater then there will be a high risk of water ingress and that means a jump from the electrical circuits inside the machine to anyone who touches the outside.

Just don't do it. Put it in a shed or another room. Bathroom might work?

If it were me I'd buy the IKEA all in one kitchenette thingy and put in another room. Also a table with slow cooker, toaster, sandwich toaster, electric steamer etc. Freecycle is great for stuff like this !

We are campers, so I'd also be tempted to set up my tent porch outside with camping tables and stoves. At least while weather allow you to.

HTH

Agree with above - for washing machine - buy / Freecycle a shed or cheap lean-to. Don't have it outside - far too dangerous.

I'm in the middle of this now, but I do have a dishwasher and washing machine plumbed in.

Lidl sold a combination oven/microwave/grill for 99 euros just at the start of them ripping out my kitchen, it's been a Godsend. I do lots of things in the slow cooker and rice cooker and then just use the camping gas rings to quickly cook veggies, but I've been roasting them in the oven thing.

Manageable so far, but I'm looking forward to getting my kitchen back at some point.