So you’re renovating your kitchen, and you’ve planned for everything. You have a budget and a vision, and people to make that vision a reality. That’s great! However, there may be something you’ve forgotten. If you plan to live in the same place as the renovation site, you need to have a place to cook to survive. You can’t just eat out every day as this might make you go over budget! So how are you going to make yourself a temporary kitchen?
Put Away Non-Essentials, Set Aside Essentials
The first thing you need to do is to decide what is and isn’t essential. During your kitchen renovation, it’s best to put away things you don’t need. Since there will be people working on your kitchen, you should remove all the non-essential items that you won’t be needing. The rest, or what is basically your essentials, should be put in a separate room where they can be used.
So, for example, you should probably put away the fancier plates and utensils, waffle-maker, meat grinder, chafing dishes, etc. Meanwhile, the stuff you use every day, like the coffee-maker, a good pot and pan and the pepper grinder, should be set aside for eventual use.
Create a Meal Plan
Kitchen renovations are extremely costly. So you probably can’t afford to eat out for the entirety of the renovation. Sure, you can occasionally go out to escape the dust and noise, but most of the time, you’ll have to cook for yourself and your family. So that you don’t have any problems with lacking cooking implements, plan your meals ahead of time. If you know that you’re only going to have a pot and a pan to work with, don’t buy ingredients for roast chicken. The more you prepare in advance, the easier it will be for you later.
Ready a Space for Meal Prep
You will need a space to chop vegetables and filet fish, so it’s best to prepare an area for that since you can’t use your kitchen. One of the easier ways to set up a makeshift kitchen counter is to put down a folding table or some flat scrap wood on top of some boxes you’ve stacked together. Putting a plastic tablecloth helps with cleaning up but isn’t necessary.
How to Cook
First of all, don’t be ashamed to use the microwave. Cooking scrambled eggs and potatoes with a microwave is a legitimate tactic. Besides that, you could get a simple camping stove with a gas canister attachment to cook in. It’ll work just like a regular stove, only with less burners. Lastly, if you have a grill you can always use it for cooking outdoors. Grilled hotdogs or burgers make an excellent meal.
Conclusion
Eating out can be expensive, so hopefully, these tips will let you cook at home while renovations are ongoing. Remember that if you really can’t stand it anymore, eating out once in a while is perfectly acceptable.
Looking to start your kitchen renovation in Mandurah, Perth and beyond? Contact Azztek Kitchen today! We specialise in full kitchen renovations.