Large tray for carrying food from wherever it is prepared to wherever it will be servedĪ lot of people go strictly paper and plastic for dishes and silverware, and if that’s what you need to do to get by, there’s no judgment here.Foil, plastic wrap, a storage container or two.Liquid detergent, scrub brush, dishwashing tub, dish towels.A set of silverware and a dish-and-glass place setting for everyone in the household.Coffee, tea, sweeteners, a few coffee mugs and teacups. Carving knife, bread knife, paring knife.Suggestions from folks who have been through this recently: Scrape dishes into the trash, wash them, dry them and put them back in their designated spots.įiguring out what not to pack is key because once you box up your stuff, you won’t be able to find anything you need until after the kitchen is completed and the boxes are unpacked. The designated food trash can should have a lid to contain odors and keep pests away. Keep dish detergent, a scrub brush and a dish towel at the sink you’ve designated as your cleanup site. “You’re going to want to buy stuff at the grocery store that you can stick a spoon in,” says Dan Harris, who is living through a kitchen renovation and is my father. It will consist mostly of food you can toast indoors or grill outdoors, as well as soup, cereal and cold sandwiches. Now that you know batter and other messy stuff is a no-go, get used to the reality of your new at-home menu. I didn’t include measuring cups or mixing bowls among the things to leave out of the packing boxes (see below) because making pancakes or anything else that requires them is not an easily cleaned-up meal - rinsing out a batter bowl in the small sink in your lovely master bathroom is a bad idea. So think about how you’re going to handle a small-appliance cooking mess before you make it - this may involve the patio, a hose and a dishwashing tub. The mini kitchen can go just about anywhere in your house, but cleanup is the catch. This is a great spot to set up.įor the rest of us, it’s more of a challenge. If your house has a mini kitchen or a wet bar elsewhere, you’re in luck. Electric frying pan (if you have a place to clean it).Think about what equipment might come in handy for throwing together meals. If possible, set up a mini kitchen in another room. Note that these shopping trips will require some time management, but on the plus side, they will get you out of the construction zone. Tell yourself and anyone who usually listens to you vent that you’re adopting a chic, healthy European lifestyle that involves stopping by the market every day for that night’s supper provisions. Include takeout food and restaurant expenses in your overall renovation budget.Just be sure there is a place you can plug it in outside the kitchen. It’s worth renting a small one or buying one secondhand. Perhaps there’s an old fridge in the garage you use for beer or a minifridge elsewhere in the house. Think about whether some sort of refrigeration will be possible.Carve out time to pack up the kitchen properly or arrange for movers since it’s a big task.Plan to do the following before demolition begins: Find some good classes or apps and head to the park. In addition to helping you find a calm place mentally, it’s a great excuse to get out of the house. This would be a good time to take up yoga or learn to meditate. You won’t be able to imagine wanting to dine at a restaurant again, and you’re going to feel the hit of all that dining out on your wallet.Ĭoncentrate on letting go of control because if you try to hold on to it, you’re toast. You will find yourself rinsing a dish in a small powder room sink or a bathtub. Unable to fix anything else for breakfast, you may get addicted to Pop-Tarts. There will likely be frustrating delays and unexpected change orders. For about a full week, you’re going to walk into a gutted kitchen expecting to turn on the coffee maker and then realize that you are barefoot in a construction zone. This was the state it was in during the middle of summer 2018. This story was inspired by this kitchen, which belongs to the author’s parents, Joy and Dan Harris.
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