Ideas please ! Limited facilities

theoretica

You can cook normal pasta - and pretty much anything else that needs boiling- in a casserole dish in the microwave. The quick cook stuff is least tedious, or cous cous. Boil water in the kettle, pour over pasta, zap in microwave to get to boiling. Take out and leave in a nest of towels to stop it cooling too fast (probably return to microwave to bring back to temperature a time or two) and leave until cooked. It takes a bit longer than on the hob but tastes just the same in the end.

bluebag

When I had to have a new floor put in the kitchen, I moved the microwave, kettle, toaster, slow cooker and fridge freezer into the dining room and set up a sort of semi kitchen in there.

I had a big bucket to put all the washing up in and did it all in the bathroom.
Was mighty glad to get my kitchen back tho'

FairyPrincessk

What shape is the cake dish in (i.e. round, square, bundt pan or loaf tin?) and is it glass/ceramic/metal? And, was the cake frosted, glazed or plain?

It would also help to have an approximate era for when she was making this cake. I would check some of the vintage cooking blogs and websites such as where people attempt to eat on wartime rations etc. To be honest, recipes usually don't change that much over time apart from some markers based on what was available--i.e. margerine in wartime recipes rather than butter so if you have a few more clues it probably won't be that difficult to find. It may also have come from packaging--off of say, a flour or baking powder container which would mean it was in pretty wide circulation and shouldn't be too hard to locate. This might explain why you can't find a recipe. Of course, if she did it from memory then you may never know exactly what little changes she may have made over time.

jkelly90

I think someone has already mentioned this but salmon and trout are really good in the microwave, in fact I only ever really cook them in the microwave (which a lot of people find strange).

Put the fillet(s) on a plate, put a couple of small chunks of butter on top, sprinkle over some black pepper (and other herbs if you like) then cook on full power for usually 2-3 minutes, depending on the size of the fillet. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't get overcooked.

Scrambled egg also works well in the microwave, not particularly exciting but you could add in some chopped veggies and the like.

Spendless

I'm also having my kitchen ripped out and replaced in a week's time. I have been told that I will be without a full kitchen for upto 10 days. This will include not having a sink at times, so I am going to be careful
what I do cook, as I really don't relish having to wash dirty plates etc in the bathroom! I intend getting some paper plates and disposable cutlery. Breakfast will be toast/croissants/cereal bars. Lunch will be sandwiches, kids have been told to make sure they eat their main meal at school and evening meal I've thought of rotisserie chicken, with salad and crusty bread and quiche and beyond that I'm stuck!

BAGGY

Can you borrow a calour gas camping hob? That way you can cook any one pot meal easily. You could slow cooker anywhere and halogen stuff (pie and chips? with nuked veg) any where there is a plug point.
Argos do one ring burners really cheaply and we keep it in the car for a brew up. If you got one of those, for a small outlay, you could do pasta on it and cook the cheese sause in the mico.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3407497.htm
Ours was cheaper than this but same idea

suki1964

I've just been through this , our kitchen refit was a month ( structural as well )

My kitchen for that time was a table in the hall with a microwave, kettle and toaster and sandwich toaster. Water for drinking was the outside tap

Oh and we kept the fridge/freezer so had use of that

We managed ok

Soup and toasties, jacket spuds, things on toast, lot of salad meals, the odd chippy, and Sunday dinners from weatherspoon

I'd agree with paper plates, washing up in the bathroom wasn't good, even though its an unused bathroom

Remember to keep condiments within easy reach. Hubby just boxed up the cupboards when I was at work and it was a nightmare trying to find things when I wanted something

It wasn't the best month nutritionally but we didn't come out in boils nor lose our teeth lol

choogirl

Hi
We had no kitchen for 8 weeks and it was a struggle but we managed. This is what we used:

Paper plates and disposable cups
Slow cooker - stews, beef brisket, ham joint, chili, bolognese etc
Sandwich toaster - cheese toasties etc
Toaster
We also had 2 camping stoves but please make sure that if you use these that you are in a very well ventilated area, we used them right in front of the french doors with the doors wide open (however it was summer)
No microwave as it ceased working just before the work commenced
Fridge
Sink in the utility room

Just have the bare minimum of pots, pans cooking utensils, condiments etc in a box where you will be cooking and pack the rest away.
We also ate out a few times, visited family and friends, takeaways

Good luck x