Sydney Kitchen Renovation Specialists

How to Cook During Your Sydney Kitchen Renovation

July 23, 2021

When your kitchen renovation finally gets underway, it’s an exciting time as you start to see all your careful planning pay off. The drawback of living at home while your kitchen is being renovated is that you temporarily lose access to one of the most-used rooms of the home.

Part of your renovation planning should also include provisions for an alternative cooking solution until the project is finished.

Set yourself up for success and plan other ways you can cook during your Sydney kitchen renovation.

Prepare to have no access to your existing kitchen area

It might go without saying, but while you have tradespeople working on your kitchen, you should assume that the area will be off-limits.

Entering a worksite can be dangerous – there might be wiring, unfinished surfaces or debris that can cause injury if you’re not careful – and it’s best to keep out of the way while contractors are working.

Before your renovation kicks off, move all appliances, food, crockery and utensils that you’ll need out of the space. Depending on the extent of the works being completed, you may want to empty the kitchen of its contents entirely – be aware that whatever remains will likely end up covered in a lot of dust, and this will likely carry into the surrounding areas, too.

Come up with a clear labelling and storage system for your items so that it’s a simple process to set everything back up when the renovation is complete.

Pick a space for a satellite kitchen

Once you’re all packed up, it’s time to pick another room in your home to become a makeshift kitchen for a few weeks.

While choosing a room close to the kitchen seems like the logical option, the dust, debris and noise coming from the renovation might not only make this an inconvenient choice but an unsafe one, too.

A study or garage often makes a good home for your temporary kitchen. Depending on where it sits in your floorplan, the laundry might be another option – the access to running water and a sink will come in handy when cooking.

Make sure there are plenty of spare powerpoints for your appliances, and room to set up a trestle table (or existing surface space) to function as a makeshift preparation station during your Sydney kitchen renovation.

Set up your space

Once you’ve decided on where to set up your temporary kitchen, it’s time to get it ready for use.

Pick some key appliances that are versatile and can be used for different purposes. A microwave and air fryer can achieve many of the functions of a traditional oven and stovetop, giving you more flexibility in the meals you cook. A barbeque will also come in handy for grilling and requires no additional setup.

Other appliances you may want to use, like a toaster, kettle and coffee machine, are small enough that they can be brought out when you need them and otherwise kept in a box to maximise space.

If there’s no existing work surface, set up a trestle table or even stack your boxes and cover a flat piece of board with a table cloth. If you’ve got the time to prepare meals before your renovation, this can minimise the amount of preparation you need to do.

Lastly, you’ll need a space to eat! If couch meals aren’t an option, consider if you can eat outside. A guest bedroom could also be turned into a temporary dining room if you’ve got the space, depending on how long your Sydney kitchen renovation is scheduled to take.

Consider using paper plates and cups to minimise washing up. Bathroom sinks are usually too shallow to effectively wash your dishes – the laundry is a good option for this, but consider how much back-and-forth this will involve after every meal.