HELP!! Kitchen Help - cooking without a kitchen (merged)

cha97michelle

I am having my kitchen replaced in November, and i am expecting that we will be without an oven for 3-4 weeks. I want to try and feed myself, DH and my DS1 (3) and DS2 (2) as well as possible in this time without resorting to expensive meals out/takeaways or precooked food from the supermarket.

I will have access to some stuff to cook with during this time, and my initial thought is to pre-cook and freeze some meals myself during this month i have beforehand. I am not that inspired to be honest though so i thought i would ask for some extra help and see if anyone had some bright ideas.

I have:
a microwave, a slow cooker, a health grill, a toaster, a smoothie maker, a food processor.

I was thinking i could make things like pasta sauces and then cook the rice and pasta in the microwave, or a jacket spud.

What can you suggest to help me?

McKneff

An electric steamer, I use mine every day. you can cook a whole meal in one go in one.

msb1234

When I had my kitchen done, I was well prepared with a freezer full of meals, but when I came home on the first day to find my house covered in dust and the dining room - which was to be my temporary kitchen, full of boxes, workbenches, tools etc, I realised I just had to bite the bullet and eat out - I soon started inviting myself and my ready cooked meals to friends. I provided the food, they provided the clean plates!

MrsBartolozzi

Do you have a camping stove in the garage? You could use this to boil stuff you'd normally do on the hob.
I'd make lots of HM ready meals and freeze so you could easily do spag bol, chili, curry, stew etc in the microwave.
Sausages, HM burgers in the grill, served on rolls with salad= no need for cooking a carb to go with.
I'd proper bake potatoes while you still have your oven to reheat in the micro and then you don't need to have the anaemic, watery microwave cooked "baked" potatoes later.
Hopefully I've given you a couple of things to get on with. I'll be back if anything springs to mind.

Sunnyday

We`ve very recently been through this, we also had the plaster knocked off right back to the brick so the dust was horrendous. Be prepared to damp dust a couple of times a day.

The easiest option would be to cook and freeze as many meals like chilli, curry & rice etc and use the containers to reheat them and eat out of. Use lap trays if possible and cover your dining table and use it to house the microwave and the slow cooker, it will be awkward but well worth it.

Its worth knowing that pasta in a saucepan on a heatproof mat will cook if you add a teaspoonful of oil and cover it with a kettle of boiling water, only take the lid off to stir.

Good luck.

SD

clairehi

I bought one of these from Argos https://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4235314.htm when our kitchen was being done.

Plugs into a normal electric socket and was a good substitute for a normal hob. Good luck!

wallbash

Monday Chinese
Tuesday Indian
Wed Pizza
Thursday KFC
Friday Fish /Chips
Saturday Thai
Sunday Pub Lunch

cha97michelle

I don't have a steamer unfortunately. We do have a small camping stove but DH said he didn't think it was powerful to cook the stuff on. Maybe warming up some beans. Perhaps i could boil water in the kettle though and do it that way.

I am hoping as i am in all day i will be able to keep on top of the mess a bit and keep the dining room/living room (open plan) useable. I am fully expecting mess and it taking ages as the 2 guys doing it are slow and steady. They did our bathroom a couple of months ago and were pretty good at tidying up a bit, but i know i will be behind them dusting every day.

The stuff can be stored in the garage thankfully, and we will do what can round the rest.


I double cooked tonight, so my first meal for the freezer is roasted veg in balsamic vinegar, with some gammon chopped in it. Only another 27? to do. I may try and organise a weekend at the MILs, and also eat at my mums a couple of times. Even if the kids only get something different i am sure we will cope with enough foreplanning.

Thanks for all tip so far.

I think i will do a bag of baking potatoes in the oven as said above.

Pink.

Hi cha97michelle,

Now that your thread has fallen down the board I've added it to the main thread on cooking without a kitchen where you may pick up some more tips.

These threads also have ideas for meals that can be made in advance and frozen:

Cooking for the Freezer..

Batch cooking ideas please

Meal building blocks for the freezer

Pink

cha97michelle

Thanks Pink. Hopefully i will get a bit more inspiration there. Much appreciated.