apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maybe a paninni press and a microwave, too.

I was in somewhat the same situation when we moved three years ago, and I had to wait several weeks to have someone come to run a new propane line so I could hook up my gas range. I did have a microwave and a George Foreman, so that helped.

It was summer, so we ended up using the grill. A LOT. Which sounds great, but damn, it did get tiring. I think we grilled everything under the sun, including pizza. But THAT was delicious, and still in regular rotation.

Perhaps you can get a cheap microwave? Target and places have them for well under $40 or so. At least with mine, I could make scrambled eggs and Lipton rice mixes and soup and such to breakup the monotony of all that grilling. The toaster oven was useful for baking tater tots and things like that for the kids.

When it was finally hooked up, the first thing I made was a huge pot of pasta.

Good luck! It will be worth it in the end!

We are in a similar predicament....we've been consisting on granola bars for a while :)

In your toaster oven- why don't you get some frozen pizzas? You can get the smaller ones so that they can fit.

Peanut butter sandwiches are nice and quick. Or really, any type of sandwich that can be put together.

With your outdoor grill- you can just slap on some chicken and some corn?

I think that you can make almost anything on the grill. You can wrap veggies in foil packets or use some kind of pots and pans on the grill itself. You can grill pizza.

I think that the thing I worry about the most is the time involved in cooking in a way that's outside your norm. I'd definitely explore making some grains/grain salads using the electric kettle. (You could make big batches to each on more than one night or lunch during the week.)

The toaster oven is perfect for all kinds of pita sandwiches (grilled cheese, chicken, etc). Or even pita pizzas.

Use the toaster oven to make toasted sandwiches. Slice sub rolls lengthwise and lightly toast. Add meats and cheeses and return to the oven to toast. Add veggies, sauce, etc.

When we're camping I always line the toaster oven pan with foil so there's no cleanup. I also use disposable aluminum baking dishes.

The NYTimes ran this article http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/24/dining/24summ.html
a few years ago about cooking with only a toaster oven.

I use my toaster oven for 99% of my baking and broiling. you can do baked potatoes and a big salad, meatloaf in either muffin tins or a small baking dish with potatoes or veggies made in the crock pot on the side, chili in the crockpot is great in this season, and all sorts of stuff can be made on the grill -- fish, veggies, bbq chicken, roasted ears of corn, steaks (with potatoes baked in your toaster oven!), brats and burgers, speidies (mmmmm).

Also a super easy, cheap crock pot meal that will last for several meals is to do a big pork shoulder roast in there -- just cook it with some salt, pepper, and onions and serve with potatoes and salad, then with the leftovers you can shred it and add a little cumin, garlic, and lime juice for pork tacos or burritos, then if you have left overs from that dump in some good bbq sauce and make pulled pork sandwiches!

I had a number of months when I had to do all of my cooking in the garage or on the deck and the one thing that was indispensible to me was my electric Nesco 6 quart roaster pan. Meats, soups, spaghetti, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, cornbread, etc.

I also meant to mention that by using meat rubs for grilling you can really change up flavors without burning through a lot of dishes.

Check out some raw food recipe books/sites. Assuming she has enough counter space to deal with that style of food prep!

We were in a similar situation, for a much shorter period of time earlier this year while our kitchen floor was being replaced. Two things that we made in our toaster oven were tuna melts (part of our regular rotation) and these really yummy quesadillas (http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/sweet-corn-quesadillas-10000001613286/index.html). Good luck. I know how frustrating it is to be kitchen-less.

We remodeled our kitchen 3 years ago. We were doing the work our selves, so I planned on being without a usable kitchen for 2 months. Before we demo'd I cooked up a storm -- soups, stews, rice/lentil dishes -- and froze in individual portion Gladware containers. I made 40 meals worth which covered dinner for a while. For lunch we had sandwiches. Also, I took off and went to Europe for 6 weeks leaving my husband to deal. That helped a lot. :)

But yeah, cooking and freezing ahead of time is what made it dealable. This probably doesn't help now that you're in the midst of the remodel, but for anyone planning for the future it's a great tip.

(Incidentally, it was nearly 4 months before we had a usable kitchen. And, after 3 years it's still only 95% done. *sigh*)

actually... if you could "borrow" a friend or family member's kitchen for an afternoon, you could probably make enough meals this weekend to put a couple weeks worth of meals in the freezer, and then just pop them in the crock pot or toaster oven to heat each night. Good idea ilovebutter! :)

When we were remodeling our kitchen, I missed pasta the most, so I bought a butane-powered burner. It did take forever to heat the water, but it did help the pasta cravings. The grill turned out to be the most helpful "appliance".

ilovebutter, I totally feel you with the 95% done! I just had my bathroom and pipes done in November and unless your willing to pay the workers to do perfect detail work, there is always something left to do. Yesterday, I finally found the perfect bathhooks and cabinet knobs and will install them this weekend.

Ooops, I thought I was on Apartment Therapy for a minute! Anyways, kitchen remodeling always means a campout like situation with the grill. OR, if you know a good small local family restaurant, maybe you explain your situation and ask for a discount for coming in as regulars for awhile...

Create a "temporary kitchen" somewhere else......the dining room or livingroom, enclosed back porch, etc. Move your kitchen table there, and that set of drawers you have in front of your kitchen window, now. Set up your electric appliances on the table, use the top of the drawer unit as a prep center. Get a large dishpan for toting dishes to and from the kitchen, or wherever you are doing the washing up.

Also buy a hot plate.....it's a one- or two-burner unit.

Fry bacon on a cookie sheet on your grill, so you don't get grease all over the rest of the house.

For several months I lived in a theatrical costume studio, and although it had a large kitchen, most cooking had to be done outside with a grill and a hot plate, because cooking odors would permeate the costumes and fabrics, otherwise.

Using your:

Water kettle: couscous salad (hot water, steam the couscous, add chopped vegetables and any of the following: crumbled cheese, dried fruits, nuts, herbs, tofu, chicken that you buy roasted from your grocery store). This keeps in the fridge for a few days.

Food processor or knife & toaster oven: herbed goat cheese spread on toast. Soft goat cheese 50/50 with cream cheese, fresh herbs (I like basil), fresh minced garlic, a bit of liquid to make it spreadable (milk, cream, soy milk). Slather that on freshly toasted bread (I like Acme walnut levain) and this is my favorite hot weather/cool kitchen meal. This keeps in the fridge up to 3 days.

Refrigerator: basic deli sandwiches can be improved, radically, if you vary the condiments. Start with mayo or non-fat yogurt and add: spices, harissa, chipotle salsa, mustard, capers, etc... even same ingredient sandwiches will taste different every night. When our family arrives from out of town, we traditionally make sandwich platters to nosh on for a couple days, we also make a condiments tray so everyone can mix their own mayo's (less cooking, during visits, more conversation).

Slow cooker: chili! I make a vegetarian black bean chili, that I serve with crumbled cotijo cheese, wedges of lime, cubed avocado, white corn tortilla chips and offer cubed smoked turkey (available at deli's and at the warehouse shopping clubs) for people who eat meat. This freezes really really well.

Antipasto and sushi!!

I did two things: 1) live off of the farmer's market, a pint of tomatoes, crackers and cheese could be dinner. 2) I borrowed a friend's kitchen for an evening and made a big batch of baked ziti and macaroni and cheese, etc. so that I had some more real food (stored in the freezer so that it could be taken out and reheated as necessary). Other than that, sandwiches became a lot of my evening meals.

When my husband and I were first married we lived in this wonderful starter apartment that had a stove that produced some of the most interesting burned & raw foods I've ever tasted. So, we cooked just about everything in the toaster oven you could think of. We picked ours up at target for about $100, and it had the rotisserie, and a pizza setting, so I think it was a bit more glorified than just a toaster oven.

A few things to note: a) cooking meat in the toaster oven works almost exactly the same as a regular oven (at least for ours); b) casseroles of any sort will work great; c) if you are doing baked goods, we place the rack in the middle, and put a spare drip tray on the rack slot above, so they don't brown too much (make sure to remove the "cover" the last 5-10 minutes so the baked goods brown just a bit). We made croissants, cookies, breads, bread sticks, cinnamon rolls and just about anything else you can imagine. And if your family doesn't mind, since you probably don't have counter space to handle a massive baking project, you can just use pillsbury in a tube.

As far as the slow cooker, everything from chili to pot roast to chowder could work if sandwiches start getting wearing.

And just because it's my husbands favourite "just off work" snack, the recipe is simple: tortilla, fresh mozzarella, and pepperoni toasted together in the toaster oven (whether that's a roll up or flat in layers is your call) with some marinara sauce to dip it in. Make them as big as you want, or as small as you want.

Good luck on the wait!

There are tons of slow cooker recipes out there, some that you can even put before you go to work and they'll be done when you get home.

I'm currently in the same situation with a fridge, microwave, outdoor gas grill and rice cooker. Like many other posters, I don't even eat a lot of pasta ordinarily, but seriously started craving it once I realized it was one of the most difficult things to make under the circumstances!

Sandwiches (grilled and not grilled) and grilled pizza have been key. I've been opting for simple grilled veggies or crudites instead of salads, which can be a hastle with limited prep space). Another staple has been rotissierie chickens, usuall crisped on the grill, as well as any simple chops, steaks, burgers, sausage or fish to be grilled as usual.

I guess we have been using our grill a lot, but this way we usually only have to clean some tongs and maybe a cutting board. I find the rice cooker to be kind of a pain to clean under the circumstances.

Speaking of cleaning, I try and use wet rag, napkin or paper towel to wipe everything clean before I wash in the bathroom sink. (Does anyone else go through this think of Kramer taking a shower with his salad?)

Bottom line is that if you think of your toaster oven as an oven and the grill as a stove-top, your options are pretty vast subject to the prep and clean-up hastle. (This weekend my husband and I decided we could even steam lobsters on the grill with the help of some pre-boiled salt water and a foil roaster.)

All that said, I read somewhere that the most important item to have in a temporary kitchen while renovating was a wine opener. Ultimately I could not agree more.

Good luck!

Food that you have to assemble instead of cook, like pates, salads, breads, charcuterie, fresh fruit; add rose: Voila!...

I say...grill EVERYTHING!! It's the season for outdoor cookin! Head to your local library and pick up some grillin' cookbooks, and you'll be a-okay!!

We are in the middle of remodeling our kitchen too!

This a great post and I love all of the comments, as I'm also wondering how to function without a kitchen.

We have resorted to a lot of microwaving, which is not ideal. (But we don't have a toaster over or a grill). I do think that the brand "Amy's" has lots of nice frozen food that's not horrible to eat a couple times a week.

Otherwise, it's all about salad. Think of it as an early summer diet.

The toaster over makes me think you could do quesadillas, mini-pizzas and paninis without much prepping or much cleanup.

I think you also cruise over to a site like allrecipes and look into some healthy crockpot meals. Maybe you can make a stew and buy some bread or something.

Good luck! Post photos of your finished kitchen!

I second the pizza on the grill idea! Here's a step-by-step guide: http://tobemrsmarv.com/2008/07/28/grilling-up-pizza/

Been there, done that -- whole house remodeling -- twice in three years!

First time, all that was available was a microwave oven and an old frig in the garage. No toaster or toaster oven.

Breakfast: Cereal and milk. Yogurt and fresh fruit. Homemade egg & cheese burritos in the microwave with salsa. Microwaved sweet potatoes with butter, cinnamon and raisins.

Lunch: Usually ate out on the cheap. If not, tuna fish or deli turkey breast sandwiches. Canned soup heated in the microwave and fresh bread.

Dinner: Frozen seasoned boneless chicken breasts or hamburgers, cooked in microwave, and fresh salad plus fruit or cookies.

What got us through the ordeal: fresh brewed coffee in our own electric drip brew coffeemaker and wine, lots of it!

Washed dishes in the laundry room. Created a retreat room that housed our "kitchen" and TV.

PHEW!

Um, I think that you could skip the bacon for the duration of the remodel LOL! But other than that everyone had pretty good ideas.

I moved in with my boyfriend while he was renovating our house (that's love, right?) We had no kitchen for the first 8 months I was here. We did have a (bathroom) sink, toaster oven, george foreman grill, rice cooker and microwave. We did lots of couscous, rice and beans and quinoa in the rice cooker. I'd argue it's a great investment for once your kitchen is done, since it saves you for ruined rice/couscous/quinoa every time, and that's worth it to me. I even managed rice noodles for peanut noodles a few times.

I think the grill will be your saving grace, especially since it's much easier to clean . You can grill pizza, do shish kebabs, grill meat and warm tortillas for tacos or burritos...really, the sky's the limit. And with the kettle and the rest of it, you can do instant oatmeal and other staples.

All said--there's nothing grosser than washing dishes in the bathtub at night, and then taking a shower in same bathtub the next morning. As long as you have a sink that's dedicated to dish-washing, you should be fine. That, plus a healthy sense of adventure, and you'll look back on all of this and laugh about it.