Temporary kitchen while renovating

Fill your freezer now with family favorites that can be warmed in the microwave; also, components of dishes that can be cooked in the slow cooker, e.g., browned meat + aromatics in sauce, that can then be plopped into the slow cooker with vegetables to make stews, etc. Just having one or two of those meals a week will make a big difference. I didn't buy any new appliances when we did our remodel, which had me working out of the dining room for about 8 weeks. I used our crock pot, microwave, panini press and waffle maker a lot! It was quite the adventure - sort of fun really, but then, I'm always game for challenges of that sort. ;o) P.S. We did not use any disposable plates or utensils. It would have depressed me beyond words to do that.

One of the things you can do for a counter top is take off some closet doors and put them on saw horses. Then use some easily removable shelf liner to protect them. Then you will have extra counter space for all the appliances you be using: Electric Kettle, slow cooker, microwave, toaster oven..etc.

One thing to remember about hot plate cooking if you're using a gas table top burner is that heat comes up around the side of a pot---so be sure to leave enough room around the edges of a table top burner so you don't scotch things---I once melted part of a microwave by using a portable gas burner topped with a small steel griddle a bit too close to to the microwave door.

We didn't use disposables; I just couldn't bear the idea of all that waste. I washed dishes in the bathtub with little to no trouble.

We used many of the suggestions above, but also used an electric frying pan (we did not have a portable cooktop) and a toaster oven a lot.

Good idea to do this when the weather is decent and bbq outdoors using disposables as much as possible. You will really appreciate your kitchen !

I second the microwave and temp cooktop. We bought the Waring electric double burner one and cooked well on it for six weeks. Two friends have also used it (and the microwave; bought for $20 on Craig's List) for their kitchen renovations. Also, utilize your grill if you have one!!
We had our fridge and dishwasher moved to another room so that they were still usable. You can ask your contractor if that's possible!

My parents used a standalone convection oven (and a separate microwave) a lot when remodeling their kitchen.
To avoid generating mountains of trash, maybe consider getting one of the small portable dishwashers that can hook up to a sink faucet? There are probably quite a few available cheaply on your local Craigslist.

Sam1148 recently posted on just this issue in response to a question I asked a week or so ago about kitchen remodels. He had some great suggestions. Search hotline for "kitchen" tag and it should come up.

We have gone through two kitchen remodels, so here are a few thoughts. If you do not have one, invest in a microwave oven; even better, one with a convection oven capability. An induction cooktop would be useful, too. We moved our fridge to the living room. Unless you enjoy doing dishes in the bathtub, get a lot of disposable tableware--plates, glasses, etc. That said, a sizable garbage can and plastic bags are necessities. If you have a freezer, stock up on home-prepared meals in advance of the remodel.