Losing kitchen for 7 weeks

Fire up your grill!!
This is a time to go with some paper goods.

Trying to remember, someone here had a really good idea about tableware etc..

Do you have a freezer? We lost our kitchen for five weeks and while we did a bunch of carry out - healthy and not - we ate frozen dinners - some aren’t bad - and I made some simple meals that I froze - like meatloaf, some chicken casserole things, hearty soup., then nuked them. We mostly ate on paper plates and bowls - not plastic - but used regular silverware which was wiped off so glop wouldn’t go down the bathroom sink drain and hand washed in the sink.

While I love my air fryer, cleaning it would have been annoying as heck since I’m picky, so that would be left out of the mix. The aim was simple and convenient, not replication of normal living. 

The setup was in the hallway near the hallway bath, and the remodelers put our old frig in the entryway which was a few steps away. The entryway is large so that was convenient. And yes on grilling. It’s a little awkward to wash large grilling utencils in a bathroom sink but it’s doable.

BTW, we also learned to turn of the HVAC when they were working, or construction dust went all through the house. An alternative is sealing off the kitchen and if there’s a window and/or door in there leaving it open so the crew can breathe. We provided drinks for them and every Friday bought their lunch - just pizza, chicken, whatever they wanted. When weather was nice they ate on the deck.

Two words: Paper goods. I went without a kitchen for 6 months last year. I got by using my air fryer/toaster oven combo (I can cook anything in it at this point….chicken, steak, etc) and my black stone griddle. Though it killed me, I used paper plates and plastic silverware. Will you have a fridge? I at least had my fridge for most of the time. I’d order out maybe once a week. Did a lot of salads with protein. I think the air fryer/toaster oven combo saved me.

Good luck!

When my sister was having her kitchen remodeled, she found a caterer who prepared meals for people on a weekly basis. She was able to buy a weeks worth at a time to feed her family. My sister didn't use the service the entire time, but it sure was handy when she did. Otherwise they did the usual use the microwave, air fryer and grill plus eating out some of the time.

A crockpot was great to fix some meals in. I was only without my kitchen for about 3 weeks though--It drove me nuts!! Good luck!

Count on it taking twice as long as estimated. If you plan for that it will be less of a shock when the timeline pushes out.

Oh my good grief! Mine is being torn out on Monday and they hope to finish in a week/10 days.

I have a portable electric 2 ring hob I’ll be using in the utility to cook on, along with the toaster and George Foreman. I don’t think the microwave will fit in there too. Washing up will be done in the utility sink, it never occurred to me to use anything than normal crockery.

I’m planning spag Bol, chicken pad Thai, curry, stew, sausage and mash. All easy stuff. They all need just two rings and the Foreman. Lunches will be something on toast or soup.

Good luck to both of us!

We spent 6 weeks in a hotel when we moved to Belgium. We had a small fridge/freezer, a hot plate, and a microwave. I bought a crock pot and we did quite well. The crockpot works like a mini oven if there isn’t liquid in it. I made baked potatoes, roasted chicken, pork chops, ribs, meatloaf, ribs, etc all in the crockpot. I also made the obvious like pulled pork, beef au jus, soups, chili, etc. (it was fall) I also had a big frying pan with a lid and could do seared chicken breasts, hamburger helper, a box mix of dirty rice with seared sausage slices, burgers, pancakes, …

Honestly, the hardest part was juggling the main/sides/veg because I couldn’t sauté two things or bake (crockpot) two things. I had to bake one thing, microwave another, and sauté a third or eat something at room temp. Also it takes a while to bake things in the crockpot and we weren’t always home mid day to start the crockpot. Well, that and washing dishes. Our little kitchenette sink wasn’t big enough for even a dinner plate, so we washed dishes in the bathroom sink. If you have to do that, be sure to clean the sink or bathtub prior to use each time, as it’s a sanitary issue with a flushing toilet nearby. (Luckily, our bathroom sink in the hotel was outside the bathroom.)

Crockpot liners are your friend, to save trying to wash it in the tub.

Steam in the bag sides and veggies, ready rice, etc, are super helpful.

Not that it needs to be said again…but paper products! Crockpot liners for the crockpot, foil pans for casseroles. When we had a remodel I tried to get as much prepped ahead of time and in the freezer. Shredded chicken and pork, and ground beef already cooked and sorted and frozen in baggies. Even seasonings added like taco or sloppy joe. Enchilada casserole, meatloaf, meatballs, breakfast casserole, breakfast burritos, pancakes, waffles, French toast are all things that I make and freeze.
Sandwiches and wraps, pasta salads from the store, raw veggies instead of cooked or grilling kabobs on bamboo skewers.

And just embrace that you are going to eat out more. You will get sick of being in the house with the dust and mess, no matter how they try to contain it. Try places you have been meaning to try. Go to old favorites.

We're on the same timeline with out kitchen remodel, but DH and I are gutting the space first ourselves. That's all we're doing the next couple of weekends.

I'm planning on paper products, crockpot, instant pot, grill, microwave. I hope we survive because we usually cook 98% of our food.

My youngest DD will likely be changing jobs in the next couple of weeks and has asked me if I'd be willing to take a trip with her before her next job starts to which I gave an enthusiastic yes answer if it means I can escape the chaos for a week or so. Plus, I've made ALL the decisions for the kitchen because it stresses DH out, so I'm claiming a bit of a break.

All I can add is that I read this as "Loosing my kitten for seven weeks" and thought that was very strange.

Uber Eats, drive thru, and snacks. I'm pretty sure I'd never notice if my kitchen went missing for 7 weeks 🤣