Living Without A Kitchen

This picture is of my kitchen or rather, the bones of my kitchen. Our remodeling project started about four weeks ago and it will be several more weeks before our kitchen is functioning. I did not want to eat out for two months, so I had to get creative. There are times in everyone’s lives when a kitchen is not readily available. Whether you are camping, remodeling, living in temporary housing or in school, it is possible to eat delicious, well-balanced gluten free meals.

We set up our makeshift kitchen in our basement. On a table near our refrigerator, we have a microwave, induction plate and coffee maker. I also have my crock pot and our grill. Everything, and I mean everything from our kitchen was boxed up, labeled and carried down to our basement. I arranged the boxes based on how often we used their contents, with my everyday items and family snack foods closest to my work area and less used products further back. For water, we bought a five gallon jug that we fitted with a pump that my husband purchased online.

I very quickly realized that I could make do with much less equipment. The only sink large enough to wash pots and pans is our utility sink in the laundry room, which is located on the main floor next to what remains of my kitchen. It is a flight of stairs and across the house from my makeshift kitchen, and after a few clean ups, I was out of my mind.

If a time ever called for paper plates, plastic cups and silverware, living without a kitchen does. I reduced my tools down to a silicone spatula and a pancake spatula, a pair of tongs, a whisk and colander, two sharp knives, one large measuring cup and measuring spoons, my dutch oven, a ceramic covered cast iron pan and a large cast iron skillet.
My induction plate has been a life saver. I had heard of induction plates but had never used one. When we were purchasing our appliances, I saw one and asked how they work. After some discussion and discovering they were on sale, we purchased one. I love my induction plate! It heats large pots of water faster than my old stove, cooks perfect eggs and is an all around work horse in my temporary kitchen. My plan was to use my grill for the majority of my meat preparations, but nature is a fickle beast. I don’t enjoy grilling in the rain, so I am so glad that we have the induction plate.

An induction plate works through magnetic induction. The pots and pans that you use need to be magnetic or the plate will not heat up. I read online that to test your cookware, simply take a refrigerator magnet and slap it onto each pot. If it sticks, you can use it with your induction plate. My standard pots and pans are not magnetic, but my ceramic covered cast iron is.

Since construction began, I have made pasta, eggs, pancakes, and crepes. You can find our chocolate chip pancakes here and our berry crepes by clicking here.

I have also made beef tenderloin tacos, chicken and rice, sauteed vegetables and more. We are not going without delicious food. I have found that my grill doubles as a fantastic oven and will be experimenting with a Pineapple Upside Down Cake on the grill next week.

So far, this is what I have learned:
-Plan your meal out completely
-Prep your food. Make sure you have everything cleaned, sliced and diced before you begin. It is too hard in a small space to chop a little more onion or cilantro.
-Have all your tools in reach. One poor crepe met it’s tragic death because I could not find my pancake spatula in time. Now I have all my tools on the table.

I won’t lie to you, I am looking forward to having my kitchen and my home in one piece and back to myself. I have lost my personality a couple of times – mostly because I did not gather my supplies or prep my ingredients before starting to cook. I have learned that lesson the hard way. An induction plate waits for no one.

It is possible to cook a large variety of meals in a tiny or makeshift kitchen. I look forward to sharing my successful dishes with you.

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