How to keep your kitchen cool during a heatwave
Another month, another string of sweltering days. September is off to a dangerously hot start with temperatures in the 90s or even in the triple digits in many parts of the country. Whether it’s a heat wave or not, the kitchen is a lifeline for most homes, but turning on the stove and oven during the warm summer months can make things even more annoying. If you’re dealing with a hot kitchen situation, there are ways to keep that essential room from overheating without giving it away entirely Take out order.
In the midst of a summer heatwave, you may feel the need to give up cooking altogether. These tips for keeping your kitchen cool on especially hot days will allow you to keep your breakfast, lunch, and food fresh Dinner routine Connected.
Manually regulating the thermostat in the kitchen will not only save you some sweat and sanity, but it will also save you Some money on your air conditioning billsince you won’t have to move it as much to balance it.
Here are nine simple ways to keep your kitchen cool during the summer heatwave.
1. Prep instead of cook
Ceviche requires no cooking. It may be the perfect summer food.
Don’t want to heat up your kitchen? Do not cook. But this does not mean that you can not eat. Focus on fresh, no-cook foods, such as summer salads, ceviche, smoothies, and cold pasta. Even chopping up fresh fruits or vegetables like cucumbers and watermelons can be a refreshing and healthy summer treat. Uncooked foods help beat the heat in two ways: By not heating up your kitchen — or your body — while you’re consuming them.
And when you’re cooking, limit your time in the kitchen with a handy meal kit (these are the tools). The best meal kits for 2023). Although you’ll likely still have to cook, you’ll be doing a lot fewer settings, and spending less time in a sweltering kitchen is definitely a good thing. Most services offer no-cook snacks during the summer, too.
Basic tools for food preparation
2. Use your exhaust
An exhaust fan above the stove is never more useful than on a hot summer day.
If you are going to use your furnace, make sure that the exhaust fan is running at full capacity whenever you do so. Most people associate exhaust systems with reducing smoke, but those fans above the furnace also absorb a great deal of heat.
Read more: Try this easy trick to safely clean oven grease from hard-to-reach places
3. Get a good grill or pizza oven and cook outside
Home pizza ovens are on a tear and make an excellent alternative to hot indoor cooking.
Beat the kitchen heat by cooking outdoors this summer. Grilled chicken or steak are classic grill dishes, but don’t forget that you can grill summer favorites like corn on the cob or watermelon, too. It may get hot when you’re outside using the grill or smoker to heat up foods, but your kitchen can still be cool.
Essential equipment for grilling and outdoor cooking, all tested and reviewed.
4. Use small appliances
Slow cookers release much less heat than an oven.
Reducing oven and stove use can help you avoid heating up your kitchen. Small appliances can also cook your food while emitting less heat than larger appliances. Try to use Air fryer Instead of your wall oven, or panini maker instead cent place. You’ll be surprised how versatile small appliances are. Your slow cooker and instant pot It’s not just for winter soups and stews either. Think of summer recipes you can make right on your countertop, like instant pork carnitas. And don’t turn your nose up at the microwave, which can burn rice, quinoa, vegetables, and more while generating practically no heat.
Kitchen gadgets that keep your wall oven off
5. Cook a batch for the week
Some Instant Pots work as an air fryer.
If you’re going to heat your kitchen, make it worth it. If you end up using the oven or stovetop, make larger quantities than usual. This way, you can use leftovers from pre-cooked food, which means you have food ready to use without heating up your kitchen again.
But with the right kitchen tools, you can cook in batches And Keep the oven off. For example, make a whole batch of pulled chicken in the Instant Pot (which gives off very little heat). Then you can use the leftovers to make tacos, chicken salad, nachos, and other meals that don’t require firing up the oven again.
The best equipment for batch cooking
6. Cook during cool hours
If you’re going to cook, try to do so when it’s cold.
Cooking in your kitchen when it’s already hot outside (and probably already hot in your house) means you’ll add more heat. Plan ahead and strategize your cooking times when it’s not hot. The best time to cook to avoid the heat is in the morning or later in the evening. It may seem easier said than done, but you can bake bread in the morning, or cook protein and pasta dishes while making breakfast or brunch so they’re ready for dinner.
More great kitchen tips
7. Get those fans going
We’re big fans of air circulation during the summer.
Airflow can help cool your kitchen. If you are using the stove, turn on the kitchen hood vent. It’s there to remove not only grease, fumes and odors but also smoke, heat and steam that can linger and overheat your kitchen while cooking. Additionally, you can keep a fan in the kitchen to move and cool the air. You can also put your fan on to move hot air out, or bring in cool air with a cool, wet towel.
We are fans of these
8. Limit lighting
There should be no (less) light.
Sunlight and even artificial indoor light can generate heat, and when you’re in the heat of summer, every degree counts. Dim the lights, close any curtains, close the blinds and limit the number of lights you turn on. You don’t have to work in the dark but be careful not to turn on too many overhead lights.
Smart lights for kitchen glow
9. Stay hydrated
Water, water everywhere.
This strategy will not lower the actual temperature in your kitchen but will make the heat more bearable. Moisturizing is not. The first rule of any summer activity, and cooking outdoors or in a warm kitchen is no exception. Drink plenty of water — 11 to 15 cups a day is recommended — and drink more than you think when your mercury level rises.
Want to punch it up a little? Try a water infusion for more flavor and refreshment. Are you planning to sweat? Add sea salt and lemon to boost the electrolytes and flavor.
