What do you do when you can't stand the heat but can't get out of the kitchen?

[Shelby]

12 hours ago, lindag said:

 

Wow, you're made of sturdier stuff than I.

I like it cold  for sleep and 60 would be about perfect.  Daytime 68 is nice.

Summer, when it's so hot I can tolerate up to 76 but any higher than that I get crotchety.

 

 

 

 

We must be related

12 hours ago, SLB said:

I guess I do ok with the heat, I haven't had A/C in my adult life.  This includes my years in Mississippi and Alabama.  I'm considering getting a window unit for my bedroom, my tolerance at night is . . . changing. 

 

So what that means, I do have general rules for summer cooking versus winter.  The main thing is, I hoard steaks and sausages for the summer, and don't really cook big roast-type meats after May or so.  I do cook full meals through the summer, and even fry; but as a rule if it has to go in the oven, or cook for a very long time, it has to be done very early in the morning.  Then I'll just reheat it for dinner. 

 

Also, I use the pressure cooker a lot more in the summer.  I gather that the IP works along the same lines, and I would guess since you aren't running the stove it would keep the house cooler?

 

It's weird though; I crave fried food in hot weather.  Which is the hottest thing on earth to have to stand there and do, and also you don't get its glory in the reheated version. 

 

I should mention, the summer dinner cooking usually starts with a stiff gin and tonic and some cold watermelon.  Possibly this is the main *tip*.

 

But then, I just stand there and fry.  

 

 

I CRAVE fried food, too!  I want fried fish and fried chicken.

[Anna N]

12 hours ago, SLB said:

I should mention, the summer dinner cooking usually starts with a stiff gin and tonic and some cold watermelon.  Possibly this is the main *tip*.

 That would almost certainly work for me to keep the kitchen cool. After the stiff gin and tonic and the cold watermelon I would have no further interest in anything but a nap.

[Smithy]

13 minutes ago, Shelby said:

We must be related

I CRAVE fried food, too!  I want fried fish and fried chicken.

 

Does the air fryer help with this craving, without heating up the kitchen? 

[Smithy]

Our heat wave has broken (whew) but in the next night or two I still plan to make our favorite broccoli salad. You probably know the one: raw broccoli cut into small pieces, very small bits of sweet onion, chopped walnuts, crumbled crisp bacon, craisins or barberries - or the original, raisins, if you're of that persuasion - tossed together with a dressing of mayo, milk, vinegar and a touch of sugar. Note that the only cookery required is frying the bacon to the crispy stage, and that can be done any time.

 

The only problem with this salad, IMO, is that it doesn't last long around our household even when I make a huge batch.

 

Come to think of it, there's a secondary problem: I always need to cook more bacon than the salad requires, to make sure there's enough after all the snitching sampling for quality control.

[Darienne]

59 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Our heat wave has broken (whew) but in the next night or two I still plan to make our favorite broccoli salad. You probably know the one: raw broccoli cut into small pieces, very small bits of sweet onion, chopped walnuts, crumbled crisp bacon, craisins or barberries - or the original, raisins, if you're of that persuasion - tossed together with a dressing of mayo, milk, vinegar and a touch of sugar. Note that the only cookery required is frying the bacon to the crispy stage, and that can be done any time.

 

The only problem with this salad, IMO, is that it doesn't last long around our household even when I make a huge batch.

 

Come to think of it, there's a secondary problem: I always need to cook more bacon than the salad requires, to make sure there's enough after all the snitching sampling for quality control.

Glad about your heat wave being over.  Hope ours is also on its way out.

 

And oh yes, know and love that salad.  For special occasions only in our house.  Too yummy for words.

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

Does the air fryer help with this craving, without heating up the kitchen? 

It might if I hadn't banished it into the cabinet after a horrible onion ring debacle.  

 

I need to get back on that horse and try again.

[Smithy]

46 minutes ago, Shelby said:

It might if I hadn't banished it into the cabinet after a horrible onion ring debacle.  

 

I need to get back on that horse and try again.

 

You certainly do, given that you're partly responsible for my $66 toy experiment. 

[MetsFan5]

@Shelby no worries I would be complaining too! No serious health issues- just rosacea and general anxiety that doesn’t make me a pleasant person to be around in the heat. 

 

  I’d definitely think about a cold seafood dinner though. Maybe breakfast involving eggs for dinner? They cook pretty quickly. 

  

[scubadoo97]

1 hour ago, MetsFan5 said:

@Shelby no worries I would be complaining too! No serious health issues- just rosacea and general anxiety that doesn’t make me a pleasant person to be around in the heat. 

 

  I’d definitely think about a cold seafood dinner though. Maybe breakfast involving eggs for dinner? They cook pretty quickly. 

  

Unrelated to food.   Ocular lubricants with rosacea may help make you a happier person

[Smithy]

As I noted earlier, our heat wave broke today. I already had plans for the aforementioned broccoli salad and Caprese salad, however. Broccoli salad, before and after tossing:

 

 

Caprese salad, with Sappori tomatoes I found at the grocery store:

 

 

Even my darling, the meat-eater, thought these were plenty. He thought so even before I managed to torch the bratwursts into flavored sawdust. 

[lindag]

I like  to keep tiny Oregon shrimp (frozen) on hand to make Shrimp Louie when it's really hot.

[SLB]

On 7/17/2018 at 10:26 AM, Shelby said:

It might if I hadn't banished it into the cabinet after a horrible onion ring debacle.  

 

I need to get back on that horse and try again.

 

Dave Arnold gets heated about air frying, even in an outdoor setting:  http://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/keep-plucking-that-chicken/. 

 

This podcast is delightful, but the episodes are long.  The fry rage begins at about 16:54.

 

Meanwhile, I had fried artichokes tonight.  Admittedly, it's cooled off -- mid-80s and low humidity.

 

Edited July 19, 2018 by SLB (log)

[MetsFan5]

I really love broccoli salad and have only ever bought it. My local Italian deli makes it with sunflower seeds which, while I like them, they can be an irritant. Hate to be a pita but would anyone mind putting their recipe into the recipe thread? It helps me to know exactly what to buy when grocery shopping. Thanks in advance. 

[lindag]

7 hours ago, MetsFan5 said:

I really love broccoli salad and have only ever bought it. My local Italian deli makes it with sunflower seeds which, while I like them, they can be an irritant. Hate to be a pita but would anyone mind putting their recipe into the recipe thread? It helps me to know exactly what to buy when grocery shopping. Thanks in advance. 

I couldn't find the 'recipe thread'.  

Here's the recipe I use, with modifications:

 

 

Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli
6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup raisins, optional
8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets and the stem into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins if using, and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.

 

I omit the bacon and the cheese.

 

 

[chromedome]

Mine's similar. I use lemon juice instead of vinegar and don't sweeten it, and I use either bacon OR raisins but not both in the same batch. Also I don't use the tomatoes, because I like to make enough for a few days at a time and the tomatoes just turn to mush and make the salad sloppy. Also, I'll sometimes substitute cauliflower for up to 1/3 of the broccoli.

[Darienne]

Mine comes from a friend from Botswana:
 

3 large broccoli

1 lb of bacon

1/2 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of almonds or sunflower seeds

1 small red onions

2 T cider vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar 

salt and pepper to taste

[liuzhou]

May I humbly point you to my one minute cooking time dinner this evening?

[Katie Meadow]

"Make" is such a strong word. If it is that hot, which is rare in these parts, I have a Gin and Tonic and a sandwich or a Greek salad with a baguette to sop up the juices. Or I just give up and have a root beer float and call it a meal.

[scubadoo97]

Cooked on the grill.  Not that it’s a zillion degrees exactly but because it was outside where the grill is  so I guess almost  the same. But I’m in west central Fla.  Tampa Bay where humidity rules and a breeze is always appreciated

 

Chicken thighs  with a cool beet garbanzo salad.  We did eat indoors 

 

 

[scubadoo97]

In shorts 

Edited July 21, 2018 by scubadoo97 (log)

[Jacksoup]

My son went to the bahn mi store today.  Half of the BBQ pork one was my lunch, half is my dinner with a Moscow Mule.  These are incredibly good and inexpensive $3.50 a sandwich.  No photo because  my tech mojo has vanished.  It’s been at or near 100 degrees this week and there’s not much cooking except roasting some yellow beets.  Probably for a salad with feta and walnuts.  And HB eggs in Instant Pot for deviled eggs.

 

[chromedome]

It occurs to me belatedly that a longtime hot-weather favorite in my family is just canned tomatoes, served with toast. On a really hot day, you put the can in the refrigerator first for an hour or two.

 

I haven't had that in years, but now that I've thought of it I probably will.

[kayb]

 @Shelby, I don't do heat without A/C either. I don't have to have it in the 60s, but I don't want it above 75, either. Here are a few faves that mostly utilize the less heat-generating appliances and/or can be prepped and cooked early.

 

Marinated roast beef: I do either chuck roast, and shred it, in the IP, or tri-tip or round roast, sous vide. Pull the chuck or slice the cooled tri-tip or round, put meat in a plastic dish, and cover with a good bottled Italian dressing (or make up your own). Refrigerate. Makes a good sandwich, too.

 

Pasta salad: Use the IP to cook a pound of elbow noodles. Slice salami or Lebanon bologna in strips or small dice, or use sliced turkey or ham, shredded or small diced and grated or diced cheese. Add diced hardboiled eggs if you have a notion. Add green peas (frozen steamed in bag and then drained and let dry on paper towels are fine), and some corn kernels. Add diced, steamed carrots, cooled, if you want. Make up your favorite dressing. (I like homemade ranch, about the only application in which I care for ranch dressing). Refrigerate.

 

Roast a chicken, early in the day. Let it cool. Put together a salad of Romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, feta cheese and chicken. Dress right before eating with a viniagrette that's heavy on oregano.

 

Summer tomato pasta: Early in the day, dice up some tomatoes and mince some garlic. Add olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar and let it sit on the counter all day, stirring when you think about it. Cook pasta, top with sauce, add grated parmesan, dig in. You can add diced salami or other sausage to this.

 

Use the rest of that roast chicken, with cheese, peppers, and whatever else strikes your fancy, to stuff potatoes. Bake them in the microwave, broil them in the CSO.

 

Bean salad of your choice, courtesy of the IP and Rancho Gordo!u

 

I keep a couple of cold marinated salads in the fridge all summer. Cucumber, onion and carrots (parboil the carrots just a bit first), maybe cauliflower if I have it on hand. Jail slaw (for a quick side or on a sandwich). 

 

As somebody has mentioned, capreses.I love 'em with homemade ricotta. No need to go to the store for fresh mozz.

 

Shoot the A/C repairman.

 

Drink a lot.

 

If you still have an ice house in town, go get you a 50-pound block of ice; put it in a tub. Set it in the kitchen and turn a box fan across it. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by kayb (log)

[ninagluck]

cold soups are perfect in the summer heat! Today I made a kid of vichyssoise but due to tonights full moon with lots of young garlic in it. A poached egg was the perfect match. 

[scubadoo97]

Looks gorgeous