Latest news with #summercooking
CNET
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- CNET
Too Hot to Stay in the Kitchen? 9 Ways to Stay Cool While Cooking This Summer
Summer is in full swing, and the heat waves have arrived. Already this summer we've seen massive heat domes that blanketed the Northeast, driving temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When it's hot outside, the last thing you want to do is stand over an oven while trying to cook up a tasty dinner. However, just because it's hot outside doesn't mean your only option is takeout. There are a few easy ways to help keep your kitchen cool even when it's boiling outside. Read more: Best Foods for Staying Hydrated During Hot Weather From choosing the right appliances to timing your cooking sessions just right, a few simple strategies is all it takes. Better still, these tricks will help keep the kitchen from warming up the rest of the house and sending your AC bill through the roof. Here are nine practical tips to keep your kitchen -- and you -- cool, even when the temperature outside is pushing triple digits. 1. Prepare instead of cooking Ceviche requires no cooking. It just might be the perfect summer food. CNET Don't want to heat up your kitchen? Don't cook. That doesn't mean you can't eat. Focus on no-cook, fresh foods, such as summer salads, ceviche, smoothies and cold noodles. Even slicing up fresh fruit or vegetables like cucumbers and melons can be a refreshing and healthy summer treat. No-cook foods help beat the heat in two ways: By not heating up your kitchen -- or your body -- as you consume them. When you do cook, limit your time in the kitchen with a helpful meal kit (these are the best meal kits for 2025). You'll likely still have to cook the food, but you'll do far less prep and spending less time in a sweltering kitchen is definitely a good thing. Most services offer lighter, no-cook meals during the summer, too. Essential gear for food prep 2. Use an exhaust fan An exhaust fan above the stovetop is useful during hot summer days. Kitchen Aid If you're going to use your oven, make sure the exhaust fan is on full tilt whenever you do. Most people associate exhaust systems with limiting smoke, but these above-oven fans suck up a ton of heat too. 3. Use your outdoor grill or pizza oven Home pizza ovens are on a tear and present an excellent alternative to hot indoor cooking. CNET Take the heat out of the kitchen by cooking outdoors this summer. Barbecued grilled chicken or steaks are classics for the grill but don't forget you can grill summer favorites like corn on the cob or watermelon. You might be hot while you're outside using a grill or smoker to heat foods, but your kitchen can stay cool. Essential gear for grilling and outdoor cooking, all tested and reviewed. 4. Use an air fryer or Instant Pot Slow cookers give off far less heat than an oven. CNET Minimizing use of the oven and stove can help you avoid heating up your kitchen. Small appliances can cook your food just as well while emitting less heat than large appliances. Try using an air fryer instead of your wall oven, or a panini press instead of the stovetop. You'd be surprised how versatile small appliances can be. Your slow cooker and Instant Pot aren't just for winter soups and stews. Think of summer recipes you can achieve on your countertop, like Instant Pot pork carnitas. Don't turn your nose up at your microwave, which can zap rice, quinoa, vegetables and more while generating practically no heat. Kitchen appliances that keep your wall oven off 5. Meal prep ahead of hot days Some Instant Pots double as air fryers. Instant Pot If you're going to heat up your kitchen, make it worth it. If you do end up using your oven or stovetop, make larger quantities than normal. That way, you can use precooked leftovers, which means you have food ready to go without heating up your kitchen again. With the right kitchen appliances, you can batch cook and keep the oven off. For example, make a whole bunch of pulled chicken in your Instant Pot (which gives off very little heat). Then you can use the leftovers to make tacos, chicken salad nachos and other meals that don't require firing up your oven. Best gear for batch cooking 6. Cook during cooler hours If you're going to cook, try to do it when it's cooler out. CNET Cooking in your kitchen when it's already hot outside (and maybe already hot in your home) means you'll only add to the heat. Plan ahead and strategize your cooking times for when it's not as hot. The best time to cook to avoid the heat is in the morning or later in the evening. That might appear easier said than done, but you could bake bread in the morning, or cook proteins and pasta dishes while you're making breakfast or an early lunch so they'll be ready to go for dinner. More cool kitchen tips 7. Add some fans to the mix We're big fans of air circulation during the summer. Amazon Airflow can help cool down your kitchen. If you're using your stove, turn on the range hood vent. It's there to remove not just grease, fumes and odors but smoke, heat and steam that could get trapped and heat up your kitchen while you're cooking. Plus, you can keep a fan on in the kitchen to move air around and cool it down. You can also position your fan to move hot air out, or bring cold air in with a cool, wet towel. We're a fan of these 8. Limit bright lights Let there be (less) light. Getty/MirageC Sunlight and even artificial interior light can generate heat, and when you're in the heat of summer, every degree counts. Dim the lights, shut any curtains, close your blinds and limit how many lights you turn on. You don't need to work in the dark but be wary of turning on lots of overhead lights. Smart lights for a kitchen glow-up Testing gas grills at the CNET Smart Home Testing gas grills at the CNET Smart Home Click to unmute Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Skip Backward Skip Forward Next playlist item Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 2:07 Loaded : 28.04% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 2:07 Share Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Testing gas grills at the CNET Smart Home 9. Keep yourself hydrated Water, water everywhere. Aarke This strategy won't lower the actual temperature in your kitchen but it will make the heat more bearable. Hydration is the No. 1 rule for most summer activities, and cooking outdoors or in a warm kitchen is no exception. Drink lots of water -- it's recommended to drink between 11 and 15 cups per day -- and sip even more than you think you should when the mercury rises. Want to punch it up a bit? Try water infusions for more flavor and refreshment. Planning to sweat? Add sea salt and lemon to boost electrolytes and flavor. Hot tips to stay hydrated FAQs
CNET
06-06-2025
- General
- CNET
Air Fryers Are the Best Warm Weather Kitchen Appliance, and I Have Data to Prove It
No disrespect to the grill but I've got a new favorite summer cooking routine and it doesn't require standing over hot flames in triple-digit heat. It's that little countertop overachiever: the air fryer. It not only cooks fast and handles burgers. hot dogs and chicken like a pro but it won't require you to be outside in the heat and it doesn't cause the kitchen to spike in temperature like cooking on the stovetop or in the oven will. Don't get me wrong -- I love grilling. There's something primal and satisfying about cooking over open flames with a cold drink in hand. But when it's 90 degrees or more and the sun roasting, I start rethinking things. The numbers don't lie To prove why the air fryer belongs in the summer hall of fame, I ran tests to see how much the oven heats up the kitchen versus an air fryer. Spoiler alert: The air fryer trounced the oven, barely raising the temperature in my home at all. Air fryers also cook quickly and need almost no preheat time so you'll keep from turning that all-important space into a hot box. A heat wave requires creative thinking to keep the home cool and an air fryer is my ticket to getting through those sweltering summer spells without starving. The best part? A quality air fryer can be had for as little as $50. Since air fryers use less energy than an oven or grill, they'll save you money on your monthly energy costs. Trendy air fryers are all they're cracked up to be, especially when it's hot out. David Watsky/CNET I ran tests to see how much hotter an oven would make the kitchen The air fryer turns out juicy chicken thighs in under 20 minutes. David Watsky/CNET To find real-world differences, I roasted chicken thighs in my KitchenAid wall oven (less than 10 years old) and a 4-quart Dreo air fryer, according to two popular recipes from a well-known cooking site. I tested the temperature before, during and after to see how much of a difference each machine makes. My Brooklyn apartment kitchen is on the small side, but it's not enclosed and opens up to the rest of the apartment. I kept the windows closed for the test, although it's worth noting that recent studies show cooking with natural gas in an enclosed kitchen can be a health risk. I'm finding fewer and fewer reasons to turn on the big oven these days. David Watsky/CNET The standard oven recipe called for the chicken to be roasted at 375 degrees for 30 minutes in the oven. Because of its smaller chamber, the air fryer recipe only required 20 minutes of cooking at the same temperature. The air fryer requires only about a minute to come to temperature, while the oven takes more than five. An ambient thermometer is all I needed to test how much hotter a gas oven can make the kitchen. David Watsky/CNET I placed a standard ambient thermometer in the middle of the kitchen -- about 5 feet from the stove -- at counter height. I took a reading before the oven or air fryer was turned on. I took another reading halfway through the cooking time and the last one at the end of the cooking time. Between the two sessions, I waited for the kitchen to return to a resting temperature before starting the next one. Ovens may have more capacity but they warm the kitchen far more than an air fryer. Getty The oven made my kitchen 10 degrees hotter than the air fryer Midway through the recipes (15 minutes), the oven raised the temperature of my kitchen by 15 degrees from 71 F to too-hot 88 F. After 10 minutes of cooking with the air fryer on 375 F, the temperature in my kitchen had gone up only 5 degrees F, from 72 F to a pleasant 77 F. You can feel heat emanating from the air fryer if you stand close enough, but it's not enough to significantly change the temperature of the kitchen. Read more: Here's How to Keep Your Kitchen Cool (and Lower Your Energy Bill) During a Heat Wave Not only did the air fryer cause less of a temperature spike, but I only needed to have it running for roughly 20 minutes with one minute of preheat time. The oven took 30 minutes to cook the chicken and 6 minutes to preheat. Using the air fryer will cut down on energy bills Even modern ovens use significantly more energy than an air fryer. Mary King/CNET During a heat wave, your air conditioner is already working hard. Heating the kitchen up with your oven will only require them to work harder, using more energy to bring the room back down to your desired temperature. For the AC to make up the difference for one 20- or 30-minute cooking session with an oven, it may not be a total budget-buster. Spread that out over time or for longer cooking sessions and using the oven during hot months can have real fiscal ramifications. For more on this, read my breakdown of exactly how much more an oven costs to run than an air fryer. What can you make in an air fryer? Roasted chicken in the air fryer is dynamite and takes less time than in the large oven. David Watsky/CNET An air fryer can do almost any cooking job that an oven can, although air fryers are typically smaller than wall ovens so you can't cook as much in one go. I've been tinkering with the air fryer a lot this year. I discovered the joy of cooking whole chickens in the air fryer, filets of salmon and even bacon cheeseburgers. The air fryer goes well beyond its reputation for cooking crispy wings and french fries. You can make dinner party-level recipes in the air fryer without breaking a sweat, literally. Here are seven foods that I only make in the air fryer now not just because they keep my kitchen cooler but because the results are as good or better than other methods. Here's our complete guide to air fryers, everyone's favorite new kitchen appliance. FAQs How much energy does an air fryer save when compared to a wall oven? An air fryer uses 50% less total energy than a wall oven does, according to calculations performed by CNET's resident kitchen home tech expert, David Watsky.
CNET
05-06-2025
- General
- CNET
Hate Heat but Love Cooking? This Is the Ultimate Kitchen Appliance for Hot Weather
It's not summer yet but it sure feels like it. If you're hungry but not interested in taking an impromptu sauna, there's a new contender for the title of "Summer Cooking MVP," and it's not the grill. It's that little countertop overachiever: the air fryer. Yep, the air fryer is back at it -- cranking out crispy dinners while keeping your kitchen (and electric bill) from melting down. Don't get me wrong -- I love grilling. There's something primal and satisfying about cooking over open flames with a cold drink in hand. But when it's 90 degrees and the sun is aggressively trying to roast me, not just the chicken, I start rethinking things. And don't even mention the oven -- unless you're into sauna-core living and sending your AC into overdrive. You don't need to run a convection oven with an extension cord, as one Reddit user admitted to doing. The air fryer is able to perform many of the tasks you'd need the oven for, and it does so while containing heat and remaining energy-efficient. To prove why the air fryer belongs in the summer cooking hall of fame, I ran some tests to see how much the oven heats up the kitchen versus an air fryer. Spoiler alert: The air fryer trounced the oven, barely raising the temperature in my home at all. Air fryers also cook quickly and need almost no preheat time so you'll keep from turning that all-important space into a sauna. A heat wave requires creative thinking to keep the home cool and an air fryer is my ticket to getting through those sweltering summer spells without starving. The best part? A quality air fryer can be had for as little as $50. Since air fryers use less energy than an oven or grill, they'll save you money on your monthly energy costs. Trendy air fryers are all they're cracked up to be, especially when it's hot out. David Watsky/CNET How much my oven heated my kitchen after 30 minutes The air fryer turns out juicy chicken thighs in under 20 minutes. David Watsky/CNET To find real-world differences, I roasted chicken thighs in my KitchenAid wall oven (less than 10 years old) and a 4-quart Dreo air fryer, according to two popular recipes from a well-known cooking site. I tested the temperature before, during and after to see how much of a difference each machine makes. My Brooklyn apartment kitchen is on the small side, but it's not enclosed and opens up to the rest of the apartment. I kept the windows closed for the test, although it's worth noting that recent studies show cooking with natural gas in an enclosed kitchen can be a health risk. I'm finding fewer and fewer reasons to turn on the big oven these days. David Watsky/CNET The standard oven recipe called for the chicken to be roasted at 375 degrees for 30 minutes in the oven. Because of its smaller chamber, the air fryer recipe only required 20 minutes of cooking at the same temperature. The air fryer requires only about a minute to come to temperature, while the oven takes more than five. An ambient thermometer is all I needed to test how much hotter a gas oven can make the kitchen. David Watsky/CNET I placed a standard ambient thermometer in the middle of the kitchen -- about 5 feet from the stove -- at counter height. I took a reading before the oven or air fryer was turned on. I took another reading halfway through the cooking time and the last one at the end of the cooking time. Between the two sessions, I waited for the kitchen to return to a resting temperature before starting the next one. The big oven made my kitchen 12 degrees hotter than the air fryer Ovens have more capacity than air fryers but it's still rarely worth it to heat the house up during summer. KitchenAid As I suspected, my oven heated the kitchen far more than the air fryer. Midway through the recipes (15 minutes), the oven raised the temperature of my kitchen by 15 degrees from 71 F to too-hot 88 F. After 10 minutes of cooking with the air fryer on 375 F, the temperature in my kitchen had gone up only 5 degrees F, from 72 F to a pleasant 77 F. You can feel heat emanating from the air fryer if you stand close enough, but it's not enough to significantly change the temperature of the kitchen. Read more: Here's How to Keep Your Kitchen Cool (and Lower Your Energy Bill) During a Heat Wave Not only did the air fryer cause less of a temperature spike, but I only needed to have it running for roughly 20 minutes with one minute of preheat time. The oven took 30 minutes to cook the chicken and 6 minutes to preheat. Using the air fryer will cut down on energy bills Even modern ovens use significantly more energy than an air fryer. Mary King/CNET During a heat wave, your air conditioner is already working hard. Heating the kitchen up with your oven will only require them to work harder, using more energy to bring the room back down to your desired temperature. For the AC to make up the difference for one 20- or 30-minute cooking session with an oven, it may not be a total budget-buster. Spread that out over time or for longer cooking sessions and using the oven during hot months can have real fiscal ramifications. For more on this, read my breakdown of exactly how much more an oven costs to run than an air fryer. What can you make in an air fryer? Roasted chicken in the air fryer is dynamite and takes less time than in the large oven. David Watsky/CNET An air fryer can do almost any cooking job that an oven can, although air fryers are typically smaller than wall ovens so you can't cook as much in one go. I've been tinkering with the air fryer a lot this year. I discovered the joy of cooking whole chickens in the air fryer, filets of salmon and even bacon cheeseburgers. The air fryer goes well beyond its reputation for cooking crispy wings and french fries. You can make dinner party-level recipes in the air fryer without breaking a sweat, literally. Here are seven foods that I only make in the air fryer now not just because they keep my kitchen cooler but because the results are as good or better than other methods. Here's our complete guide to air fryers, everyone's favorite new kitchen appliance. FAQs How much energy does an air fryer save when compared to a wall oven? An air fryer uses 50% less total energy than a wall oven does, according to calculations performed by CNET's resident kitchen home tech expert, David Watsky.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The 17 Recipes We Can't Wait To Make This June
Oh, seems like we've been waiting all year for you. We're ready to celebrate your arrival with all things summer cooking. From fresh produce to grilling favorites, we're welcoming you with open arms. And there are plenty of occasions along the way to keep us busy in the kitchen. So, without further ado, here are the recipes we can't wait to make this month for picnicking, Father's Day, Juneteenth, trips to the pool, and ordinary these recipes? Tap 'Save' to add them to MyRecipes—your new, free recipe box for Allrecipes!Meet the perfect potato salad to bring along wherever you're going this summer. Toss together roasted, smashed potatoes with all the "loaded" fixings—from sour cream to bacon—for a creamy, satisfying dish. It packs well in the cooler, too. View Recipe Need an easy meal to take to the pool or beach? Here's another recipe to pack in the cooler. Stack meat, cheese, and a special grinder salad on Hawaiian rolls and call it lunch, dinner, or a midday snack that everyone will be grabbing. View Recipe Senior Editorial Director Diana Moutsopoulos has "a total winner" with this easy 15-minute meal. She explains, "A traditional Greek salad is my go-to salad every summer, but I wanted to make something that I could meal prep at the beginning of the week that would keep me satisfied. I added white beans and chicken to up the protein." As the recipe page also notes, this will keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days and works with any white bean or with chickpeas. View Recipe Sesame and chili oils add depth of flavor and a hint of heat to sweet, crisp snap peas in this versatile side to enjoy all June long with anything from steak to chicken to fish. Allrecipes Allstar Soup Loving Nicole "Loved this recipe!" and suggested adding mushrooms to balance it out. View Recipe Take a note from recipe creator Juliana Hale and test these out: "These bang bang shrimp tacos take bang bang flavor to the next level. Fried shrimp is tossed in spicy mayo, sweet chili-Sriracha sauce, and nestled into tacos with crunchy red cabbage, onion, and avocado." View Recipe Since we can never get enough pasta, no matter what time of year it is, here's an easy, yet crowd-pleasing riff on a favorite cocktail that gives noodles the most fun summer spin. "Bloody mary mix is a great base for a vinaigrette, and with extra horseradish, this dressing is just made for pasta," ensures Moutsopoulos. View Recipe Swap noodles for "zoodles" with zucchini we're starting to stock up on this time of year. This is "a super simple one-pot dinner that's low calorie, low carb, paleo, gluten-free, and takes just 10 minutes to make. This will be your go-to weeknight dinner! Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator up to 3 days," says creator Megan Olson. View Recipe Mix seasonings like onion, cilantro, mint, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño together with ground chicken and skewer these meatballs to throw on the grill. Serve with tzatziki sauce and a big salad, and you've got a tasty meal any night of the week. View Recipe You can't go wrong with these easy grilled veggies. As reviewer Gloria Burnette says, "I followed this recipe exactly and skewered eggplants, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers after marinating them for 6 hours. They turned out amazing! I loved the fresh ingredients and will definitely be making this again!" View Recipe Pamper the father figures with lamb chops that are a go-to for special occasion dinners. They're "easy to prepare with a tasty garlicky marinade for flavorsome, juicy results," according to the recipe page. Reviewer Ira goodstadt vouches for these, too: "Best lamb chops ever! My family loves them. Simple yet flavorful recipe." View Recipe Pay homage to Juneteenth and National Soul Food Month with a menu full of possibilities. Allrecipes Allstar Bettina Applewhite put together a roundup of mouth-watering choices, including this zesty snapper. Serve it with black-eyed pea salad and Hibiscus Coolers, and dinner is served. View Recipe It may not exactly be soup weather, but that's not stopping Associate Editor Patricia Kaowthumrong from trying this flavor-packed recipe from Allstar Nicole Russell. "This looks amazing!" The extra protein boost comes from beans and cottage cheese that get blended in. View Recipe Now that school is out, we need easy snacks for those ever-hungry mouths. "These pizza dough breadsticks are quick and easy to make, and kids love them. I like to top mine off with mozzarella cheese, but served plain with just seasonings, they are equally as delicious," says Allstar Yolanda Gutierrez. The best part? Aside from the store-bought shortcuts, these are totally customizable. View Recipe Another dish to serve on Father's Day, or any festive occasion in June, "This strawberry tiramisu roll is a pretty, tasty, and fun variation on tiramisu. The spiraled layers of mascarpone cream and ladyfingers are revealed when sliced. Use the ripest, juiciest berries you can find for the best flavor," notes our test kitchen's own Sarah Brekke. View Recipe Save some strawberries for this crumble, which highlights two spring darlings in a sweet and tart dessert with "a hint of lemon zest and the rich flavor of almonds," according to the recipe page. Just don't forget the ice cream on the side. View Recipe Allstar Kim gives us a different way to make a summer favorite with these irresistible cupcakes. Though she warns they take time and effort, she says the "end result is a gorgeously delicious confection with a crisp graham cracker crust, rich chocolate cake middle, and a billowy toasted marshmallow frosting." Yes, please! View Recipe If there was ever a better drink for dads, we haven't found it yet. And it might just be the drink of summer this year. To make the perfect "beermosa," simply combine your favorite (perhaps fruit-forward) beer with orange juice for the easiest, most refreshing two-ingredient cocktail. Cheers! View Recipe Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
THE CANNY COOK: The perfect summer tart for less than £2 a serving
Just as canned tomatoes are an absolute stalwart of winter cooking, I couldn't imagine planning summer meals without fresh tomatoes. They are so symbolic of warm-weather eating, and it's around now that we should start seeing some good homegrown varieties in the shops. Forget buying them online – tomatoes should be chosen by eye and, whatever their shade, be vibrant, plump and just yielding to the touch. At home, store them in a cool, dark place rather than in the fridge, and leave them on the vine until ready to eat. Incidentally, I was once advised that the vines are secret harbourers of tomato flavour (give them a sniff to see what I mean). So if you're cooking fresh tomatoes, for example in a simple sauce, add the vines to the pan, too, fishing them out at the end. Tomatoes need salt. If making a salad, salt the cut tomatoes about 10-15 minutes in advance. This will help to draw out some of the excess water and intensify their flavour. Also remember that tomatoes really come alive when paired with other ingredients: mellow cheeses like mozzarella and burrata, salty capers and olives and grassy herbs are some of their happiest bedfellows. You could certainly throw a few basil or oregano leaves over the tart in the recipe here before baking. 2 heaped tbsp black olive tapenade, £2.75 METHOD Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the tomatoes into 0.5cm thick slices, season with salt then arrange over layers of kitchen paper to absorb excess water. Unroll the puff pastry and leave on its baking paper. Score a border around the pastry 2cm from the edge using a sharp knife – take care not to cut the pastry all the way through. Prick the middle all over with a fork. Transfer, on the paper, to a large baking sheet. Spread the tapenade all over the middle of the pastry. Arrange the tomatoes evenly over the top, then scatter with the cheese. Grind over a little black pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry edge is golden and the cheese has melted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving with a green salad. Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills? Email editor@ If we print it here, we'll send you a bottle of champagne *This cost assumes you already have some basic store-cupboard ingredients. prices taken from aldi and correct at time of going to press.
