How To Manage to Cook in High Temperatures

[Porthos]

I just accidentally blew away my response about caprese salad. Unfortunately my wife does not eat raw tomatoes.

[Smithy]

I just accidentally blew away my response about caprese salad. Unfortunately my wife does not eat raw tomatoes.

That's a shame. What about a grilled vegetable salad? Mine are quite variable: chunks of bell pepper, onion, asparagus, baby potatoes (steamed or parboiled to get slightly tender), skinny eggplant, as determined by my mood and what's available in the market. (I generally add cherry tomatoes as well). These chunks can be marinated in advance, as for kebabs. I've decided that a grill basket is easier than skewers, however. Grill the similar-time items together, and as each is done toss it into a large bowl. I often include chunks for marinated chicken or lamb - again with the shish kebab idea - but the meat can be omitted. Once all is cooked and added to the bowl, dress with your preferred salad dressing - I'm big on vinaigrettes. This is very versatile - you can include chunks of bread, or not, for instance - and the smoky char adds a nice accent to the salad. It's also pretty quick.

[heidih]

My "meatless Monday" - Using the grill later for corn, green beans (a new favorite), and portobello mushrooms. Tortillas will be heated on the grill and smeared with my simple "hummus" from canned chickpeas. Dead ripe garden tomatoes from a client will add sparkle. 

Edited July 28, 2014 by heidih (log)

[FauxPas]

A simple all-purpose creamy sauce that I use for salads is yogurt, bit of mayo, crushed garlic, touch of oil, whatever herbs you like or have on hand. Mustard or lemon or citrus zest can be added. I like it with garbanzo beans and diced peppers and sweet onions. (Though I like vinaigrette also.) 

 

Also, warm potato salads. Boil potatoes, then add something like green/yellow beans, broccoli, carrots or whatever veggies you have that might benefit from light cooking. Then drain the water and add onion, balsamic vinegar, touch of oil, bit of feta cheese. I would add tomatoes also, but your wife may still find them too raw even if warmed? Maybe peppers, squash, corn? Mix lightly and serve while still warm. 

 

Black bean and corn salads - with peppers and onions. I don't think these even need a dressing. 

 

Not sure this is helpful. 

 

Your dog looks lovely. What is her name? 

 

Your outdoor kitchen set-up looks very impressive. Do you have a covered patio area? Else, it must be really hot while cooking out there! I admire your approach.  

 

Is propane less expensive than electricity? I thought it was interesting that you were concerned about the cost of the convection toaster oven, but not so much the propane. We have fairly low electric costs here - about 7.5 cents per kW.h but I think parts of California are quite expensive, is that right? 

Edited July 28, 2014 by FauxPas (log)

[Shel_B]

 

 

Food-wise I am having to think long and hard about cold or room temperature since one of my foibles is liking hot meals all the time. I don't do cold sandwiches for lunch as an example. For sides for meals I would like to add some cold bean dishes. My problem is that I most decidedly do not like vinaigrette dressings and similar tart-to-me dressings. I'm pretty much a creamy-stuff guy. If anyone could point me in the direction of bean dishes with creamy dressings I would appreciate it.

Shel’s Tuna and Bean Salad

This recipe idea came from a salad I had tasted from a local Italian deli and a recipe copied from a book back in 1972. It reflects my love of chick peas and good quality canned or jarred Italian or Spanish tuna. While a ventresca tuna is a nice touch for this salad, a somewhat less expensive tuna will be fine as long as it’s packed in good quality olive oil. There is a brand found in the US that’s available at Trader Joe’s and some supermarkets called Genova - that’s not recommended. Some people like it, but I find it to be a pale and insipid version of a quality Italian or Spanish tuna packed in good olive oil. From what I can tell, the tuna is packed/marketed by the people who bring you Chicken of the Sea, not one of the quality brands of canned tuna. Look for Ortiz as a good choice.

1 can (15-oz) cannellini beans, other white beans will work

1 can (15-oz) garbanzo beans (chick peas), peeled

1/4 cup or less of extra virgin olive oil (Tuscan or Spanish)

1 Tbs of fresh squeezed lemon juice, maybe add a few pieces of lemon zest as well, diced fine

a little bit of your favorite sea salt

some fresh, coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions, spring onions, red onions, or even shallots (I like red onions)

1/4 cup finely diced mild red peppers - bell, gypsy, Jimmy Nardello, etc

1 to 4 Tbs finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, to your taste - 2-Tbs works for me

1 can or jar (about 7-oz) Italian or Spanish tuna packed in good olive oil

Add a sprinkling of your favorite fresh herbs to the mix

Rinse, drain, and dry the beans and chick peas. You can dry them on paper or clean, lint-free, cloth towels or warm them in a dry skillet over low heat. When dried, put the beans and chick peas in a small bowl that will easily hold them

Take the tuna and drain it thoroughly, saving the oil. Add the saved oil to some EVOO to make no more than 1/4 cup total - a little less is ok, you can always add more EVOO if the salad is too dry for your taste

Mix together the lemon juice, lemon zest if using, the salt and pepper, and then add it to the olive oil, whisk well, and pour the mixture over the beans. Add the onions, peppers, and parsley and gently mix together with the beans.

Put the beans on a serving platter, then break the drained tuna into chunks and put over the beans in a nice pattern.

　

Tuna & Garbanzo Bean Salad

1 can drained garbanzo beans

1 can drained cannellini beans

1 jar / can tuna, preferably ventresca tuna in oil

2 - 3 tbs capers & juice

½ cup finely diced celery

½ cup red onion, diced small

Very roughly chop ½ the cannellini beans and some of the garbanzo beans. Lightly break up the tuna leaving bean sized or smaller pieces - don’t mash! Gently mix all the ingredients together.

[FauxPas]

I don't like all cold meals, either, even during the summer. I make soup on the induction burner sometimes, even when it's warm outside. The burner doesn't add much heat. I'm thinking of making some corn chowder or corn soup now that we have fresh local corn. Here's a Velvet Corn Soup Recipe that caught my eye recently. It's not complex, you could probably make something like it without a recipe at all! I like that it works hot or chilled. Are you comfortable leaving a pot to simmer on your patio? 

 

http://www.purewow.com/entry_detail/recipe/10977/Velvet-corn-soup.htm

[Porthos]

Your dog looks lovely. What is her name? 

 

Pepper.

 

 

Your outdoor kitchen set-up looks very impressive. Do you have a covered patio area?

 

Is propane less expensive than electricity? I thought it was interesting that you were concerned about the cost of the convection toaster oven, but not so much the propane. We have fairly low electric costs here - about 7.5 cents per kW.h but I think parts of California are quite expensive, is that right? 

 

No, the patio is not covered although the frame is still there. It used to have bender boards with gaps to provide some shade but the wind has damaged it. I need to repair it when I have available money.

 

Propane is reasonably inexpensive. The bigger draw is that I already own all of these propane-powered items and I strongly prefer cooking with gas when I can. The reason I like my convection toaster oven is that I don't have to heat the house up as much compared to the convection oven on my kitchen range. The kitchen range oven costs less to operate but I don't want the extra heat load in the house right now. I had considered moving toaster oven out to the patio this afternoon to make baked mac'n'cheese but we may getting scattered thunder showers here and that rather makes using electricity outside a questionable proposition.

 

As an aside I have another propane grill, an 1000-square-inch eight burner event grill that takes 2 propane tanks, put away in the garage. I never use that one at home, only for my ren faire cooking. I have always figured that if a major earthquake struck that took out the utilities I could put it out so that neighbors would have an option for cooking food they may have in their freezers.

[Porthos]

I think I should mention the challenge of dietary restrictions and dislikes.

 

Me: I don't care for anything very acidic. At almost 61 I'm not expecting this to change and it doesn't do my GERD any favors. I detest, REALLY detest, yams and sweet potatoes.I'm not much for most cabbage dishes. A German red cabbage dish we make is the exception. When my lovely MIL was still alive I could eat her coleslaw. I'll eat beets but I just don't get them. They seem bland.

 

Wife: No tomatoes. She LOVES sweet potatoes. We when do our ren faire cooking I buy sweet potato fries for her and the other members of our guild that like them. I simply do not eat them. She has had gastric bypass surgery and that serious affected her sensitivity to chili-types spices and  also now she needs a protein-centric diet.

 

Other Adult #1. Doesn't like melons. Will not touch dishes with raw onions except those with very small quantities of green onion, cooked onions are ok. Almost no seafood. Grill tuna steaks she likes.  Canned tuna is the work of the devil.

 

Other Adult #2. No seafood. Allergic to some melons, avocado, bananas, wine and other things I can't remember now. Some of these cause anaphylactic shock. No raw celery, only cooked to very soft.

 

These are not complaints, just illustrations of what limits my creativity a bit.  I will probably go with the mac'n'cheese tonight, just not baked.  Green Salad. Maybe the rest of the red grapes. I think I'll need to get more lettuce.

[Porthos]

The weather coopperated so I was able to take the toaster oven outside. I added Italian - style bread crumbs and butter to top it. Everyone enjoyed it. Tomorrow my daughter and her husband will have to fend for themselves. My daughter cooks so this is not a problem.

[liuzhou]

We have had 38ºC/100ºC all day.

 

One thing I tend to do at times like this is rely a lot on simply poached chicken done Chinese style using minimum heat. The bird is placed in cold salted water which is then brought to the boil with added aromatics such as ginger, garlic, herbs of choice etc. When the water boils, the flame is turned off and the bird left covered to cook in the residual beat.

 

I usually serve it with couscous which only really requires boiling a kettle of water. Here it is mixed with carrot (cooked with the chicken),  raisins, scallion, coriander and an olive oil / lime dressing with s&p. 

 

 

A tasty dinner with minimal heat produced in the preparation.

 

Today I used the breasts. Still have the legs and wings etc. Lots of meat for tomorrow.

Edited July 29, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[CatPoet]

Normally I be making  permafrost roast during such days, since it cooks at night when I am sleeping, but I couldnt get hold of good meat for it and hubby wants warm food for some odd reason

I have now pulled cola pork in the  oven.   Cooking is good as long as I am not in the kitchen.

[Smithy]

liuzhou, the chicken and couscous look delicious. Please tell more about the chicken poaching method. Do you start with chicken cut into pieces rather than an intact bird? Is there a minimum ratio of water to bird necessary to ensure that the bird is fully cooked before the water cools? It looks like a gentle way of treating the meat, in addition to using minimal heat.

[liuzhou]

liuzhou, the chicken and couscous look delicious. Please tell more about the chicken poaching method. Do you start with chicken cut into pieces rather than an intact bird? Is there a minimum ratio of water to bird necessary to ensure that the bird is fully cooked before the water cools? It looks like a gentle way of treating the meat, in addition to using minimal heat.

 

Thank you.

 

The whole bird is poached intact (I only cut off the head and neck, feet, wing tips and parson's nose - but they go in the pot separately for the benefit of the stock I will use later. In China,chickens are sold really whole - often alive),

 

I use enough water to barely cover the bird. The locals leave it in the boiled water for about half an hour, but they eat chicken slightly pink in the centre. I leave it till it's completely cool. Alternatively I simmer it for 15 minutes before turning off the flame. It is still only gently poached, but pink-free.

The technique is most commonly used in the Cantonese dish "White Cut Chicken" for which Mr. Google has many recipes.

Edited July 29, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[huiray]

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/148945-dinner-2014-part-4/page-8?p=1980036#entry1980036

[Porthos]

I forgot to mention that adult #1 doesn't like raisins so as much as I like golden raisins in my couscous while my daughter and son-in-law are part of this household I omit them. I made too much couscous to go with the lamb on Sunday so I will cook chicken tomorrow, make a little more couscous and make a cold chicken & couscous salad as that night's main. It will have toasted pine nuts and a small amount of green onion in it. Would some green peas for color be out of place?

[Porthos]

My electric bill seems to indicated that I average 23 cents a KWH. Too many tiers to keep track of. The highest usage day of the billing period was the day after my DW and I left on our annual fishing vacation. We have since talked with our daughter and son-in-law about using less power where feasible, and my DW and I are trying some new small ways of cutting back.

[suzilightning]

Bumping this up as we are into our second heat wave of the month.

 

I do NOT do well in heat so have reverted to the foodways of my youth - especially since we do not have air conditioning.

 

Up very early and do most all of my food prep by 7 am.  Cook pasta or potatoes that will become cold salads ... there is an Asian salad with noodles, peppers, carrots and shrimp for Johnnybird's linner(late lunch / first dinner) and a potato and green bean salad with a nice vinaigrette.  Picked up some old fashioned iceberg lettuce to make lettuce wraps with some chicken that I had poached earlier.  That gave me a twofer - the poached chicken for the lettuce wraps and quesadillas as well as strengthening poaching liquid I had in the freezer.

 

The main thing in the fridge right now are 2 liter containers of cold brewed tea, I liter container of lemongrass simple syrup, 1 liter of cold brewed coffee and some of that faux V8 juice ElainaA mentions in Shelby's blog s well as our honking big water Brita.  Need my hydration!

[huiray]

In my case I don't do anything particularly different from what I do in winter.  Yes, I do have central air-conditioning and it is basically on all the time in summer - but I use my stove much the same way as at any other time. What may perhaps matter in this regard is that I SELDOM (if ever) use the oven - and that applies across all my cooking - and use the stovetop (gas) in cooking much of the dishes I usually cook - which is to say very quickly done E/SEAsian-type dishes, with some Italian/Southern European type dishes here and there which don't need generation of lots of heat from using, yes, the oven.  Which, again, I don't usually use. Even when I do braises or soups or simmer stuff I don't find that the amount of heat generated is THAT overwhelming (and believe me, Central Indiana can get pretty hot and humid in summer). I just walk away from the kitchen when not attending to whatever is cooking on top of the stove.  I've never been stopped by external temperatures from making whatever I wanted on my stove. I also come from a soup-drinking culture so making and drinking hot soups at the height of summer is normal for me.**

 

** In fact, having a cup of hot tea feels more thirst-quenching to me than a cold drink in most cases even when I have just come into the house from a 90+ degrees outside environment.

 

ETA: Barbeques are not part of my normal cooking (if at all) - so all the issues of having a HOT FIRE going for the purposes of a BBQ simply do not apply to me.  Ditto roasts, if they use the oven, because I don't use the oven. So cooking during hot summers really depends on what one normally cooks, and so "cooking during hot weather" has different meanings (or no meaning) for different folks posting on eG.

Edited August 18, 2015 by huiray (log)

[Anna N]

Bumping this up as we are into our second heat wave of the month.

 

I do NOT do well in heat so have reverted to the foodways of my youth - especially since we do not have air conditioning.

 

Up very early and do most all of my food prep by 7 am.  Cook pasta or potatoes that will become cold salads ... there is an Asian salad with noodles, peppers, carrots and shrimp for Johnnybird's linner(late lunch / first dinner) and a potato and green bean salad with a nice vinaigrette.  Picked up some old fashioned iceberg lettuce to make lettuce wraps with some chicken that I had poached earlier.  That gave me a twofer - the poached chicken for the lettuce wraps and quesadillas as well as strengthening poaching liquid I had in the freezer.

 

The main thing in the fridge right now are 2 liter containers of cold brewed tea, I liter container of lemongrass simple syrup, 1 liter of cold brewed coffee and some of that faux V8 juice ElainaA mentions in Shelby's blog s well as our honking big water Brita.  Need my hydration!

I read you loud and clear. I have a window air conditioner now but when I was younger and had no air conditioning a heat wave could bring me to my knees. Those around me seemed to tolerate it reasonably well but I would be found washing dishes with sweat and tears pouring down my face. Without air-conditioning the very thought of turning on even a small burner was torture. Even making a sandwich was something I could hardly manage. The window air conditioner puny as it is keeps me sane. Do not envy you in the least.

[Simon Lewinson]

Where I live it varies between -6C overnight in winter to 45C in summer. I use sous vide a lot to minimise heat in the kitchen - banh mi, chicken caeser salad and similar work well at the height of summer. I am lucky to have Airconditioning in the house and that makes cooking much more bearable in the summers.

Another thing I like doing is sous vide meats that get seared on the BBQ outside.

Simon

[Dave W]

No AC here. I stick to quick cooking wok dishes and bulk sous vide for chilled chicken applications.

Or mostly when it's really hot, I cook outside on one of my webers. With a little technique both the kettle and the three burner gas grill make perfectly serviceable ovens.