Keeping Your Kitchen Cool While Cooking in Summer Heat

When summer heat already has your home’s cooling system doing its best to keep up, often the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or stove and heat things even more. Here are some warm meal ideas without the heat.

Cooking warm meals without heating your home

Here are some of the best ways to put together a hot meal without creating a stifling kitchen or heating your house.

#1. Use a slow cooker or pressure cooker

A great alternative to using your stovetop burners or of you is to prepare a meal using cooking devices such as a slow cooker (crockpot) or pressure cooker (instant pot), both of which have several advantages…

The heat is mostly contained within the device. Not a lot of external heat escapes from these devices, therefore they won’t heat the entire room the way your stove or oven will.
Both can cook a variety of food types and meals.
Both require less “hands-on” involvement, meaning you don’t have to stand over a hot stove as much, only checking at intervals and leaving you free to do other things.

#2. Use a microwave

Many people only see microwaves as a reheating device. Wrong. One London-based restaurant once boasted of using microwaves for cooking all of its menu items. You’d be surprised what you can do with a microwave. Sure, you can’t roast or sauté, but there’s plenty of things you can do. Microwaves steam in a way that retains nutrients. You can make fish, tender-cook vegetables, and even slow-cook items. There are plenty of microwave recipes and cookbooks available. It’s worth checking out.

#3. Portable induction cooktops

These type of devices generate the heat directly in the pan, making them cooler than using a gas range. These devices use electromagnetic currents to generate heat. Keep in mind, the cooking vessel (i.e. the pot or pan) will still get quite hot.

#4. Use an air fryer

A healthy alternative to getting the crisp of fried foods without the oil is the use of an air fryer. Essentially, they are small, powerful convection ovens. But they will put out less heat into the room than a conventional oven.

#5. Use a compact convection oven

Countertop compact convection ovens have several advantages over using your air to cook food about 25 percent faster. That’s less time you’ll be putting heat into the room. Even better, they cook food more evenly and are better at browning. Lastly, because it cooks food faster and at a lower temperature, it’s more energy efficient than your conventional oven.