***This post contains affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no cost to you!*** I think it was just about this time last week that I was complaining that it was 40 degrees in New England. Well, never to prove a cliche wrong, New England has made a 55 degree swing and it is now mid 90’s for the third day straight. Love me a heat wave! Cooking in a heat wave, however, is not the most fun thing in the world. Here are 5 tips for how to survive cooking in the summer.
How To Survive Cooking in the Summer
Tip #1
Cook Outside
Summer is grilling season and everyone loves a great burger on the grill. When we go away for our summer vacation, I make it a point to make as much as possible on the grill to avoid heating up the tiny cottage we stay in. I’ll do burgers, chicken, pizza, veggies, potatoes all on the grill. And while the cottage stays cool, mama does not while standing in front of that blazing grill on the deck getting smoke blown in my eyes. Apparently I’m not the only one who hates that part of grilling because someone came up with this:
Barbecue Grill Fan and Light with 18″ Flexible Gooseneck Arm – That little guy will attach to your grill and provides both a light for night time grilling AND a fan to help blow away smoke and maybe cool you down a bit.
Tip #2
Batch Cook Your Proteins
Generally it’s your proteins like chicken, steak, eggs that take the longest to cook properly and generate the most amount of heat when you’re cooking. I love to use my electric griddle to cook a whole bunch of chicken cutlets to have ready for the week. I also make a bunch of boiled eggs at the beginning and sometimes again at the middle of every week to have on hand. I’ll use the chicken and eggs in salads and when I’m tired of salads, I’ll either grill some veggies for a few minutes or throw a bag of steam-able veggies in the microwave for a quick, easy and healthy meal. I also recently rediscovered how much I love deviled eggs and will totally eat a couple of those with a side of green beans or salad as a meal.
This is my favorite griddle and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s by far one of my favorite cooking tools!
Presto 07047 Cool Touch Electric Griddle – This guy is easy to clean, easy to set up and cooks thoroughly. I use it at least twice a week for pancakes, chicken, quesadillas and many other items. It’s also fairly flat, so it doesn’t take up a ton of room to store.
Tip #3
Use Your Crock Pot!
I know it doesn’t sound very summer to cook in a crock pot in the summer. That’s totally a fall/winter thing, right? But, when you get tired of grilled food (and you know you will) the crock pot is the way to go. First of all, you’re going to throw all of the ingredients in it early in the day when it’s not so blazing hot that you can’t see straight enough to use a knife safely. Secondly, it will not throw off heat like your oven or even your stove top will. Might I suggest the super simple Crock Pot Gluten Free Mac N Cheese I made just a few weeks ago?
Tip #4
Don’t Cook
I’m not saying go out to eat, although more on that in a moment! I’m saying, eat foods that don’t need to be cooked. For instance, throw together a small platter of fruit, veggies, dip, cheese and some cold cuts for protein. I also love the sushi boxes that are offered at my grocery store.
Now that’s a meal I can totally picture sharing later in the evening after a long day of summer fun. Maybe while watching a Red Sox game on tv with a cool breeze blowing in the window. Or at least blowing out of the air conditioner.
Tip #5
Go Out to Eat! (Also known as Mom’s Favorite)
The summer to me should be about indulging. Going out to eat is an indulgence. It is one of my favorite things in the world to do, however, it does get expensive especially now that my kids are 12 and 10 and have big appetites. To mitigate the costs, we look for places that offer options for kids to eat free. Locally, our favorite is The 99, but a quick google search will show you options near you.
So there you have it. That’s my plan for surviving cooking during the hot summer. What did I miss? What great tips can you pass on?? Help a girl out!!