Any tips for surviving a kitchen remodel?

V

vicki-in-tucson

Well-known member
We just bought a new house (well, new to us). My husband (who's a contractor) is already drawing up plans to renovate the kitchen which hasn't been updated since the mid-1970s. (Same with the master bathroom--can you say "harvest gold?")

My plan at the moment is to not unpack any of my kitchen stuff because we're moving in and starting the remodel immediately. (We're moving from Illinois to Pennsylvania, so unfortunately we can't do the work and then move in). I'm not concerned about breakfast or lunch, just dinner. It will be October when we move in, so I think we can grill most of our dinners and eat out on the deck, hopefully. We will have a microwave.

Any thoughts? Great microwave recipes? Should I program the local pizza place on my speed dial? (Of course, we're leaving my husband's beloved Lou Malnatti's pizza--he's already in mourning.)

Thanks!

 
Here's what worked for us: We kept a folding table in one corner of the kitchen that held a 2-unit

cook top, a table-top convection oven and a microwave. Everything I needed to cook with or cleaning up afterward stayed on that table. Next to it we had a shelving unit to hold tools, or whatever we needed it for.

We moved all the dishes, pots and pans, etc. into the laundry room onto more shelving.

I used a square plastic for cleaning up after cooking.

I share in your excitement!

 
We lived on El Pollo Loco and Ramen noodles. . .

We lived in our house while our kitchen was remodeled a couple of years back. Moved the refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, 2-burner hot-plate ($25 dollars at Smart & Final) and skeleton cooking implements (1 saucepan, 1 frying pan, a knife block, a plastic cutting board)into the guest room, stored that bed in the garage.

This became our "mobile kitchen" for the duration of the 6 month remodel. It was great to have the refrigerator near the rest of the food "prep" area. We'd wash dishes (mostly plastic plates along with our daily stainless silverware) in the bathroom sink or tub.

It actually didn't suck too bad and we could make some respectable meals. Only down side, when I burned tortillas in the toaster oven, there was no ventilation and the fire alarms were . . . alarming.

Good luck.

 
Amanda--we are in the final phase of a total kitchen re-do....

We gutted the kitchen and added on 5 feet so we were not able to keep a table as Marsha did. I set up kitchen in the laundry room where the extra fridge is and the laundry sink to wash dishes in (I had DH scrub it really good for me before I would go near it with my dishes--and I still wouldn't lay things directly on the bottom, a sink grid would have been a smart idea). I also thought grilling would work but we use charcoal and it is a pain to fire up the grill for 2 little chicken breasts (yes, I am sure I could have made more all at once but I didn't). So, I bought an electric hot plate from Target, $19.99, which was okay but it took 20 minutes to heat up a pot of water to make iced tea. Next I ordered a butane burner off the web and that was fabulous! It gets hot! I always used it outside because I had no vent in the laundry room.

I bought a couple of grilling books and was off. Here are some of the things I made:

Salmon Burgers + Watermelon Salad
Shrimp Rolls
Cobb Salad Quesadillas
Pork Satays
Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto + Cheddar Polenta
Sausage Stuffed Portobellos
Pasta Salad with whatever needed to be used up in the fridge
Farmers Market Quesadillas

We did eat out a bit more than usual. Cereal was on the menu several times along with a PB+J or two--sometimes it was just tooo hot outside to cook dinner after a full day of work, or there might have been too much cleaning to do (like when the dry wall was going up). We were very lucky to have a fabulous GC and he brought us homemade dinner twice!

We are thrilled with our new kitchen and as soon as it gets painted I will post a few pics. Good luck with your re-do, it's very exciting to get a new kitchen!

 
Ye Old College Diner....(more)....

Also known simply as "The Diner",
home of the world's greatest
sticky buns.

They have great breakfasts, and they
also make a pretty decent cheesesteak.

If you like diner food, and diner
atmosphere, "The Diner" is THE place
in State College.

I seem to remember that they are
also very child-friendly.

 
Our complete kitchen remodel took 6 weeks. We put a card table and two chairs

in the second garage, moved the old cooktop out and set it on two saw horses, moved the refer there, as well. The garage has a bar sink for quick hand washing, so I washed dishes in it. We never ate out, made simple meals. Luckily it was summer and we took advantage of salads and the grill. It was rather fun. Sure made us appreciate our beautiful new kitchen. The first night we ate in our kitchen, we both felt like we were in an ultra beautiful place......we were and I still feel that way!

 
I've heard that from several people. We'll have to try it when we get there.

My husband is already drooling over the Creamery ice cream, which is 20 percent butterfat.

 
Amanda, the school also has a dairy farm, so they sell the best

fresh heavy cream, cream cheese and milk. Their motto is something like "cow to ice cream in 4 days".

I drove over from Pittsburgh just to buy 50 pounds of creamcheese one year. Not a single one of 15 cheesecakes cracked on me.

I've never done a kitchen remodel, so no help there I'm afraid. All I can do is point you toward a great milkshake.

 
We're remodeling--sans oven, stove, and microwave--thank God for electric kettles and toasters smileys/wink.gif

Good luck!
I only mention the toaster (toaster oven, ideally) because it's great for crispy/crunchy, which I have a hard time getting from microwaves.
We've been eating a lot of salads and soups and fresh pasta (warmed in a hot-water bath from the kettle)...and tons of veg. We've been eating out some, but not more than usual, I guess.
So far, our "remodel" has taken a month and a half. We have a kitchen--it's just getting the stove and oven hooked up that's the problem! smileys/wink.gif
Just keep thinking about how beautiful it will look, finished. smileys/wink.gif

http://smetanas-glasses.blogspot.com

 
Thanks, all--

especially for reminding me about my crock pot and toaster oven. I won't pack those away. I also have a George Foreman grill, which I'd forgotten about. I think that might come in handy so we don't have to fire up the big grill for two chicken breasts (as someone mentioned!)

Thanks again; it will be exciting!

 
A 70's style electric skillet would come in handy too. (and might match the decor, LOL) You could

find one at a thriftstore, perhaps

 
dust off that electric fry pan that's back in the cupboard. works great for all sorts of things.

 
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