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!)

Me again... :-)

IKEA used to make a mini kitchen unit, freestanding thing with cooker, sink and fridge. But not any more :-( Maybe on ebay or Gumtree etc.
But another similar idea would be a camper van type kitchenette, like the one for a Mazda Bongo. You could sell it one once the work is finished.

I have been without a kitchen since February. Wine is the answer

We planned meals that could be cooked in the microwave - waitrose do 3 for 6 and also used the slow cooker and microwave mash, rice and veg.

I did use our camping stove for the odd thing as it has a griddle plate and I think I cooked burgers on it.

I'm going through this (hell) now. Our neighbour has lent us a single plug in induction hob. We don't have a microwave. We've used the slow cooker and DC and DH are having dinners at school/work during the week. It's me that's suffering most. I'm really feeling the effects of not eating very well and missing the experience of cooking and baking. I hadn't realised it formed such a huge part of our lives. Our builders knocked through 2 weeks ago but a delay in electrician and plastering means we've still been able to use the cooker and sink and washing machine. I think we're losing the cooker today :-(

We've set up a 'kitchen' in the lounge Minimal plates, pots and mugs and glasses kept out, everything else stored right away. It's not fun. But everyone tells me the end result will be worth it. I've signed up to local pubs and restaurant emails so that we get notifications of offers and can eat out more cheaply on weekends. Good luck.

Carvery meals and cheap meals out!i guess it depends how nice your neighbour are - I love food but CBA cooking as I live alone. My neighbours borrowed my kitchen to batch cook and gave me some boxed up portions, plus cleaned everything up after

Domino's on speed dial. I have a slow cooker, single gas stove with canister, microwave and George foreman. I have put on wright am spotty and cannot wait for 6 weeks time, been going on since June.

We've been through this. Survived with a two rung hob, slow cooker and microwave. If I had to drop one it'd be the microwave. I'm still using the slow cooker 3 years later - I'm a convert!

I think I'll continue to use the slow cooker after this is all over.

I'm worried to read about all those who have put on weight. I was hoping I might lose rather than gain.

I actually lost weight as we tended to eat those chicken ready meals from waitrose that are actually quite low cal. Putting the weight on again now though as am cooking and baking again.

Getting extra kitchen units from Freecycle really helped along with making the effort to shift everything into a small makeshift kitchen - shelf units up to the ceiling, washer and dishwasher and sink all plumbed into the downstairs loo's basin. It's cosy and ugly but liveable.

I used a slow cooker/ microwave combination for over three months as a family of four. The advantage of this arrangement over an open hob with boiling pans is that your not adding lots of steam to the house when cooking. Do consider where you set up your temporary kitchen though due to practicalities like you'll need to drain things and rinse things. You could of course cart water around in a camping type water container and have a bucket for waste. Also having a window you can open near by for ventilation is helpful.

We had lots of pasta bolognese type meals with pasta in a big microwave loose lided container (£1 at a bargain type store) and big batches of bolognese slow cooked in the slow cooker.

The bolognese could then have microwaved potato mash added to make it a cottage pie, chilli powder and kidney beans to be a chilli with microwaved rice in the big container again.

We also had lots of slow cooked currys with rice or naan breads.

The barbeque is great, if you've got one, for a weekend fry up - bacon, sausages, mushroom and tomato kebabs, eggs in a small frying pan on the barbeque. Cook up extra meats to freeze like chicken breasts, more sausages, more bacon to add to pasta sauces. We still had out barbeque when temperatures reached minus 15, didn't spend much time standing over it though, just tucked outside the back door.

We had a toaster to and used toaster pocket bags to have toasted sandwiches.

If you can borrow a table/ use a paste table or put a garden table inside as your temporary kitchen prep area its well worth it. Stacking veg boxes from the supermarket are good under it as temporary storage to keep things tidy.

Don't keep more than two dishes/ cups/ glasses per person accessible (to allow for guests) and everyone will learn to keep on top of washing up.

I did this in France for almost a year, things that got me through were a Romoska, a microwave and a camping gas double burner.
I think now, I would change the Romoska for a halogen oven, and if buying a microwave I'd get a combi one.
I used a good toaster and toasting bags (Lakeland) for cheese toasties in many varieties as lunches. I also cooked waffles in them for breakfast or puddings.
I'd recommend microwaveable rice, ready made potato gnocchi or polenta slabs to fry and serve with stews, ready made frozen risotto (you can get it from Waitrose).
Always have a good supply of bottled water, tinned soup such as Cullen Skink which can be added to with sweet corn, peas and frozen spinach for a hearty lunch, tinned sardines or tuna for snacks.
If you have some thermos flasks get them all ready to use, keep hot water in them when there is no power so you can always gave a hot drink, use them to keep soup for lunch, or to cook small pasta shapes with hot water.

Oh and cous - cous and noodles which only need hot water, and absolute lashings of gin and tonic!

I've lost my oil fired range, but am still clinging onto the remains of my kitchen. Within a couple of weeks they'll be in digging up the floor for the underfloor heating, and that's when I'll lose everything else.

Planning to move stuff into our dining room and use the dining room table for food storage, and the kitchen table for the microwave, slow cooker etc. not quite got a place for the fridge, yet.

Wondering about using that sticky see through plastic stuff for the carpet. It comes in rolls but only lasts a month before it leaves glue residue on the carpet.

Has anyone else used it?

We put our oil cloth table cloths on the floor in the sitting room - helped a bit but have carpet cleaner man coming on fri to hopefully get out the worst stains...

Wish I'd though to ask this question 5 months ago when we lots ours. I recommend our lidl induction camping hob. Such a life saver. We eat a lot of gnocchi from aldi, cooks quicker than pasta. Also, when sympathetic friends say, 'let us know if we can do anything to help', ask them to feed you! We have been eating at friends houses a lot, school nights and weekends. We will be repaying their kindnes s over many years when we have our new kitchen! Good luck.

Table in dining room with microwave / oven combi thing on , toaster, kettle, mini fridge under. Disposable stuff when possible. Dust sheets over carpet. Plastic washing up bowl for bathroom. Big fridge/ freezer in garage. Was doable for 3 weeks with an 11m old.

Oh Boo - thats hard with an 11 mo old! You deserve a gold medal. I just have a 16 yo who's eating me out of house and home...