Hot Weather Cooking

[cbayer]

I know that most of you are not yet into the hot weather season, but I'm dying down here.

It is particularly brutal as the afternoon progresses and stays that way until about an hour after sunset.

These are, of course, the times I generally cook supper.

So…..

I don't want to turn on the stove top, let alone the oven.

We have a small grill, so I can easily grill some meat, but what other kinds of things do you like to fix when the weather gets really hot?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I always like to make my favorite thing:

A reservation!



Seriously though, whatever can be done with just a very small effort. Chilled meals are great. I love making a main dish salad, which is basically a green salad with whatever chopped vegetables you like, along with cold cooked meat. Either chicken, or our preference, a canned ham.

[cbayer]

4. Lol! We just spent 3 weeks on the road eating out,

so the restaurant budget is kind of topped out right now.

I'm going to do some recipe hunting for salads. The fruit is particularly good right now and I love salads with cold meats, cheese and fruit.

And I think I'll get a bunch of chicken breasts, grill them all and then put in smaller packages for use in salads and sandwiches.

Ham is an excellent idea.

Thanks!

[flamin lib]

2. Grilled vegetables!

Squash, corn on the cob, green beans, asparagus!

Tossed garden salad, gaspacho and cold melon for desert.


There's always the Microwave . . .

[cbayer]

5. Great idea and I can get DH to stand next to the hot grill!

Gazpacho is a big yes. Do you have a favorite recipe.

I have a really old, really small, really energy inefficient microwave, so I'm trying to stay away from that.

But perfect melons are all over the place right now, so that's definitely going on the list.

Thanks!

[winter is coming]

27. And grilled dessert, too.

Make a foil packet with crushed ginger cookies on the bottom and fresh fruit on the top. Really, really tasty when peaches and cherries are in season.

[cbayer]

28. That sounds fantastic!

I am definitely going to try that.

Topped with some yogurt!

[winter is coming]

29. Yes, it's very good with plain Greek yogurt and a small drizzle of honey on top. n/t

[Warpy]

3. I have a square pan with holes punched throughout

and sides raised at about a 45 degree angle, sort of like a square wok. I use it to do mixed grill veggies on a gas grill. I got mine ages ago at a Cost Plus and I imagine they're out there on the net, too.

It's just a way to expand the versatility of the grill with stir fries instead of burgers, hot dogs, and other meats. Stir fried veggies can be sauced and seasoned in a bowl after cooking, tofu or cooked meat added to boost protein.

You can also grill things like portobello mushrooms and eggplant instead of meat.

It's also not written in stone that you can't use a frypan over a grill. In 2004 when all those hurricanes hit Florida and my dad was out of power for 22 days, I told him how to set up a steamer over the grill and that steamers did a good job on the frozen dinners he liked.

I live out of my toaster oven when it's really hot here. I can move it outdoors on an extension cord if it's really brutal or, if it's not windy, I can use my solar oven. I also eat a lot of cold dinner salads.

There are lots of strategies for when it's too hot to cook indoors. It gets that way a lot in a desert summer.

[cbayer]

6. I'm trying to picture what you are describing.

They use steamers a lot here and I will look for something like it.

My grill is quite small and honestly I don't want to stand around it stirring anything in this heat, but grilling vegetables would work.

No toaster oven - way too much electricity draw.

We have been looking at solar ovens. How do you use yours? How do you like it?

[Warpy]

8. Mine comes up to a reliable 350 degrees

but I've found that everything takes a bit longer in it than it would in a 350 degree conventional oven.

Having said that, the savings in power and lack of heating up the house makes it very attractive. Because it has reflectors around the cabinet, it can't be used when it's windy or even just breezy. Perhaps there are models out there that are less fussy.

Still, June is our hottest month here and rarely is air moving unless propelled by a fan. I've used it quite a bit in June.

ETA: this would work and not take up much storage space:



http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/steel-grill-round-fry-pan/?bnrid=3118547&cm_ven=NonBrandSearch&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=DSABetaSale&cm_ite=dsa_sale&OVMTC=Broad&site=&creative=14319160825&OVKEY=_inpage:sale&url_id=155938317&adpos=1s5&dsa_lp=http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/steel-grill-round-fry-pan/

[cbayer]

9. I see a problem here as we are often in pretty windy conditions.

But I do see them on other people's boats, so there may be a work around.

My other problem is storage, as my space is limited. Will look at some smallish ones.

Thanks for the advice.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

7. It's salad season, or at least getting there.

And salads don't just mean lettuce. Pretty much any fruit, veg, nut, small pasta, egg, cheese, and if you're into it, meat can do salad duty. Admittedly, you'll need to cook the pasta, but you can do that after dark and shove it in the fridge for use the next day.

Of course, if you are into lettuce, you can be getting starters from garden stores now if you haven't already planted your own, and start harvesting within a few weeks.

[cbayer]

10. Cooking the pasta at night is a great idea.

I forgot that I could put some O & V on it and keep it in the fridge.

Same with cooking up some eggs.

I make agua frescos, all of which require some cooking and I do these at night. That way they are chilled in the morning.

Lettuce is not good down here this time of year. Too dry and too hot. I live on a boat and can't really grow my own, but I can do sprouts, which I should get to.

Thanks!

[japple]

11. You're in luck. Just look at the C & B Archives. There is a Gazpacho (sp?)

recipe, a recipe for Avocado Salad and a Fruit Chicken Salad recipe. My favorite hot weather salad is a hearty corn and black bean salad and you've probably got the ingredients close to hand. It is corn kernels, black beans, jalapenos, bell peppers, tomatoes, green onions, cumin, lime, cilantro and chili powder. It is great served with either nachos or tortilla chips or even rolled up in a tortillas with avocado, cheese, etc. The variations are endless, and it keeps quite a long time in the fridge.

[cbayer]

15. I'm going to do a gazpacho.

Haven't made one for years, but it looks oh so appealing right now. Unfortunately, it looks like tomatoes are on there last legs until it cools down.

I will search the archives for the others. I love fruit and chicken in a salad and avocados are in great abundance.

And I just needs some canned beans for the other salad you describe. No way I'm cooking beans at this point.

Thanks!

[locks]

12. Take it easy and forget the cooking for a while

Got a blender? 1) Put any and all kinds of veggies you like in it, tomato or V8 juice, ice if you have any; season with garlic and spices. Cheese, nuts, cold chicken, deli meats, hard cooked eggs on the side.

2) Put in any fruit you can get, berries, melons, mangoes, bananas, citrus, pineapple, sugarless sorbet or sherbet if you have it, ice, coconut milk, lime soda or vodka.

[cbayer]

16. I just had 3 weeks off!

I have the stick blender. Are you using yours? Unfortunately it will not crush ice, but I can blend everything else up and add ice at the end.

I'm going to boil up some eggs tonight and bought deli meats, cheese and lots of fruit yesterday.

[grasswire]

13. oh my newspaper today had the most delicious looking salad

My recommendation would be to cook at night for the next day's dinner, by the way.

This salad is quinoa, toasted cashews, pea shoots (you could prolly use snap peas), radishes, and a cilantro chutney dressing. (1 bunch cilantro chopped, lemon juice, grated ginger root, cumin, EVOO, sugar, diced serrano. Mmm-mm.

You could cook the quinoa and toast the cashews the night before. Great protein from the quinoa and the cashews.

[cbayer]

17. I made jamaica last night which only required 10 minutes of boiling time,

but it still really heated up this small space, so I'm not going to do anything that requires much more than that.

OK, the cilantro chutney really got my attention and I happen to have everything I would need for that. I can see putting that on sandwiches and salads.

Thanks!

[Bibliovore]

14. Crock pots and microwave ovens can help with hot meals minus the cooking heat

Crock pots do warm a room a little, but nowhere near as much as oven or stove-top cooking. And if your conditions and outlets allow, you can even set them outside and let them cook there.

A very quick, easy microwave fish meal: Lightly oil the bottom of a microwave-safe baking dish. Add a couple of fish fillets, seasoned however you like -- one of our favorites is tilapia or cod doused with lemon juice, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper, topped with just a little butter. Nuke at full power for three minutes. Check to see if the fish flakes easily with a fork; if it doesn't yet, continue nuking in ~1.5min intervals until it does. Serve as-is, or over rice (also microwaveable), or flake and add to a salad.

[cbayer]

18. Great idea for using the crockpot outside.

We are plugged into power for the next couple of days, so I could use it.

Otherwise, both the crock pot and microwave take way too much power.

However, the short time required for the fish might be a go.

I'm a fan of raw fish and that's definitely on the menu this week, but DH likes his cooked as well, so will do that as well.

Thanks!

[japple]

19. Cool sandwiches if you can get bread: Cream cheese and chopped green olives with

toasted, chopped pecans--great smeared on crackers, as well as bread. Cream cheese & cucumber sammies.

I live in a house that has (mandatory in Georgia during the summer) central air and I'll admit it is a luxury to cook whatever I want during the summer, although I try to conserve energy. I do, however, can fruits, make pickles from my garden when it's 90+ degrees outside, so I guess that's probably a huge luxury, and maybe something I need to think about.


And, yeah, I just make the black bean/corn/tomato, etc. salad with whatever I have and almost always make it with canned beans, because I don't usually cook up pots of beans during the summer when there is so much fresh stuff. There's always that Texas Caviar recipe that uses black eyed peas and diced tomatoes/avocados.

[cbayer]

20. I don't buy sliced bread here, but this would be great wrapped in a tortilla

don't you think?

We actually talked about getting a room air conditioner and putting it into one of the hatches yesterday. But we are only going to be around another 3 weeks or so, so I think we will just buck up.

[japple]

21. Would be wonderful wrapped in a tortilla. One of my friends brought some appetizers to a party that

she had bought at a local deli. It was cream cheese, herbs, meat, pimento, spread on a flour tortilla and wrapped up tightly. Then they were sliced crosswise in 1/4" slices, creating a pinwheel. I think I ate 20 of them, they were so delicious. I think there were a couple different kind, but I couldn't get up to the table to try all the varieties.

Hope you get some cool weather soon.

[cbayer]

23. Yep, love the pinwheels.

And they are easy to make. As long as you don't put anything too juicy in there, they will hold for awhile, too.

We just moved to a new anchorage today and it is much better. There is a breeze and we can use the wind sock.

Much better!

[laundry_queen]

22. It's too bad you are limited for space

I was going to suggest an electric skillet - my mom had one and when my uncle visited when it was over 100 degrees (no air cond) and he wanted to cook a huge curry meal with dishes that needed hours of simmering but was worried about making the house extremely uncomfortable. Between the grill and the electric skillet - oh, and a rice cooker - he was able to make a multi-course meal totally outdoors.

When it's hot, I tend to stick to salads, or sandwiches or things that require minimal cooking time. Stir fry is one. Another good one is fresh pasta - only requires 2 min or so of boiling instead of 9 min or so from the dried stuff, then toss with a cold sauce like pesto instead of heating up a tomato based or cream sauce. Or we use the microwave (I like nuked kubasa on a bun with some sauerkraut). Or we grill...veggies (in a foil pan or larger veggies right on the grill), chicken, steak, burgers, salmon...

Our weather has sucked...we've been 10 degrees below normal all month. So enjoy that warm weather and send some my way

[cbayer]

24. No can do because of the electricity requirements.

Same with a crock pot.

Salad, sandwiches and cold soups seem to be the best suggestions so far.

I'm going to boil up some pasta tonight when it cools off for a pasta salad tomorrow and I'm going to try and get DH to grill the chicken breasts I have early in the am when it's calm and not very windy. Precooked sausages in the microwave are an excellent idea.

I would love to send you some of this heat in exchange for about 10 degrees less. But, given the choice, I would always choose too hot over too cold.

[Jenoch]

25. A week ago today we had a 10" snowfall.

About 45 minutes north, they got 20".

I think we're going to buy a toaster oven this year and use that instead of using our regular oven when it gets hot.

[cbayer]

26. I'm so sorry, Jenoch!

Maybe you can bookmark this for a couple of months from now.

[Texasgal]

30. I do alot of salads

and fruits with alot of water content.

Grilled watermelon is pretty amazing with some spicy sprinkles and lemon juice. Cantaloupe too. I also like to do fish packets. I'll take a potato peel and dice add some fish lemon juice and spice, stick it an aluminum pouch and grill! Yummy!

[cbayer]

31. I have never grilled melon but will give it a try.

I like my fish raw, but DH likes to cook it as well. Will defer to him for the grilling of the fish.

[Retrograde]

32. leftovers

If you have to cook, cook in big enough batches so that you can do something with the leftovers that doesn't require much heat. E.g., grill a whole chicken (or a lot of parts), eat what you want, then use the leftovers in salads, sandwiches, etc. Cold soups like gazpacho and eastern European fruit soups are good. Raitas - yogurt mixed with chopped raw vegetables like onions/tomatoes/cucumbers or smoked ones like eggplant. Canned beans can be made into salads, or hummus. I get a lot of ideas from Middle Eastern cookbooks.

I sympathize: we went from cool and rainy to 90+ dry in four days.

[dem in texas]

33. Mango Lemonade

This is so easy and makes a colorful drink that goes well with grilled foods, great for outdoor eating.

Mix one large can of frozen lemonade concentrate according to directions. Add two cans of Goya mango nectar and stirring well to mix. Serve over ice in tall glasses.