How to cook during a kitchen renovation
Reader Allison normally cooks from scratch, but she's in the midst of a kitchen renovation.
(Oh, the horror! At least for right now. In the end it will be fabulous.)
She's getting by with a microwave, an InstantPot and a grill, and she asked for some help, especially in getting non-mushy veggies on the table.
So, I asked my readers on Facebook for suggestions, and I'm rounding them up here, including some tips from my friends at How to Home.
Get a grilling basket for veggies.
Or thread them on skewers. Most vegetables do great on the grill if you brush them with oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and grill them until they're crisp-tender.
No mushiness in sight!
Readers suggested making foil packets of veggies on the grill as well.
Use a slow-cooker.
Soups and slow-cooked meats are both good meal options that work in a crock-pot!
Buy a toaster oven.
You can make a LOT of things in a toaster oven, and this would give you a quasi-oven experience.
You can even make quick breads in a toaster oven, actually. Not large batches, but it'd at least be something.
Readers also suggested cooking veggies in the toaster oven. Yay for dry heat!
Buy a hot plate.
A single burner can help you out significantly, and all you need is a working outlet.
Use an electric skillet.
Use an electric skillet.Again, all you need is an outlet, and you suddenly have a cooking surface for browning meats, making stir-fries...a lot of the things you'd do on a stove.
In a similar vein, you could get an electric griddle, and then pancakes, bacon, sausage, and French Toast would suddenly be on the menu again (and if you have a large crew to feed, a big griddle is a lifesaver for making pancakes and French toast! So, that could be useful even post-renovation.)
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One last thought: you could try asking around (friends? family? freecycle? church?) to see if anyone has an appliance listed here that you could borrow. That way you wouldn't have to spend money, and you wouldn't have to store the item once your kitchen is up and running!
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Readers, if you have some more ideas for Allison (recipes? cooking methods? appliances?), leave them in the comments.
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I may have a kitchem renovation coming up this year and these are some great suggestions.
Thanks!
Use an Instant Pot. I love mine it is very versatile. It is multi purpose and there is a huge following for them so many meal ideas both on web pages and FB pages. I use mine mostly for steaming veggies, making yogurt, rice & soup. Not much you can't do in it...
Yep, she's got an Instant Pot, mercifully! I'd definitely have added one to the list otherwise. I don't own one, but they do seem like an especially helpful option when your kitchen is out of commission.
There are good directions online for microwaving all sorts of vegetables in a way that leaves them still crisp. The key is a small amuont of water that turns to steam quickly, essentially steaming the veg rather than boiling them in a large amount of water. I think Mark Bittman did a whole piece on cooking broccoli this way.
We love our microwave as well! We can book a big batch of food and just heat it up in small portions. No cooking needed! 🙂
You can use a wok on the grill for stir frys.
Cook as much freezer food ahead of time that you can and reheat in the microwave.
My brother and SIL were without a kitchen for about a month. Another thing they did was when they got together with friends at the friends house they would offer to cook for everyone, then cook extra and bring it home to reheat. I also remember him bringing dishes over and using my dishwasher. So I guess my last suggestion is borrow a kitchen if you can.
That reminds me that I've read of people using cast iron skillets on the grill, like so: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/why-you-should-grill-your-burgers-in-a-cast-iron-skillet-article
That could offer some more cooking solutions, although in this frigid winter weather, it's probably not as ideal as buying a single burner hotplate.
""Readers suggested making foil packets of veggies on the grill as well""
Bad idea. Heated foil is really bad for your health.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-conversation-africa/why-you-shouldnt-wrap-you_b_9622502.html
This one might not be the most reliable source of information, but there is plenty on the subject on the Net if you look into it (don't have time to find more, got to get back to work!)
A little propane camping stove, which they could use later if they like to camp. Coleman makes them. If they have the ability to have a fire outside, cutting meat up in chunks and cooking over a fire is actually fun and tasty. So is having a hot dog or brat roast over a fire, if one likes those. As a girl scout, we used to cook foil packet meals and foil wrapped potatoes in the embers of a fire.
Luckily we have all survived, so far!
We just renovated our kitchen last August/September. It took approximately 6.5 weeks to complete. I'm not much of a griller, but we did use the grill on occasion. We ended up purchasing an instant pot. This was perfect since both our rice cooker and crockpot were broken. I highly recommend the instant pot. We use it to salute, pressure cook/crockpot meats/beans, cook rice, make yogurt, etc... It was well worth the price-especially since it combined three appliances we use often (pressure cooker, crock pot and rice cooker) in one space-saving appliance. I still use our instant pot even though I have a beautiful, new kitchen.
During our renovation, I was without a stove/oven for 3 months. I had an electric griddle and our outdoor grill. We basically used the grill (which has 2 gas burners on the side) most evenings for dinner. I used the griddle for making breakfast. After about 2 months in, I did break down and buy an electric skillet and a hot plate. But THE best day was when I remembered that I had an old (large) toaster oven tucked away in storage somewhere. Oh my, I was never so happy in my life to be able to finally cook something in an 'oven' again! lol.
Yes to the toaster oven, it is great! Plus Depending on how munch longer the renovation is planned for borrowing some of those appliances from friends sounds like a great option!
Yes, especially for a toaster oven, which takes up a fair amount of space.
I'd love to have one for everyday use, but there's just no space in my kitchen. Boo.
We renovated our kitchen this fall! We have two toddlers, so eating out was not appealing, but we also didn’t want to do takeout more than once a week. We set up a makeshift food prep and cooking area in our garage, with an Instant Pot and a borrowed hot plate. We sautéed a lot of vegetables, especially green beans. We also used our grill to cook all kinds of things, including bacon, which was a fun adventure. We don’t have a grill basket, but I did use a big cookie sheet to “roast” some veggies on our gas grill, including Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, and I thought they turned out nicely when they were arranged in a single layer and not too crowded (just like the oven).
For my family, the worst part was washing dishes. We used more disposables than I wanted and schlepped the dirty dishes to the basement utility sink every couple of days. I feel like the whole process of remodeling a kitchen is designed to make you so happy to have running water again that you stop caring how much it all costs
I've been thinking about a kitchen renovation as well! But the thought of cooking with an ongoing renovation is truly discouraging. These are all great suggestions! It will help keep up the routines of family meals and prevent eating out at high costs.
Thanks for sharing, Kristen! 🙂
Allison,
We cook for 3 meals a day/3 weekends a year for 100 coaches and officials at my son's swim team. We have no refrigerator, no stoves, no sink close by. We set up in an after-care room at the facility. One of the most helpful items I purchased to make it through those days was an electric griddle with 3" deep sizes. You can cook most anything in it. (I found mine at Walmart for under $30). This weekend, we're toasting frozen egg rolls and pot stickers in it, as well as making fried rice. The other item I bring from home is my panini maker (not expensive $35 on Amazon). Those went over in a huge way at the last meet. Easy peasy.
Kaity
We were lucky when my parents renovated their kitchen many years ago. Our next door neighbor, who was like as second mother to us kids, was very kind and allowed us to use her kitchen every day for dinner. (Breakfasts and lunches were mostly cereal and sandwiches as we had the fridge moved into our dining room for the duration.) We made sure dinner was ready when she came home from work so we could eat together. She was a very classy lady and insisted we use her china. She was willing to do dishes, but my brother and myself wouldn't hear of it, it was another way to thank her for her generosity. We had such a wonderful time that is was almost a shame when our kitchen was done. Of course we invited her over for the first meal we made at home.
I will say that our toaster oven did come in very handy for quite a few things. To this day I consider it an essential for my kitchen.
You could possibly cook in another kitchen. Have a nearby friend that hates to cook? Cook a little extra for her in her kitchen. Elderly relatives or neighbors that can't cook easily for themselves? Cook enough for everyone in return for using their kitchen. There's lots of lonely seniors that would love a home cooked meal and some company. If you belong to a church or volunteer with an organization that serves the elderly you could probably easily get matched up with someone if you know of nobody yourself.
Also if you know someone with a camper, you might be able to borrow it to use the kitchen.
So many salads too! And fresh veggies with dips like hummus! They are crispy and delicious and won't stretch your limited appliance situation!
These are such great suggestions - I'm staring a kitchen remodel in the face too. I'm thinking I'll wait until spring. It's pretty warm here in Denver, but I'm shivering at the thought of anyone trying to grill out in sub freezing weather!
Great ideas! I'm intrigued about the Instant Pot. We did a kitchen reno about 4 years ago. It was very stressful for me, as I'm in my kitchen all.the.time. I strongly suggest cooking and freezing meals to be reheated. Everything in your kitchen will be shifted around, so simple is where it's at. We did eat out a couple of times--the biggest part of our reno took a month (piddly projects came up, as well, but at least I had my appliances back where they belonged and stuff in my cupboards). I know we are all frugal and try to be earth-friendly and healthy, but a few standards may have to be temporarily lowered to get through the process. The end result is SO worth it--my kitchen is much more user friendly now, as well as more aesthetically pleasing. We didn't change the footprint of our kitchen--new cabinets and countertops were the biggest items--so that may account for why our reno went faster than some of your other commenters.
We have a Tupperware steamer basket. That might make non-mushy veg.
A microwave steamer basket. Sorry, didn’t specify.
Yes this works great, I have often steamed vegies this way - I love what I call 'squeaky beans' as in long green beans, I like them cooked to the point that sometimes when you chew they squeak, It takes a little experimenting for different quantities and different microwaves but for about 2 cups of mixed chopped veg in a microwave container with lid on I would add about 1 tbsp of water and nuke for 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 minutes depending on how big/small I cut the pieces - but this would be for carrot/cauli/beans, if it's broccoli orvery small pieces of carrot about 1 1/2 minutes. I do harder vegies a bit then add in the softer ones after a couple of minutes.
I also have great success with microwave corn on the cob. I can't remember quantities/ times but I would remove the husks and put say 4 whole cobs in a large container with lid on with I think about 1/2 cup of liquid and nuke for 10 min but I am not sure you can google it - I also used a recipe that added stock and sweet chilli sauce that would steam the corn and reduce to a yummy chilli sauce - it was a tupperware stack cooker recipe from about 30 yrs ago that I made many times.
I do most of my veggies in the microwave. I have a round glass casserole with a lid. I add a little water and voila! I do broccoli, cauliflower, squash, Brussels sprouts, green beans and carrots this way. I have even cooked frozen mixed veggies in the same fashion. The key is to not put them in too long. 6-7 min is enough
Went through a complete house remodeling. Old kitchen became first floor laundry. New kitchen was in the room addition. So we had some days of no kitchen and many, many days of partial kitchens! Refrigerator in the living room. Sink in bathroom. Microwave in dining room. No stove but had grill and a patient husband. Best advice is have a GREAT contractor! It was totally worth it! Good luck!
We lived in a hotel for two months during a move. It had a kitchenette: a small fridge, two burners, a few dishes, and a microwave. I made it for about a month before I bought a toaster oven for the dry heat. Skillet meals and reheated food became old very quickly.
As a young 20-something, I lived in a basement apartment for 9 months that didn't have a range. Everything I ate, I cooked in my electric skillet, George Foreman, toaster oven, crock pot, or microwave.
For non-mushy veggies: There are several "steam in the microwave" containers out there, that are all basically a bowl with a vented lid. The key is to use just a small amount of water, like a previous commenter mentioned, undercook the veggies, then let them finish cooking by sitting in the steam for a few minutes before serving.
The only thing I missed was being able to bake bread and pizza, but I lived within walking distance of several good bakeries and a decent pizzeria.
In the toaster oven: mini muffins, open-faced toasted sandwiches, even s'mores (done on the broil setting to brown the marshmallow without toasting the graham cracker), reheated pizza, etc.
In the crockpot - pretty much anything you would normally make in a soup pot, plus certain "roasted" items like potroast.
I modified a lot of pasta recipes to cook the pasta directly in the sauce, since I only had one electric skillet. I also used to cook small amounts of pasta in the microwave.
I made so much stuff in that skillet - pancakes, seared scallops, chicken marsala, etc. Even a modified cornbread - it was basically cornbread batter that I cooked by dropping in tablespoons on the skillet, almost like crumpets or pancakes.
The big key for me was that I know a lot of the science behind cooking, so I could make a pretty good guess as to what I needed to change to make a recipe work in my equipment, or if it was something I just needed to leave to takeout or a friend's kitchen (I also bargained with friends to let me cook in their kitchen, then I would serve dinner, and bring my own leftovers home of whatever it was that I couldn't make in my own little apartment).
So maybe offer to make dinner at a friend's house, and watch some Alton Brown on the science of cooking? 🙂
One suggestion for the griddle is to make grilled cheese or toasted sandwiches. We do that all the time instead of making them one at a time over the stove. It is also a great way to saute veggies for stir fry.
One other great tool is a rice cooker. That is used at least weekly in our house!
I just wanted to add that thrift stores are great places to look for additional, temporary appliances. I had to get a toaster oven for crafting and found one for $10 at the thrift store! At that price you could use it during the renovation and then donate it back again if you didn’t want it in your new kitchen. The amount you could save in takeout costs would make that a totally worthwhile investment.