Planning Meals During Your Kitchen Renovation

Before you start your kitchen renovation, you'll save a lot of heartache if you plan how you will feed yourself and your family. Here's how to get an action plan started.

Work out how long your kitchen will be out of action

One of the biggest factors in how much preparation you'll need to do is the amount of time you won't be able to use the kitchen. It's also worth seeing whether you will be losing access to different sections of the kitchen for different periods (including power for the fridges, sinks for dishwashing and the stove tops). Assume that whatever time periods you are quoted may be end up doubled, so if the renovation does hit unexpected problems, you still have some slack in your mental calendar.

Precook and freeze

This is a great time to invest in a chest freezer if you don't have already have one. Make some "double meals" where you cook up twice the amount of food you usually eat and freeze the remainder to be microwaved later. Spaghetti bolagnese is a great meal to reheat, and many curries and stews are delicious reheated. You can supplement the meal with fresh bread and salad so it isn't too bland.

Think outside the box

To break up the reheated meals, plan in regular outdoor grills/barbeques in summer or leave a slow cooker running in another room all day cooking up delicious soups and stews. Many people have a slow cooker in the back of the cupboard that doesn't get used as much as it should, so if you don't have one, ask your friends or family if they have one that you could borrow.

If you cannot fit your current fridge in the house while the kitchen is being renovated, this is also a good time to see if you can swap your kitchen fridge for your friend's bar fridge. While it might be much smaller than you are used to, you'll still appreciate not having to go shopping every single day for milk and other perishables.

Plan your escape

There may be times where, in spite of the planning and preparation, it can feel overwhelming having a construction site where your kitchen once stood. When you work out your kitchen renovation budget, include some money for eating out or taking mini breaks away.

For information or advice, contact a business such as A.B.C. Kitchens & Bathrooms Pty Ltd.