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Meal suggestion with no kitchen!

(41 Posts)
BillieW Mon 20-Jun-16 20:32:16

We are about to loose our kitchen as the builders knock through the wall that has the fuse box, the fridge freezer, the oven n the boiler on it!
The boiler n electrics will be done quite quickly but the oven n hob, will be gone shortly. The new build will not be plastered until July 11th, then a few days to dry out before the kitchen and utility can be fitted.
So I have a microwave, a slow cooker a sandwich maker. Any suggestions about what meals can be rustled up would be great fully received. I have meals planned for this week, so suggestions for two weeks of meals would be gratefully received. We are easily pleased and quite happy to repeat meals week to week!

Aurelia Wed 22-Jun-16 19:29:32

You could try a deep fill sandwich maker too, not only for toasties, but cooks eggs, pancakes waffles etc.

I managed without a kitchen for about a year while the house was being renovated, and coped well with a Remoska and a microwave.
Even cooked a whole turbot in the Remoska! smile

Things like packs of microwave rice or lentils will help you also.

Helski Wed 22-Jun-16 18:08:11

I had no kitchen for six months, but with a plug in single ring hob, a slow cooker and a microwave, I managed just fine. A bit of jiggling about with plugs and stuff but honestly it was fine. Managed to prepare Mother's Day lunch for eight and cater a Christening for 40! It's amazing what you can do when you have to. Loads of good recipes on line Pinterest for slow cookers. Everything from roast chicken to lasagne. Good luck.

phoenix Wed 22-Jun-16 17:53:08

Went to Lidl today, they had a plug in, 2 ring induction hob for £29.99!! shock Got to be worth it at that price.

(I will hold back from mentioning the 6 chocolate & vanilla cornetto type things for 99p)

Treebee Wed 22-Jun-16 17:29:53

All very useful as from next Wednesday we're having our kitchen re done too. We have a separate utility room which will act as a temporary kitchen and I'm hoping for warm weather so we can eat outside.
Loving the pub lunch suggestion!

BillieW Wed 22-Jun-16 06:56:35

Thanks for all your suggestions, some of which I should have thought through and remembered! Just in panic mode. We have been without a kitchen before-- for 6 weeks when we had 3 children, I hated that experience, but this should be much smoother. So as you comment, with the summer, a BBQ, daily shopping, salads, we shall be fine!
I have the offer of a halogen cooker, so I shall take it! A new experience!

1974cookie Tue 21-Jun-16 17:46:26

When I was in this situation a few years ago, my slow cooker and combination microwave were my saving grace. Slow cookers are not just about casseroles. I discovered that I could 'roast' a joint of beef or pork in the slow cooker far more successfully than in my oven. The meat is always beautifully tender, and it makes it's own delicious gravy which just needs to be thickened. I still do roast my joints of meat in the slow cooker even though I have a conventional oven.

suzied Tue 21-Jun-16 17:11:59

Tell all your friends and you should get a few dinner invites. Pub lunches are good as you are out of the way of the builders and you don't have to cook in the evening, just cheese and biscuits supper in front of the telly.

M0nica Tue 21-Jun-16 16:40:55

When we our new kitchen was acompagnied by building work that left me kitchenless for six weeks I moved the fridge and freezer into another room. Did plenty of batch cooking in advance so that my freezer was full of casseroles, risottos and other reheatable meals. I had a plastic microwave rice cooker for rice - and I also used it for pasta. Veg can also be cooked in the microwave.

I only had a microwave and kettle as cooking appliances but we managed to eat almost normally. Now and again I got bored with juggling different all the different dishes in and out of the microwave to get them all cooked and hot at the same time so we had take-aways or ate out.

Grannyknot Tue 21-Jun-16 14:27:15

We lived on cold meats and salads for near on 20 years... grin - and I'd choose that over microwave ready meals any day.

chicken Tue 21-Jun-16 14:24:51

The Remoska is great, you can use it wherever there's a electric plug and it will do anything from stews, roasts. chops to cakes and even bread and it's economical on fuel and easy to clean. Love it!

Angharad56 Tue 21-Jun-16 14:19:10

I love my Remoska too,and used it a lot motorhoming. It'll cook all sorts of things,and bakes a mean spud.

sucraft Tue 21-Jun-16 13:31:12

Love my Remoska (from Lakeland) - just let a friend borrow it as she has no kitchen at the moment

GrandmaMoira Tue 21-Jun-16 12:49:14

I had no kitchen last year for one month whilst having a new one fitted. If I had had a sink I think it would be easy to cook a variety of meals with microwave, slow cooker and sandwich maker/grill but having no sink we stuck to ready meals, take aways, lunches out, sandwiches, salads, beans on toast, cereal and used disposable crockery and cutlery and bought lots of bottles of water. I also bought ready prepared veg that cooks in the bag in the microwave as ready meals are lacking in green veg.

GrannyJane Tue 21-Jun-16 12:38:08

Have been without a kitchen for over 2 months. We've fallen in love with Morrison's microwave meals (3 for £6) and have decided we'll continue buying them when our kitchen is finished.

jaspersgran Tue 21-Jun-16 12:16:19

Hi BillieW If you have enough time, make up some meals and freeze, then put in microwave. Plenty of salads with cous cous. EAT OUT too ?

JackyB Tue 21-Jun-16 11:59:05

When we moved into our house in 1987, we had completely stripped the kitchen and were going to have our own kitchen put in. Behind the tiles which we knocked off the wall, one of the water pipes had rusted through. We called in a plumber to have it replaced and then rang the kitchen fitters to postpone the installation. They had a very busy schedule and couldn't fit us in again for another 6 weeks. So our kitchen consisted of a couple of holes in the wall for all that time.

We put all the camping equipment up on the patio and were so lucky that it didn't rain at all for all that time. I was used to cooking on a 2-ring gas camping stove, with regular use of the pressure cooker, and I'm pretty sure that back then we didn't have a microwave. So cooking was no problem, but the washing up by hand got really tedious.

These days with all the new gadgets available - it would be a doddle, and quite fun!

Pinkshoes26 Tue 21-Jun-16 11:38:40

Morning. Been there! Billie W
When we moved house last Autumn we had to wait a few months for the new kitchen to go in. We had to leave our built in hob and oven wile the new house took their free standing cooker.
I bought x2 ring electric table top cooker. We had a slow cooker, toaster and microwave.
We went round the chip shop twice a week. Cooked jacket
potatoes in the microwave. Cooked on the x2 rings.
Once, I was very cheeky! I made a lasagne here and when we went visiting asked to pop it in their oven along with an apple crumble.

annodomini Tue 21-Jun-16 11:35:16

When my kitchen was being remodelled, I made do with the microwave and the kettle, in my sitting room. As far as I remember I didn't starve.

marpau Tue 21-Jun-16 11:32:35

Years ago I saw a demonstration for sandwich maker the lady took some granary bread and filled it with cherry pie filling the result was a delicious pudding serve with ready made custard heated in microwave

Dandibelle Tue 21-Jun-16 11:18:48

I have a nonstick electric wok. Plug it in anywhere. Great for stir fries. Bacon n egg fry ups. Chillie with microwave rice. Mince n onions. I do all sorts in it. Only cost £20.

dirgni Tue 21-Jun-16 10:38:30

We were without a kitchen for 2 months during the summer some years ago. I managed quite well with a barbecue and a small camping gas ring. What was more different was taking everything upstairs and washing up in the bathroom basin!

Piglet123 Tue 21-Jun-16 10:27:32

Try a 2 ring electric table top cooker - Russell Hobbs do a good one and it's useful again when you've got a houseful! You can do pasta on one and sauce in another or use a tiered steamer and do veggies on one and poach fish or cook meat on other. Depends how much you enjoy cooking but alternate with M and S meals, salads etc and make sure there's a good supply of beers/wine! Enjoy the new kitchen.

oznan Tue 21-Jun-16 10:19:21

Jacket potatoes in the microwave are quick and you can vary the toppings for variety.The slow cooker is great for some lovely beef or vegetable stew and the sandwich maker is great for bubble and squeak type patties.I use leftover mash and veggies with some cheese grated in.

cornergran Tue 21-Jun-16 10:03:54

As others have said it isn't as hard as your first think. We had a microwave, a halogen oven ought for the purpose, something called a Ramoska we had used in the caravan (sort of an oven but not really controllable) and a slow cooker. So a mix of salads, meat and fish cooked in the halogen or Ramoska, jacket potatoes, microwave rice, veg in the microwave - and doubtlessly a lot I have forgotten. It worked. Interestingly I find I use the oven much less now. The alternative processes and meals have stuck. The worst bit for me was no kitchen sink. Lots of paper plates helped but that was harder than meal production. Good luck the outcome will be worth it smile.

Ness57 Tue 21-Jun-16 10:02:20

Last year we went 4 months without a kitchen while builders were in. We soon got fed up with eating out. I managed with an electric steamer (great for vegetables, chicken and fish), microwave and a single ring camping gas stove (only about £20 and useful in case of power cuts!) We also have a gas BBQ in which we managed to do a roast chicken, roast pork, pizza and even oven chips! I have to say the appliance I missed the most was my dishwasher!!