cooking inthe summer and lack of air conditioning

[justamouse]

When we moved we decided to forgo air conditioning because now we have an inground pool. The $ shifted. :0) Boy oh boy did I learn a huge lesson @ cooking without air conditioning. I mean, it was NOTHING for me to turn on the oven last year and this year? No way. We'd eat cereal first. We do have a charcoal grill and although I prefer the taste of charcoal grilled foods, I don't want to take the time to start it all every night. We probably will get a gas grill at the end of this season when they go on sale, but I'm thinking ahead to next summer's fare already as we will not be using air conditioning at all. (If we made it through this summer, we can do it again). I want to head into next summer with a summer family cookbook.

 

My question: if you have no air conditioning, how do you cook in the summer, and what do you cook or make as meals in the summer?

[gingersmom]

Takeout

More takeout

Crockpot

I cook for one night

Takeout.........

[posybuddy]

I agree... crockpot, takeout, main dish salads (like cobb salad, chicken salad etc), and the grill. Or, you know.. Cheerios. ;)

[*********]

I agree... crockpot, takeout, main dish salads (like cobb salad, chicken salad etc), and the grill. Or, you know.. Cheerios. ;)

 

Oh, this is SO me. :D

[HollyBee]

Oh my. We have an inground pool too, but it's been so hot this summer that even the pool is not refreshing. Dang, if I had to choose between the pool and AC I'd take AC every time.

 

So that's not helpful. Sorry. :001_huh:

 

And it's no fun to grill in this weather, either. No one wants to stay by the grill and roast like the chicken on the grill. :ack2:

 

Okay, I should try to answer the question. I'm thinking rotisserie chicken from the deli. Make salads, sandwiches, etc. How about BLTs? I made some last night using bacon and tomato (obviously), but instead of lettuce ('cause I didn't have any) I used baby spinach, and I added fresh basil leaves and sliced avocado (for the grownups--kids weren't interested). Added freshly ground sea salt and pepper and OH they were divine.

 

I think there was a salad thread on here not too long ago. You might try searching for that.

[Dawn in OH]

Cook on the grill

Lots of salads and raw vegetables

Vegetables and potatoes either in foil packets on the grill or microwaved

Cook pasta for pasta salad in the morning before it gets hot

[Ester Maria]

If you're a morning person, that's your salvation: cook everything in the morning, but I mean REALLY in the morning - plan it the way you're DONE by 10 AM. A lot earlier if you can, but that's if you're a hardcore morning person and can finish by, say, 8 AM.

Minimize cooking by combining everything with salads - with LOTS of salad and raw vegetables. Have fruit available for snacks, or in case you run out of food.

 

A more costy option would be to eat out, but I doubt you would wish to do it every day, since it's quite tiring to go out for a meal or two daily and manage with fruit and veggies for the rest of the day. Ordering from a restaurant though might help sometimes.

 

We have aircon, but I know people who don't and they solve it by cooking very, very early in the morning.

[justamouse]

....Ester Maria's sig line has temporarily hijacked my brain. :001_smile: I have questions...

 

Cooking in the morning-THAT is what I was thinking of instituting and now I will. (now I know why all of the old, old houses has summer kitchen's in the basement.) Salads got old because I ran out of dressings. I make my own balsamic vinaigrette, but more than two nights a week and yick. I need to add more dressings to the repertoire. But I can see how being done so early in the day leaves an ease in the afternoon when it's so hot you can't move from the pool.

 

Those BLTs sound awesome. Yer makin me hungry. I had some good ones this year, but I'll put it on the list for this week.

 

Ok, I'm making a list here. This is a good start. Anyone else?

[Rivka]

In the summer I use my George Foreman countertop grill all the time. It's indoor cooking still, but it doesn't heat up the house. It's still grilling, but there's no char-broiled flavor so there is some variety.

 

A lot of Crockpot meals don't appeal in the summer because they are so hearty, nut pulled pork sandwiches from the Crockpot go well.

 

We minimize cooked sides in the summer by eating a lot of bread, salads, and raw veggie platters.

[justamouse]

You know, I was thinking of buying one those those Foreman grills! If only to make panini! I'll have to get one.

 

I'm glad to know I've been heading in the right direction.

[MaMa2005]

Crockpot meals.

Gas grill meals.

If something needs to be cooked inside, I do it first thing in the morning before it gets hot.

Lots of salads and lots of iced tea.

[Carol in Cal.]

Big salads with cheese chunks in them

Stuff that heats up very quickly on the stove top, no ovens allowed! (Like pasta)

Microwaved soup (although I rarely want soup in the summer)

Microwaved or briefly heated on the stove top chili (I do like chili in the summer, and make it on cool days and freeze it in wide mouthed pint sized canning jars.)

Grilled burgers

Crockpot or Sun Oven

Once I have refritos around (made in the Sun Oven), I freeze them in wide mouthed pint size canning jars. To serve them I use grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, tortillas, shredded lettuce, taco sauce, Tobasco, and the warmed up beans.

[stripe]

Minimize cooking by combining everything with salads - with LOTS of salad and raw vegetables.

I can't believe you didn't recommend pesto, or perhaps something like gazpacho. I even heard (on the Splendid Table) you could turn the spaghetti water off after 2 min and let it cook in the hot water.

[Rosie_0801]

We eat salads, things that microwave, instant couscous, bread and dips. That's about it really; but in the heat of summer, that's all anyone feels like eating. I keep asking dh to make me a solar cooker, but I'm thinking it'll end up being a school project...

 

Rosie

[Ester Maria]

I can't believe you didn't recommend pesto, or perhaps something like gazpacho. I even heard (on the Splendid Table) you could turn the spaghetti water off after 2 min and let it cook in the hot water.

Heretics. :tongue_smilie: Kidding, I never actually tried that though I know some people do it (let it cook a little then turn off the heat and let it cook in the hot water), I'd be afraid it would end up too al dente-ish. I usually just go with what Barilla says, following the logic "if I can be hot 2 minutes, I can be hot 8 minutes as well".

 

Pesto is actually a really good idea, but doesn't work for us (mainly because of cheese, it's twice problematic - for one, we aren't crazy about cheese, and for two, there might be some kosher issues about it).

[Lara in Colo]

Toaster ovens and crockpots (both a can be plugged-in outside)

Cook at night and in the am.

Cook in large batches and then re-heat.

 

Lara

[Stacy in NJ]

the cooktop, microwave, toaster oven and grill. Those wouldn't necessarily heat up the house too much. I'd probably do a lot of pastas and grill most days.

[Ferdie]

I use the stove top, (stir fry, pasta, tacos) the toaster oven, (fish), the grill, (sausage, meat and veggies) and the crockpot. We leave our oven off all summer because it is just too hot here in TX.

[hillfarm]

We don't have a/c. During the summer we cook a little on the electric stove top, but never in the oven. This summer our old gas bbq grill finally gave up the fight and we had to replace it. Our new one was under $200 and had a thermostat in the lid.

 

I have discovered that I can actually bake things on the grill. Dh will go out and heat the grill until the thermometer indicates the preferred temp. Then he will turn off one of the 3 burner sections and put the muffins, for example, in that spot. He closes the lid and lets the muffins bake. When the tops are starting to brown, we check for doneness and if ready, bring inside. Things baked this way don't taste at all smoky or "grilled".

 

When dh does a pizza this way, he likes to turn the burner on under the pizza pan for about 20 seconds, which crisps the crust very nicely.

 

So we eat lots of salads and regular grilled foods, but we also have a number of things that I have always thought of as "oven food".

 

You can also use your breadmaker, crockpot, etc. outside if someone is available to keep an eye on the situation. I am not willing to feed any wandering pets or wildlife any of my dinner. But this also keeps a lot of heat out of the house. In desperate situations, when I can't be there to monitor things, I have been known to put several trivets or hot pads in the metal tray bottom of our newly washed dog crate and stick the crock pot inside the crate and locked the door. It looks like I am afraid my crock pot will escape, but actually I am more afraid that the cats will decide to help themselves and the crate keeps them at bay.:D HTH

[StephanieZ]

Or, eat late at night like South Americans. In Argentina, they eat dinner around 10 PM. . . That way you can heat up the house cooking but run a big whole house fan to cool the house down meanwhile + after cooking.

 

Even with a/c, I love to cook late in the summer b/c I like to cool the whole house off with the house fan after running the oven. I always do the self clean thing late at night for the same reason!

[stripe]

Heretics. :tongue_smilie: Kidding, I never actually tried that though I know some people do it (let it cook a little then turn off the heat and let it cook in the hot water), I'd be afraid it would end up too al dente-ish. I usually just go with what Barilla says, following the logic "if I can be hot 2 minutes, I can be hot 8 minutes as well".

I haven't done it either, and the host of the show was a bit shocked by the suggestion but said she'd try it. I do tend to agree that boiling water takes forever to cool down, and the goal of it was energy savings more than saving oneself from a kitchen inferno. I baked bread in the oven yesterday and was a complete sweat ball by the time I was done cooking dinner. I disappointed my kids by merely BOILING broccoli instead of cooking in garlic.

 

Pesto is actually a really good idea, but doesn't work for us (mainly because of cheese, it's twice problematic - for one, we aren't crazy about cheese, and for two, there might be some kosher issues about it).

I'm not a giant pesto fan myself, but couldn't you just... leave off the cheese? I saw a nice pesto trapanese the other day with almonds, tomatoes, basil, and garlic that really looked tasty.

 

I heard a lady on NPR going on about the joys of having cold soups during the summer, but I couldn't help but wonder -- how is this enough? Some cucumbers and a tomato or whatever just doesn't sound filling to me. Bring on the pasta! ;)

Edited August 21, 2010 by stripe

[LuvToRead]

In the summer we eat a lot of pan fried pork chops and chicken breasts, spaghetti, and sloppy joes. BLT's are also yummy. We even have breakfast for supper on occasion.

 

If you want to use the crock pot, you could also cook Italian beef, Italian chicken, or BBQ pork for sandwiches. I'm making chicken and dumplings for tonight. You can also bake potatoes in the crock pot. (I've never done this).

 

I admit we have a gas grill and use it all the time. If I had a charcoal grill, I probably won't use it at much. One of our favorite things to grill is a pork tenderloin. I rub it with olive oil, and then chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and paprika. Delicious!

 

Have you tried googling summer recipes, or something similar. You may come up with a ton of recipes. I may try that later. I'm always looking for something new that doesn't require the oven.

[Punchie]

We cook on the grill. You'd be amazed at how versatile a gas grill is. We'll bake rolls ,pizza, cassaroles, etc... in addition to normal grilling.

[justamouse]

I think the gas grill is going to make a huge difference for next year.

 

Cold soups-I've had chilled watercress soup, and shilled broccoli soup and it WAS refreshing, but I'm thinking the kids may draw the line at it. And I love pesto, but my basil was a spectacular fail this summer-I have no idea why. It got leggy and lean, not broad and lush.

 

I love the idea of eating at 10pm! how I wish. Dh wants to move to Greece so we can stay up till 3/4 am and sleep all morning. :-) I told him he'd have to eat dandelion salads and he was still willing.

[Julie in CA]

One thing I did notice is the crockpot/George Foreman grill recommendations.

Those work great, but you have a big family! I have air conditioning, but our power bills were so huge that I resorted to drastic measures to get it down. My idea sounds radical, but WOW am I glad I took the plunge! I have a gas hookup in my garage for my dryer. In the summer, I don't use the dryer (I hang out the laundry, also another cost-cutting measure), so I found a cheap gas stove/oven on Craigslist and hooked it up to that gas line. I can bake all summer long, and never ever heat up the house with it. In the winter, we'll unhook the stove and hook up the dryer again for the wet/cold weather. I'm not sure if that's a possibility for you, but I can't believe how well it's working for me, for under $100 total investment.

 

Alternatively, I'd get a plug-in electric roaster that I could plug in outside, and maybe a separate induction burner that I could use outside on a table. It would be a bit of an investment, but the roasters can be found very cheaply. If you have a local Freecycle.com, you might be able to find one for free. I have a Foreman grill, but we have to eat dinner in shifts if I try to use it for our whole family. Maybe two of the large Foremans would work. Either way, get yourself a table outside and keep the heat out of the house completely.

[Danestress]

When we were without AC (not in NC, that would be too brutal) we ate a lot of sandwiches and things like tacos in the summer. We ate pitas with hummus and all kinds of vegetables, grain and bean salads, chic pea salad.

 

My husband likes to eat that way so it was not a problem for us. As long as there is a LOT of food, everyone is happy.

 

Grilling is also good, and if you are not opposed to using a microwave, they are good for heating things without making your kitchen hot. I would also consider freezing a lot of foods in the spring. They you can let them thaw all day in your nice warm kitchen, and just gently reheat.

[Pippen]

I have an outlet on the deck and I cook out there year around with my Nesco 6 or 12 quart roasting pans. The other day I did up a bunch of chicken breast I got on sale and shredded it for my freezer.

 

I can do a lot more with the 6 quart roasters than I ever could with the crockpots. I hardly use it anymore unless I'm going to a potluck.

[Carol in Cal.]

I forgot one thing...my mom used to have a big electric frying pan. I think that they still make these--they are about 16 inches square, with a fairly tightfitting lid, maybe 3-4 inches deep with the lid doming up that far as well. She could make an entire pot roast in that thing, and plug it in on the back porch. Then only heating up the potatoes and red cabbage were done inside on the stove.

 

I have an electric wok that would probably work the same way, although it does not get as hot as I like for wok use so I tend to leave it in the box. I stir fry fast enough that I don't mind doing it inside.

[AFwife Claire]

We also usually use the crockpot or electric skillet, do a lot of stir-fries, etc. This August my oldest is playing football for the first time, with practices every night from 6-8. My dh retired from the AF on Aug 1 and doesn't have a job yet, so he has been around most of the day. I decided to make our main meal at lunch time, and it has worked really well! The house doesn't heat up, we eat leftovers or sandwiches or cereal at dinner time, and I think it's a good diet plan, LOL. I'm just not as hungry at lunch time, so I don't eat as much, but having a "real" meal keeps me filled up so I'm not as munchy in the afternoon (well, I am pregnant, so I still am munchy, LOL). Plus, being done with all my big cooking and kitchen cleaning by say 2:00 is REALLY nice! Of course, we're starting school next week, so my meals will have to not take too long--hopefully school plus cooking won't be too much!

[meet me in paris]

Rice cookers work really well, too, without heating up the house.

 

Here's a great recipe for a frittata cooked in the rice cooker:

 

http://justbento.com/handbook/recipe-collection-mains/rice-cooker-frittata-summer-vegetables

[stripe]

Ooh, speaking of rice cooker, this is a great article about someone who travels with hers!

 

http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Food/2009/0311/p18s01-lifo.html

[Jane Elliot]

When we lived in Brazil, where it's very hot and hardly anybody had air conditioning, I learned to use a pressure cooker. It was not uncommon to see Brazilians with 3 pressure cookers going at once on their stove.

 

With a pressure cooker, you can have the heat on for just a fraction of the time you would need for any other method (except microwave). You can cook beans, tough cuts of meat, desserts (flan and puddings), all kinds of things. And the newer models are very safe. I have a Kuhn Rikon and use it several times a week.

[Brilliant]

Toaster ovens and crockpots (both a can be plugged-in outside)

 

Lara

 

I was going to suggest this, too. When we lived in Fresno, our AC bills were so high that the last thing I wanted was to put all that radiant heat from the slow cooker into the air in my house. So I set the cooker on a table on my back porch.

[meet me in paris]

Ooh, speaking of rice cooker, this is a great article about someone who travels with hers!

 

http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Food/2009/0311/p18s01-lifo.html

 

That's it. I'm taking my rice cooker on my next vacation. :D