The prospect of a new kitchen is always an exciting experience as you eagerly anticipate cooking, eating and enjoying great times inside its walls and fixtures. But while its innovation, space-saving and stylish design will make your future kitchen life easier and more enjoyable, the installation process can be pretty disruptive.
One of the questions we are most often asked is, “How do we manage cooking, meal preparation, washing up and cleaning while our new kitchen is being fitted?”
8 ways to maintain a functional, efficient temporary kitchen while you wait for your perfect one
Here is Thomson Properties’ guide to managing your day-to-day temporary kitchen, cooking, and cleaning needs. It offers 8 smart ideas to ensure fitting your new kitchen is as seamless as it will be beautiful.
1. Choose the Right Space for your Temporary Kitchen
When setting up a temporary kitchen, selecting the right space is key. Find somewhere with access to power sockets, good ventilation, and enough space for a small prep area and essential appliances. A corner of the dining room, a spare room, or the utility room can be ideal. If space is limited, the garage can double as both food storage and a cooking area. Ideally, you will also be able to place your fridge or freezer here to free up kitchen space and keep the renovation area clear of traffic.
2. Invest in some Portable Appliances
It may be tempting to rely on takeaways or ready meals, but investing in or borrowing a few portable kitchen appliances can keep your diet varied and nutritious – and might even save some money. A microwave, slow cooker, camping stove, or even an air fryer can serve as great stand-ins for your usual oven. Compact and versatile, these appliances make meal prep easier without taking up too much room. Pair this with a kettle for hot drinks, soups, or instant noodles, and use portable hot plates or induction cookers when you need a quick stir-fry or boiled vegetables. However, before spending on new appliances, it is worth checking if you have any camping equipment you can use. Or, if you have never been near a tent in your life, you might know someone who has some gear you could borrow.
3. Create a Functional Workstation
Transform a simple table into a mini workstation by placing it in a well-ventilated room (a portable or camping extractor fan might help). Organise your setup with key tools such as a chopping board, a small bin, and frequently used utensils like a sharp knife, spatula, and scissors. Use shelves, hanging baskets or a freestanding draw unit to store basic ingredients, canned goods, and spices – ensuring everything is within reach. Don’t forget to set up lighting if the space is dim – small desk lamps or LED lights can instantly brighten the area and make meal prep safer and easier to work in.
4. Set up a Dishwashing Station
One of the biggest challenges during a kitchen renovation is managing dirty dishes. We will always ensure your house has a mains water supply and we will notify you if we do temporarily need to isolate this. We will also do our best to leave your existing sink in situ for as long as possible before refitting your new sink. However, if you can’t use your main kitchen sink, or you don’t have a spare sink in the garage or utility room – don’t fret. The next best solution is a large washing-up bowl, located as close s you can to a hot water supply. In addition to this, you could think about using disposable plates and utensils for the duration of the project to minimise the clean-up. (If you are concerned about the environment, there are plenty of composable or biodegradable, disposables on the market, to help reduce the waste.)
5. Batch-Cook and Freeze Meals ahead of time
With your kitchen out of commission for several weeks, pre-planning meals is a lifesaver. Before your renovation starts, take the time to batch-cook large quantities of food that can be frozen and reheated as needed. Soups, stews, curries, pasta bakes, and casseroles all freeze well and are easy to reheat in a microwave or on a portable hob. This both saves you time and reduces the pressure of meal preparation when space and equipment are limited.
6. Make a Plan and get Organised
Like anything in life, having a plan makes the day-to-day so much easier. It may take a bit of time to make your plan, but it will save many frustrating hours in the long run. Use plastic storage containers for utensils, dry goods, and spices; label everything clearly; use clear storage bins so you can see what’s inside; and invest in stackable containers and multipurpose tools to make the most of limited counter space. A portable kitchen trolley or movable shelving unit can also be a smart way to keep essential items accessible. As with pre-cooked meals (tip number 5), planning makes all the difference.
7. Embrace the Outdoors
If the UK weather allows, why not make the most of it and move some cooking outside? Barbecues or portable gas stoves are great alternatives for grilling or cooking al fresco. This keeps cooking smells and heat out of the house and makes a refreshing change that can make the renovation feel like less of an inconvenience. And even if the weather is typically British, you can always invest in a temporary, waterproof covering of some sort. Outdoor cooking can even become a fun family activity, which can be a silver lining to any disruption.
8. Let Thomson Properties help you
We recognised long ago that while we install kitchens and bathrooms, we are really a SERVICE provider, far more than a supplier of products. That matters enormously to us because beautiful kitchens are only the beginning of what we do for our customers.
Our aim is to give you the very best service you can ever expect to receive.
Part of our commitment to making your new kitchen experience as amazing as possible is helping you manage the day-to-day around the project. So, if you need help setting up your temporary kitchen, our team is always ready to share some ideas for space, design, appliances, storage and right through to making a plan – please give us a call – we are here to help.
