10 Kitchen Tips to Keep Your Cool This Summer
Summer is officially here and it is making its presence felt across the country with a heatwave. It’s definitely hot, which means it’s hot here too, and around here, I mean in the kitchen. Of course, the old advice, “if you can’t take the heat …” might be the best way to go, but we don’t plan to stay out of the kitchen in all weathers. (And, if you are like us, revelation happens even in the oddest times, during the summer days.
There are many easy ways to cool your kitchen, even if you do not have air conditioning and are at the mercy of Mother Nature. Don’t worry, you are not doomed to spend summer in a culinary torture chamber. All you need are a few tips to get through the warmer months.
Let’s cool this kitchen!
1. Shut the curtains
If you cover your kitchen windows with blinds or curtains, you want to keep them closed during the day or during cooking, so that the excess heat of the sun is not exposed. Running blinds can prevent the sun from shining inside and make your kitchen warm enough, so this is an important step to keep the temperature down.
If you are using your kitchen windows as a light source, try to keep the blinds slightly closed, making sure they are oriented so that the sun’s rays point upward toward the ceiling and countertops. Not towards
2.Stay Hydrated
This may sound simple, but staying hydrated is an important step to remaining calm in a burning kitchen. Any cook who works in a restaurant or kitchen on a daily basis can verify that you pour yourself a large glass (or jug) of ice water to keep your body temperature down while you work.
How important. Before your next summer cooking, pour yourself some chilled glass before you start cooking. You can try adding lemon and a pinch of sea salt to the water for extra electrolytes. Or try freezing fruit in an ice cube tray for a treat.
3.DIY Air Conditioner
Since many modern homes are equipped with air conditioners and various cooling technologies, it may seem unnecessary to use something as simple as a fan. Trust us, it is not and it can cool your kitchen considerably if it is covered in a cool, moist towel.
Even the smallest countertop fan can blow some of the necessary cold air into cooking in a kitchen. Simply cover the fan with a damp cloth or towel, or position it so that air passes over the towel and over you. You can also freeze water bottles and tie them like fans like ice cubes. You will have a cool breeze immediately and you will be a very happy chef.
Simple tip: If you live in an area where summer days are hot, but nights are cold, let the fan vent fresh air into your hot kitchen in front of the open air.
4. Use small devices
Unlike your oven or stove, a microwave almost emits heat while it is working. In the summer, your kitchen will be colder. If you can avoid running the oven again and again, make the microwave an ideal summer kitchen companion. There are many healthy foods that can be cooked in the microwave, such as boiled vegetables, quinoa or brown rice.
5. Invest in a fan.
The worst thing about summer heat is not the heat itself, it is the stagnation. Move air into your kitchen with a compact fan. We like this cute retro, or for a good budget option, try this portable version. If your kitchen has a window, a box fan is also worth considering. You can try to get warm air from the inside and keep it in the mouth to blow cold air or outside.Check review of customers before buying a fan online.
6. Reduce lights, reduce shades.
Generally, we are a bright kitchen fan, but in summer, light equals summer. To keep things cool (relatively), dim or turn off the lights. And if you have blinds, reduce them as well.
7.Eat more cold dishes
Salads and many other similar dishes are good for hot summer days. However, keeping the heat in the kitchen to a minimum does not mean to never turn on the burner. Sometimes it is about making the most of the time you spend on them.
Cold dishes are a great way to go, but they often require the ingredients you need to cook. In this case, plan the meal in advance, doubling the amount of some ingredients. For example, when you make it and later enjoy both in a cold pasta salad, serve an extra serving of pasta.
8.Cook early in the day
Cooking early in the morning is the coldest time of the day. There is a time to cool in your house overnight and the cooking process before noon will also be a time to cool down. When making breakfast, consider preparing other ingredients or dishes to eat later in the day.
9.Cook with induction hobs
If you want to prevent the kitchen from heating up, it is a good idea to keep the oven closed and select dishes that you can prepare cold or on the stove. However, your stove burners can be quite a powerful heat source. To keep things even colder, consider using induction hobs instead of electric or gas burners.
Induction hobs work through electromagnetism, which produces heat within the pan rather than as an external heat source. This avoids heating the air around the pan and evenly distributes heat to the pan to cook food more quickly. Shorter cooking time equals less heat.
10.Use slow cooker and instant utensils
Slow cookers are incredibly versatile. You can use them for all types of dishes, not just heavy comfort foods such as roasts and stews. Even better, they release a fraction of the heat of a traditional oven.
As their name suggests, they are slow for cooking. If time is of the essence, consider adding an instant pot to your kitchen. Instant pot cookers are versatile multi-cookers that can cook rice, steamed vegetables, yogurt, and double as a slow cooker or electric pressure cooker, allowing the dishes to last longer in a fraction of a stovetop or oven.
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