this is easy....

1) a portable hotplate (buy something that is restaurant quality). you can find reasonably priced models at a restaurant supply store

2) a countertop convection/microwave combination. you can toast, bake, heat up all kinds of foods.

additionally, i'd get a small skillet and a medium sized pot and only the bare necessities when it comes to utensils. A chef's knife, paring knife, cutting board, spatula, slotted spoon, measuring cups and spoons, and maybe 2 med. sized mixing bowls.

also add a wooden mixing spoon.

Hot plate, microwave, toaster oven. I haven't had to live without a kitchen, but I imagine those 3 things might make cooking a little more easy.

Hot plate toaster oven microwave (if you use one)?

I think my primary concern would be how big your sink is and what kind of prep space you will have, though.

[Note: I put plus signs between all of the appliances that did not show up.]

A small cart with a butcher block top that you can use for prepping and to store a hot plate, toaster oven, and a microwave. Add a mini fridge to the mix and you've got yourself a kitchen. Happy cooking!!

I've got a wonderful kitchen now, but when I just started working and moved out on my own I only had a tiny barely equipped kitchen (just 3 things: double burner portable electric stove, small fridge, extremely small sink). Still, I cooked daily. Only baking (no oven) was impossible. Although some things did not work out (wok, for example, burner not hot enough), I managed fish, meat, vegetarian, sautés, pastas and curries - with two burners I could have rice on one and curry on the other, for example. It was cramped once in a while (more complex recipes with several steps and pots, custards and like), but with my trusty electric kettle and french press to handle tea/coffee I ate at home 90% of the time (and I love variety). If you add a toaster oven or a microwave - you'll have no problem at all.

I grew up with only a mircowave and a single electric burner. Trust me, you can cook with only these. it may help to flip through a microwave cookbook to get ideas on how to fully use it to cook and not just heat. and, of course, if you can a toaster/convection/microwave combo, even better!

If you are big lover of rice and steamed foods I might add a rice cooker. Though if you are short on space you might not want a pile of stuff.

I currently live without a kitchen, and don't recommend it. but if you are clever, you can make this work, and learn to shop and eat more frugally.

you will definitely need:

small refrigerator
hot plate
toaster oven

you might also like
water boiler
microwave
convection oven
crock pot

keep things simple, and you will do fine. I have found that I barely use the micro, and mostly use the toaster oven. everything toasts, most things reheated in the micro taste like mush. why bother then? the waterboiler is nice because it frees space on the hotplate. also useful in jumpstarting a meal. the crock pot is a highly useful tool, when used effectively, consult: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ for hundreds of great recipes.

you might find yourself thinking about food differently, shopping more often, and hopefully buying only what you need for a day or two. it is nice, but after a year of it, I am moving out of a beautiful 2500 sq foot loft with a city view and no kitchen, into a small studio with a full kitchen. it really is that important. remember that, "we are the cooking animal." not the reheating animal. not the takeout animal. cooking!

A fridge of some sort is probably a good idea, as is a toaster oven and microwave. Instead of a hot plate or mini stove, though, I might suggest springing for an countertop induction stove - it'll be a lot more powerful, though they cost more.

I'm going through a similar situation myself. We're undertaking a major kitchen renovation so I have a mini-kitch set up. Plug-in double burner (Waring brand from Amazon for $70 - works great), microwave and toaster oven. Dont' forget a crock pot - one pot equals less cleanup!

Have you thought about a toaster oven?
http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/cooking_with_a_toaster_oven

I lived in a studio apartment that only had a sink and mini fridge, and the landlord provided a microwave. I bought a double burner at Stop N' Shop (similar to the one pictured above) and a good sized toaster oven from sears. I used my small kitchen table to house the double burner since it had an outlet right behind it, and bought a small butcher block topped cart for prep space and storage. I could make absolutely anything I wanted (except maybe a Thanksgiving turkey lol).

When I was a kid my grandparents owned a small business in a very small building with a tiny back room where they had two chairs, an itty bitty bathroom with the smallest sink I've ever seen. My grandmother made herself a little kitchen area in a space appox 2.5 feet deep and 4 feet long. She had a cart that she stored dishes and cookware in and on top of that was a toaster oven. On a shelf above that she had a 2 burner hot plate. They also had a small refrigerator. Microwave ovens didn't exist then. My grandmother cooked lunch and dinner every day in that little space and washed the dishes in the tiny sink. She could make anything we wanted. My grandmother grew up in the depression era and was no stranger to making do with what she had available.

It depends on how good of a cook you are and now good you are improvising.

I would recommend an electric kettle; it will save you time and burner space*. If you are the noodle and boiled eggs variety of cook, you can go super cheap kind with a wide lid. I boiled eggs, made noodles, soup, etc with it in my teeny tiny dorm room.

If you can think on your feet then the rice cooker is a god-send and also will not burn your building down. In our house, the go to lazy dinner is frozen beans, lima, kidney, soy, and even corn, dumped on top of rice, and steamed together. When the rice is done, so is the side dish.

Rice cookers can also steam anything: veggies, buns, dumplings, sweet potatoes, and even protein. Though with meats, you will need to chop it thinly and spread it no more than an inch thick. It will cook in 30-40 minutes. You will need to experiment a bit. If it feels questionable, then either check the internal temp or just toss it back for another 10 minute steam.

Healthy and does not require constant vigilance.

*If you have the bucks and worried about safety, I would go with a convection burner. Won't have to worry about burning down the building.

You'd be amazed at what you can cook with just a coffee maker!

RobotLover -- I WOULD be amazed. Pls elaborate.

I have a full kitchen, but I also have an electric griddle and I love it. Mine has lasted forever, too. I had a less-than-ideal kitchen in my first college apartment, but I was still able to crank out pancake breakfasts for me and my friends on hungover mornings. You can pretty much make anything on it, and it stores easily because it's thin and flat.

Agree with many comments: double hot plate (more stable), toaster oven, microwave, half fridge, coffee maker, and maybe an electric water kettle and you basically have a fully stocked kitchen. An electric griddle (or pan) can be handy too, depending on how much/what you cook. There are small versions of cooking sheets to fit into toaster ovens, and standard 6-muffin tins usually fit too! The other nice thing about all these portable appliances is they can be put away when not in use. Just make sure you don't plug them all into the same electric circuit at once, and also give yourself plenty of table/counter space for safety's sake. And if by chance you have outdoor space, don't forget how udeful a propane grill can be.

Microwave and one of these induction cooktop sexy beasts

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=induction cooktop 1 burner&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=8828429240633893406&ei=gGCzS7aJG4P88Abv4bHkAQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCMQ8wIwBQ#ps-sellers

If you had a single-burner hot plate for making pasta, soups, etc., an electric frying pan might be a good companion. They're cheap and portable (I bought mine when I was teaching, to cook at school with my students). They're large enough to use as a griddle, but have enough depth for things like spaghetti sauce and curry.

Coffee maker was my belly laugh for the day. Thanks robotlover : )

I am in almost the same situation. I've been living in my new home for almost a month now. Unfortunately there is no stove, or fridge. Counter space is limited and i'm using a portable burner at the moment to make spaghetti for lunch.

A portable hot plate is an excellent idea! I think i might buy one :-D

It really depends.

I lived without a kitchen last summer (well, not exactly -- I had access to a communal kitchen, but it was three floors down.) I used my George Foreman all the time to cook chicken breasts, burgers, sausages, kabobs, etc. I cooked rice, pasta and scrambled eggs in the microwave. What do you like to eat? What are you current go-to meals? I think once you've figured this out, it will be easier to tailor your "kitchen" to your needs. Some people eat a lot of rice while others are happy with salads. I'd say convection oven, slow cooker & George Foreman (or some kind of electric grill) for myself.

When I lived in NY for college I had no kitchen but I had a coffee maker. Besides providing coffee, a coffee maker gives you hot water that gets poured into a glass bowl. The instant meal options are endless. I loved making ramen noodles, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, tea, soup....so many things that you can do with just a bowl and hot water.

I agree with the counter top convection oven. I used to make all sorts of food with that thing living in a little 10x10 dorm room. My favorite was the lasagna rolls!

Why do people repeat what others have already written?

You might also add a crockpot to the list, as well.

I've done without a kitchen for about 6 months.
Apart from the Holy Trinity that has been mentioned before (toaster oven, microwave, hot plate) that I agree really do the trick, I'd also get creative with how you cook.

A few tips:
- Cook for three or four and refridgerate the rest, treat yourself to a microwave dinner every now and then.
- Buy a recipe book about cooking in the microwave (there is much more you can do with it than most people think).
- Learn how to cook simple.
- Even use techniques like cooking rice by starting it on the hot plate and let it steam in the pot in an old blanket if you really like a challenge :-) I use this when I'm camping, with the sleeping bag for the blanket.

Also, don't forget you also need a tap and drainage. Do you have that in the unit? If not, things will get really complicated. If possible, set your make shift kitchen up near a tap and near ventilation. But I'm sure you thought of that.

In the end, when I got tired of not having a kitchen, I also made do by eating heavy hot lunches at work and lighter salads in the evening at home, or by going to a good deli for freshly made lasagnas and other meals. I enjoyed the challenge, but I'm happy I've got a big kitchen now!

Good luck!

How to improvise a kitchen definitely depends on how you cook now. Some people get by really well with just a crock pot, for instance. And some appliances duplicate functions. You don't really need a coffee maker if you're going to use an electric kettle -- just get a Melitta drip filter cone to use when you make coffee. Likewise, you don't need a rice maker if you're getting a microwave. You can make rice in the microwave just fine. And there's lots of stuff you can do with just a Foreman grill -- the advantage there is that you can usually find a cheap one second hand at your local thrift store, so it's not a big investment.

But as others have suggested, setting up some sort of stable, comfortable-height prep space will be a good idea no matter what appliances you prioritize.

Also, since no one else has mentioned it -- if you do mostly Asian-style cooking you can do a lot worse than simply getting an electric wok. With a rice steamer, an electric wok can keep you in tasty stir-fry meals. (Caveat tho: the electric wok is a pain to wash, especially if you don't have a big sink, and Asian-style cooking tends to leave me with a lot more prep dishes to wash than some other styles.)

I would get a deep electric skillet rather than a hot plate. You won't need additional pans, and it can cook anything you want and double as a wok, too. Also a small crockpot, they make a 1-1/2 qt. one, I think. A toaster oven. And you don't need 2 mixing bowls! A salad bowl will do double duty for that. And you only need one 2-cup measuring cup and one combo measuring spoon. A big serving spoon can be a mixing spoon also. I'm sure you don't have a lot of space to store kitchen equipment, and I don't imagine you will be cooking for large numbers of people. Less is more.

I would suggest a plugg in griddle. I have one and its amazing, you can make more then just breakfast, you can do homemade burgers etc, and they are pretty cheap.

This may sound a little batty, but I can guarantee that you know someone with an electric fondue pot that never actually uses it and would be happy to donate it to you.
Though i have never made actual fondue in mine, it has been a life saver on big cooking occasions when my stove was already at max capacity, and i just needed to simmer one more thing. It cooks fast and hotter than a crockpot, and is easy to make soups and pasta dishes in, has a temperature control built in and can also be used as a warming dish. much like an electric skillet or wok, you can get hotter, more even temps than you would on a hotplate with a normal pot.

How bout "Slow Cooker"? I think it'll help :-)

Don't forget the sink! You can use anything from a large dishpan (http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-2951-AR-BISQUE-11-4-Bisque/dp/B0000DINAX) or camp double basin(http://www.campingcomfortably.com/camping-sink-folding-double-wash-basin.html) to a portable sink (http://www.campingcomfortably.com/gsi-camp-gourmet-kitchen-table.html) (http://specialty-manf.com/Nellie1.html), depending on your budget.