NFRC - what do all of you do to keep cool in this heat?! Not only kitchen-related...

dawnnys

Well-known member
(btw, would appreciate no-cook supper postings!), but with no a/c, it feels like the longest summer I've ever lived through.

I do as much with water as possible... water the garden, wash the dog ;o), etc. Go to a matinee when I can, swim as much as possible, drink lemon water... any other creative ideas? With gas prices, long drives in the car with a/c are out for now!

 
Here's what I'm doing...

we moved the TV room to the basement...put down new carpet, arranged some comfy chairs, poof--a cool retreat.

Also, no cooking in the house! Fortunately I have a big new shiny stainless steel "Grill City" that I am using for everything: grilling, roasting, barbequing, sauteing (gas burners), baking (covered enameled metal casseroles). No heat in the house!

I've also noticed hot spots in the house where air ciculation is not quite right, and a fan placed in strategic places to circulate air from cooler rooms also makes a huge difference.

 
Yesterday I spent 3.5 hours in the library with my

son. It would have only been 2.5 hours, but they had a magic show for the kids that lasted an hour.

 
Matinees as you say is one of our favorites for keeping cool. Another is shopping or

strolling an indoor mall, or spending time at the library. And last week we just packed up the motorhome and headed to the coast for a few days. Here it's generally alot cooler on the coast than where we live 30 miles inland.

We've been having some too-darned-hot weather of late as well and find good dinner options to be grilling meat/fish/poultry and vegetables (faves are zucchini, colorful bell peppers, eggplant, red onions...tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper or a marinade before grilling. And yams or sweet potatoes finished with a splash of lime juice before serving). Accompany with any cold salads, green or otherwise. Keeps the heat out of the kitchen.

Hang in there Dawn.

 
I probably shouldn't say this but..... it rarely hit's 70 here, lucky me! maybe you

should come over and we'll cook in my kitchen!

 
or in mine- weather is perfect here but I will soon get my turn.....

In a few days we fly into the Mainland heat and I must say I am not looking forward to experiencing what so many of you are having to deal with. Here on Kauai temps are in mid-high 80s during the day and low to mid 70s at night.

Guess I will pack plenty light for this trip!

 
Well I'm actually camping right now...

so aside from the 2 to 3 hours per afternoon I spend in the air-conditioned library (someone's gotta keep an eye on you guys ;o) ), I just close all the windows and doors of the motor home and crank up the air conditioning! Nothing like roughing it, you know. ;o)))

 
Bring out the crock pot. Can you get a small a/c for just the bedroom, for some relief?

 
I have air conditioning inside. For cooking,

I use a countertop oven I have on a cart on my patio. I also use the crock pot out there.

Back when I spent my summers in my RV, I camped in the mountains. If it got too warm there, I would wet my hair and turn on a 12 volt fan. Generally, that wasn't necessary for me, but my cat needed it--he didn't appreciate that method.

 
too funny, I used to take mine into the shower with me back in Bklyn, kept him cool but miffed. smileys/smile.gif

 
Frozen washcloths & some 'cool' meals ideas...

I wet washcloths and store them inside a container in the freezer separated by freezer paper, pull them out to cool your face but especially the back of your neck, it really helps with people prone to heatstroke. It works for pets too, to give them a bit of a break, and because the cloths immediately go in the laundry - when the weather's hot you really need to have a big supply on hand in the freezer.

For meals, I grill chicken breasts and make a batch of couscous or quinoa (which is high in protein), they hold in the fridge pretty well for several days so the options for chicken salads, sandwiches, in tortillas, etc are pretty endless. It's so easy to mix them with a sauce or two and have a great tasting meal. Another hot weather favorite is having a fruit smoothie as a meal replacement, with protein powder or soft tofu mixed in, it makes a good meal replacement. It doesn't have to be an elaborate smoothie: even frozen fruit blended with water works just fine (I use fruit juice or concentrate as the sweetener). Gazpacho is great, in all its many variations, for hot weather. Overall I find that the fewer temperature fluctuations I experience (including with hot or cold food or in/out of air conditioning) the easier it is to survive the heat.

For drinks... homemade lemonade with lemonade ice cubes (so it doesn't become watery) and a mint iced tea are favorites (right now, it's simply spearmint tea, brewed, then iced and it's really refreshing). And regular water ice cubes for the pets drinking bowls. In this last heat wave even the cats were panting but they sure seemed to like the iced water (at least they chased the cubes around their water bowl!).

 
try those soft gel packs that you freeze for muscle pulls? no muss, no fuss, toss them back

into the freezer when they warm up and they good again in a half hour. smileys/smile.gif

 
Hi Randi, yes I did, but...

they just didn't work as well - and - they're not suitable for pets unless you're sitting there making sure they don't chew on them. For me, it's frozen cloths, they melt as they thaw and it's much more refreshing I've found.

 
gee Ruth, I forgot about the wee beasties that need cooling too. you're so right. we have cats...

and they aren't that cooperative regarding such matters.... '-))

 
Thanks for these tips! I forgot to add that we have lost power quite a lot...

in the area due to storms/heavy rain, so that is why I wanted no-cook suggestions. We do have one room a/c, but it doesn't work too well without power ;o)

Thanks again.

 
Newport, OR on the coast, house is by the ocean. it's chilly enough for a jacket today. and those

wonderful breezes off the ocean keep everything, up to 1/4 mile, cool. it's really lovely and at night you can see the lights on the fishing boats. they're like little fairy lights sprinkled over the ocean.

I'm so spoiled I doubt I could ever handle a NY summer again.

 
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