no kitchen-what to eat?

Make it easy on yourself, joolz. Mine took three weeks, during which time I lived on microwave meals, takeaways and meals out or with my family at their homes. I didn't come to any harm and had very little washing up to do in the bathroom. I couldn't get much fresh food in because the fridge was difficult to get at. I relied on the builder filling my milk jug three times a day and the water was off and on - life was hard enough without trying to prepare meat, fish and vegetables.

You don't need the ladies to advise you, you need a man !
Monday - Piza
Tuesday - Indian
Wedneday - Pub
Thursday - Chinese
Friday - Fish 'n chips
Saturday - local garden centre cafe
Sunday - pub sunday lunch.

Simples.

Perfect, Pompa!

Lots of hearty stews and casseroles in the slow cooker. Jacket spuds on microwave with chilli. Spag bol can be done on the two rings.

I've been there, best of luck

Personally, I think that if you have a slow cooker and a microwave, you are made. Assuming your slow cooker has a heatproof liner. Put all ingredients in slow cooker liner on one of the rings and bring to boil. Do not bother with frying, browning or any of the other suggestions recipes include. Put heated ingredients in slow cooker and leave to cook very slowly all day. Frozen vegetables are easily cooked in a microwave. Put in a bowl with a little water, cover and zap fo9r a few minutes. I also have a rice cooker that goes in the microwave to cook rice.

While you have a kitchen prepare plenty of casseroles and stews in advance. Freeze in family size portions and put in your freezer. This gives you home made ready meals that can be easily defrosted and reheated.

That's a start!

ha ha. thanks whenim64 and pompa. great ideas already!

With all these suggestions, are you sure you actually need a new kitchen?

thanks. flicketyB- good suggestions.
and grumpa- yes i do need a new kitchen.lol

I like Pompas suggestions best.

Great ideas, especially from pompa. Our neighbours had their kitchen completely remodelled and it took three weeks so they ate out a lot and enjoyed lots of fish and chips!
Even cooking in the slow cooker requires preparation and then thorough cleaning from handling raw meat and you may not have hot water - or even any water for a while!

I would really love to have a new kitchen but can't face all the mess.

Ask a man to prepare dinner and it will rarely involve a kitchen (not theirs anyway)

I have an electronic egg boiler. I wouldn't dream of boiling eggs in a pan now. As the others have said, a microwave will be indispensible. Do you have a halogen oven? I use mine to grill burgers, bacon etc., and I have also cooked a roast dinner in it.

You beat me to it HildajJ I was going to suggest a halogen oven. It would nicely fit the bill between slow cooking and microwaving. It's what we used when we moved house as the cooker was useless. Used it almost every day since - five years on!

Great suggestions, I think cooking now and freezing in individual portions...cottage pie, spag bog (for baked potatoes), casseroles, soups.
Buy nice fresh crusty bread.
McCain's frozen baked potatoes are ok in an emergency.

We had ours done last year and ate out a lot, mostly at lunchtimes to get away from the noise and mess in the house. Once we'd had a pub lunch or whatever we didn't need a big cooked meal in the evening. We also got invites from friends and neighbours which we accepted. We stocked up on M and S dine out stuff when they had offers. And we did stock up on our own cooked meals in the freezer. Got to quite enjoy tinned soup and baked beans. It wasn't that bad an experience!

I bought a cheap mini oven when ours was redone a few years ago and found it invaluable. I loaned it to a few people in the same situation afterwards but the last people who borrowed it never returned it!!

We had ours done last year, and lived in the front room with a kettle and microwave. I'm with pompa and whenim - microwave, takeaways and the pub. I found MnS ready food pretty good, and we have a Le Reuter Bangladeshi take away down the road, plus excellent pub food. I was ready for home cooking by the time the kitchen was done though

I'll second those of the Why Bother brigade. When mine was being done - 3 weeks of a job - I took to going out for a late breakfast mid-morning. The trouble was that when the job was finished I still had a hankering for a full English every morning and had to take myself in hand.

That's the spirit vegas!

some great ideas here. many thanks. i think im leaning towards the eating out school of thought. hope the bank balance can stand it

My SIL has a halogen oven and swears by it. I have no idea how it works, except that it plugs in and isn't very large.

My halogen oven is big enough to roast a leg of lamb but I do have the metal ring which goes on top to make it deeper. They are economical to use and handy when you need extra oven space.
The only thing I have not been so happy with is baking a cake or scones.

My son and DIL moved in to a house that needed major renovation last May and are still without a kitchen! They seem to be doing what pompa suggested as they have hardly taken up any of my offers to come to eat - too busy renovating and decorating. Still it is beginning to look delightful - Edwardian and Arts and Craft.

Pompa has the best idea! but we managed well with take aways, the pub and the microwave when forced to do so. And a few bottles in the fridge in the garage....