Sounds like a good time to take a vacation, or visit family and friends!
In lieu of that, there are some great suggestions here. We had a kitchen remodel that took far longer than that, and of course you never know when it will be totally complete. However, just because the kitchen was being remodeled, didn’t mean that we couldn’t use any of it the entire time. When we could use the sink, refrigerator, microwave in the kitchen, we used them. The entire kitchen wasn’t shut down, though we did go without an oven for over a year. But if you’ve tried my cooking, you’d realize that was no big loss…
Probably the most helpful thing would be to find compostable bowls and plates. Trying to wash dishes in the laundry room was the biggest pain.
The rice cooker saved me. Not just rice…quinoa, cracked wheat, anything you want to use as a base for pilaf, poke, grain bowl. Steam vegetables and salmon in the steamer attachment, add soy sauce or hoisin, garnish with scallions and done. Get one with a nonstick coating to make clean up easier.
I borrowed a friend’s kitchen at one point…did a sunday’s worth of cooking for the freezer which helped… portioned it into small foil containers which fit in the toaster oven for reheating. Bought her a nice set of knives as a thank you. And left it cleaner than I found it if course…
The part I hated was the partially finished stage… extension cords, counter top covered in heavy wrapping, fridge in the middle of the room. If I ever did it again I’d just reconcile myself to it being out of commission for as long as it takes.
I’m 1/3 through a kitchen reno at the house I’m moving to next week. I’m looking at these tips!
We did a kitchen reno back in 2016. We went on vacation for a chunk of it. All else was done on the grill outside. Warm weather makes things easier. We used paper plates, cups, etc… Pots were a pain. It is worth it though.
We finished our kitchen renovation in January of this year; we lived in the garage for meals.
We did what everyone else did: we got paper plates and compostable silverware. I had a coffee pot, microwave, and toaster on portable 6 foot table from Costco, plus sponges and extra rags.
I used my linens, that I didn’t use for company because permanent stains and cuts don’t help, but they were really helpful in the situation. I could just lift the whole thing out and replace when my family couldn’t seem to keep their food on their plates.
We moved our fridge to the hallway, along where the laundry room was. (In our development, no one thought to put a sink in the laundry area, so we had to use the bathroom sink directly across from the laundry area.)
I had a Rubbermaid tub that I used and went to the hose outside to fill it to wash the dishes with a lot of soap and a lot of microwaved hot water.
Good luck! It’s a little bit of sacrifice for a lot of comfort later.
Our kitchen has been under construction for four years (ugh, don’t ask). We’ve had use of the stove, fridge, sink, etc. but floor has been plywood while water damage awaiting repair.
Just sharing to let you know I feel your pain and hope yours is finished quickly!
We went for three months. I moved the fridge and microwave to a different room, but that was really all we had access to. I grilled a LOT. like a crazy amount. I’ll second the crock pot liners - it made it usable for me. I still had to wipe it down, but I could do it with wet paper towels instead of needing a sink. We only had a bathroom sink (and shower, so no tub) so washing things was really discouraged. We used a lot of paper plates and plastic utensils. We pretty much ate grilled meat, grilled or microwave steamed veggies, and fruit for most meals as carbs just got more complicated. I did learn about microwaveable mac and cheese, which isn’t really bad when you just need a little something. We also had a lot of “cold” meals - like salad bar night, subs, and things like that. Some nights I just kind of gave up and we did cereal and fruit and yogurt parfaits. I tried to pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, which we could eat cold or warm up in the microwave with some regularity and we probably ordered more pizza and chinese food than is typical for us.
These things are great. Heats up super fast, cook noodles (water boils really fast), soups, heat up anything, fry, you can even bake potatoes in one (just raise them off the bottom). Temp controlled. Easy clean. Non stick. I use it all the time since it’s faster than stove top for most things. Dishwasher safe. The small one is more useful I think than the larger size for two people. Definitely better than a pot on a hot plate.
Haven’t had a kitchen reno but I’m guessing it would be put to good use.
If you have any freezer space from you or a neighbor I’d get cooking and wrap in single size servings. Even though it will be possible to cook a dinner during a reno with small appliances I doubt it’ll be fun so the more ahead freezer meals that don’t require work (and clean-up!) beyond thawing and heating it will be well worth it.
I feel your pain; our’s still isn’t finished either. We’re about to hit 3 years; it’s insane. Thankfully like you we’ve at least had use of the appliances and some of the cabinets since January of 2023, but I still wash my large pots and pans in the laundry room sink because the kitchen sink isn’t supported correctly
)