by Chef Murph
Keeping Cool, Cooks know that as the temperatures outside increase, the desire to cook decreases. This isn’t due to lack of wanting to cook, but instead, the need to keep the home as cool as possible. This is why baking is done mostly in the winter months and cool dishes are served during the summer. Keeping cool in the kitchen doesn’t mean eating a cold sandwich and fresh fruit every day. With the wide variety of cooking appliances to choose from today, you can serve wonderful meals for your family without heating the home. Here are just a few to choose from:
Crockpot – They aren’t just for soups and stews. Slow cooker, or Crockpot, are great for recipes which typically take a long time to prepare. You can cook anything from lasagna to a small turkey in a crockpot.
Microwave – If getting in and out of the kitchen quickly is important to you, there’s nothing quite like the microwave. You can cook nearly anything in a microwave in much less time than conventional cooking.
Electric skillet – This appliance is often much larger than your typical skillet. You can usually prepare several servings of a food at one time which will mean you won’t add to the heat in the kitchen, and you can be finished in no time.
Wok – Oriental cooking is prepared at high temperatures in the wok but the foods cook quickly. If you don’t have a wok, you can make similar meals using a normal skillet.
Pressure cooker – The pressure cooker was once a staple in every country kitchen. They aren’t used quite as often any longer but they can still be used to cook a meal in less time, and therefore less heat, than other methods.
Another way you can keep the kitchen cool this summer is to begin preparing meals earlier in the day. Plan the major part of your cooking early in the day while it is still cool. Once the cooked items are prepared, you can allow them to cool and place them in the refrigerator to add other items to when it’s time to get the meal on the table. Offer your family plenty of cold foods when the temperatures soar. Cold fruit salads, tossed green salads, vegetable trays and homemade ice cream are sure to keep the kitchen and your family cool when it is hot outside.
Finally, if you want to keep your kitchen cool but aren’t afraid of a little heat, strike a match and get to grilling! You don’t have to stand in front of the grill while the food is cooking and the taste will be out of this world. And, best of all, you will see keeping cool in the kitchen when it is hot outside is not only possible, it can also be delicious!
Enjoy
Chef Murph
