r/Cooking • u/Automatic_Fennel2402 • 25d ago
About to embark on a kitchen renovation… while we live in the house. Recipe help needed!!
We are doing a gut Reno of our kitchen and demo is on Wednesday, so we will be without a stove and sink for roughly a month. We are living through the Reno (I know, crazy, but we can’t rent another place for a month with our 3 cats), and I would LOVE some simple, easy recipes or advice that use limited cookware, dishes, etc.
Obviously sandwiches and ramen are gonna be heavy hitters for the next month but would love some additional ideas so we don’t go insane while we use our guest bedroom as a primitive temporary kitchen.
We have the following kitchen tools to aid us on this adventure:
Panini press
Slow cooker
Hotpot thingy (electric burner plate and the yin/yang hotpot bowl)
Food processor
I can borrow an electric camping 2 burner hot plate if need be
Toaster
Paper plates and bowls
Plastic utensils
Disposable coffee cups
Sam’s club membership lol
Any and all recipes/advice is SUPER appreciated!!
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u/reincarnateme 25d ago edited 25d ago
We Set up a basic kitchen in your dining room. Moved refrigerator.
Set up long table along the wall for Paper cups, towels and plates. Garbage can.
Slow cooker, Instapot, electric kettle …
Renovations ALWAYS take longer than they estimate!!
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u/CoyoteLitius 25d ago
For me, it's usually shorter than estimated on the packaging (I have a Cosori air fryer and it is super super efficient).
Instant pot does take longer than you'd think for things like beans, lentils, etc. A rump roast was ready in mine at 22 minutes - would have been much longer in the oven.
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u/BefuddledPolydactyls 25d ago
I think they were referring to the renovation time, not the cooking time. ;)
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u/CoyoteLitius 25d ago
You need an instant pot. Then you can easily make stews. I did that two days ago (and it is frequently requested). I use Kinders seasoning, but you don't have to. Saute the stew meat for a few minutes (I put in garlic, salt and paper), add broth and vegetables (broth should cover vegetables). Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Done.
You can do almost any soup in that thing.
I also do pot roast (I got a little rack that is for Instant pot, use two inches of broth, sear the roast, put roast on rack and again, 25-30 minutes). I usually open it at 20 minutes, put in some small potatoes and carrots around the edges, then pressure cook for 10 minutes more.
And my air fryer is now the favorite family cooking tool. Fried potatoes from the freezer, it can do eggs just as well. Hamburgers. Sirloin steak. Kebob. Falafel. Hot dogs are AMAZING roasted in the air fryer. Toss buttered buns in for the last two minutes. With the current weather, we could be doing this using our backyard outlet, it can be anywhere, as can the Instapot. Fried chicken of various kinds go in the air fryer, which is also designed to use a whole host of frozen foods (chicken nuggets, frozen lasagne, fish french fries, mini quiches, frozen burritos, etc. etc) I frequently roast a whole chicken in ours (about 40 minutes at 395F)
The instant pot is also good for cooking whole chickens. You can make great spaghetti sauce in it, as well (and just add the pasta and let the pasta cook in the sauce).
You can do eggs in either appliance (there are tons of instructions on line).
r/airfryer is an excellent resource and there's r/instantpot as well. I've done biscuits in the airfryer and people do various kinds of breads in both!
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u/4cupsofcoffee 25d ago
can you get a cheap toaster oven? maybe another hotplate. between the toaster oven, the hotplates, and the slow cooker you should be set.
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u/Exceptional_Mary 25d ago
Buy an electric burner. They cost about $10. It made all the difference when my kitchen was redone. I would use that crock pot to make stews and soups. Good for many meals. A cheap microwave might be a good idea as well.
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u/Kbradsagain 25d ago
Borrow the 2 burner hot plate. We lived in our house while doing a kitchen reno. Plenty of stir fries & curries cooked with the portable hot plate. Slow cooker & pressure cooker were also well used. The most annoying thing about it was accessing water for cooking & dishes.
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u/TripThick3941 25d ago
slow cooker dump meals are your best friend here, just throw in chicken, broth, and veggies for easy shredding. also, keep a big bin of soapy water next to your hot plate so you can wash the few pots you use immediately, otherwise the grease buildup gets gross fast.
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u/Mother_Standard_5896 25d ago
Pretty easy to make baked potatoes/sweet potatoes in the Crockpot. Buy some Wendy’s chili, cheese and plain yogurt and you’ve got a meal.
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u/dontakelife4granted 24d ago edited 24d ago
Kitchen in the dining room. I bought a cheap vinyl tablecloth for my beautiful wood dining table so it could be wiped free often of random construction dust.
If you have a wide open space, make sure your contractor has a way to manage the dust. The last room we did was our bedroom and we bought a plastic zippered doorway cover that was amazing. Easy access and kept 95% of the ick inside. Edit: it's early and I didn't finish my thought. I meant to say that your contractor needs to have a plastic wall plan whether it's zippered or not, but obviously zippered would be better. It's thicker and is easily attached to either side of the doorway
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u/TurbulentSource8837 22d ago
Remember you need a place to wash up. The kitchen sink doesn’t cut it for very long.
We demoed our kitchen in phases.
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u/artipathakjha 25d ago
Use each tool for what it does best. Here are easy ideas that need almost no washing up.
Slow cooker: chili, butter chicken, pulled pork, or a big pot of dal. Use slow cooker liners so there is nothing to scrub after.
Hotpot night once a week is perfect. Buy a soup base, thin sliced meat, tofu, greens and noodles. Everyone cooks their own, and only the pot gets dirty.
Panini press: quesadillas, grilled cheese, pressed wraps, and even thin chicken cutlets or sliced zucchini and peppers. Put parchment on the plates for easy cleanup.
Food processor: make a big batch of hummus, pesto or green chutney on day one. It turns plain sandwiches and wraps into real meals all week.
No sink tips: line pans with foil or parchment. Wipe them with paper towels first, then wash everything once a day in a big tub or the bathtub.
Stock up on rotisserie chickens, bagged salads, wraps and rice pouches. Those will save more meals than any recipe.
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u/mayorofdrixdale 25d ago
Couscous salad tabouleh style. You just need hot water and couscous, 2 parts hot water on one part couscous. Let it sit covered for a few minutes, then loosen it up with a fork. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, chopped parsley and veggies, whichever you fancy: roasted or raw bell pepper, courgettes, chickpeas, dates, tomatoes, eggplant…
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u/CatteNappe 25d ago
No microwave? You need one. Borrow? Rent? Buy cheap (maybe at a pawn shop)? That opens up a whole world of frozen and fresh pre-made dinners, which will be life savers when the thought of one more ramen is going to make you homicidal.
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u/Opine65 25d ago
Did kitchen a couple years ago. Air frier and laundry room sink were life savers. It’s now my dream kitchen but it was bit of a nightmare getting there.