How to Keep Your Kitchen Cool in the Summer

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When you are dealing with high temperatures, here are a few ways to keep the kitchen cool in the middle of summer. These hacks are sure to help keep your kitchen from being scorching hot.

First, let me tell you that this is a topic near and dear to my heart. Why?

We have no central air conditioning.

Yep, you heard me right. We have no air conditioning!!! We do have window units. 

WIndow units are in our living room and two bedrooms. We love our ceiling fans in the South, and we have one of those in every room.

Living in a Victorian home mid-restoration has lots of challenges. Being cool is definitely one of them.

So, when it comes to making my family dinner in the heat of the summer, it can be a problem! It’s already hot inside, so I don’t want to add MORE heat to the equation. 

Tips to Keep Your Kitchen Cool in the Summer

Use Your Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker

Your instant pot is a great way to have amazing food without heating up your kitchen. You can make entire meals with your instant pot without ever breaking a sweat.

Lasagna has been on our dinner rotation this summer, without ever turning on our oven!

You can even saute in your instant pot and avoid turning on those stovetop burners! Seriously, the instant pot is amazing.

Related Instant Pot Posts:

Five Reasons You Need an Instant Pot

Must-Have Instant Pot Accessories

The Air Fryer Makes a Great Oven Alternative

The air fryer is a great way to have “oven-baked foods” without actually using your oven. It emits minimal heat into your kitchen, much less than your conventional oven.

Other Air Fryer Related Posts:

Reasons You Need an Air Fryer

Crockpots Can Help Avoid Excess Heat

Yet another gadget, but don’t forget about your crockpot. It’s a great way to let your food simmer all day and come home to a cool kitchen.

Crockpots are always a great way to make dips/appetizers for any gatherings you may be going to this summer.

Microwaves Are Overlooked

It’s often overlooked. But it’s not just for leftovers anymore!

Use the microwave for foods, particularly side items. I have mentioned previously that I love the new steamable potato bags that you microwave and then you can mash.  Mashed potatoes without a pot of boiling water are perfect in the summertime.

You can also make great baked potatoes in the microwave as well! 

Ok, ok – I know that I sound like gadget central, but all these can be a great arsenal to your cooking in the summer! However, there are other ways to keep your kitchen cool that don’t revolve around gadgets, so let’s get into those.

Fix Cold Foods in the Summer

Just don’t cook anything at all. Make cold foods.

Salads, sandwiches – they make a perfect light summertime dinner. Most people tend to like less heavy food in the heat of the summer anyway.

When it comes to desserts, stick with the cold no-bake versions! Everyone loves a nice icebox dessert in the summertime! It’s one of the best ways to stay cool.

Take Your Cooking Outside

Take your cooking outside to your grill. Just avoid using your kitchen altogether!

Order Take-Out

When all else fails, just order take-out and let someone else do the work for you! Sometimes, pizza calls.

Use Your Fan in the Kitchen

I have a ceiling fan in my kitchen. While fans don’t really cool anything down, they circulate air and help promote the feeling of being cool! 

If you don’t have a ceiling fan, you can definitely use a box fan to help cool things down.

Wisely Choose Times to Cook

If you really want to make something in your oven or on your stovetop, do it in the cooler times of the day. Get up early in the morning when it’s still cooler outside to make your food, and then just reheat it later.

If I want to make a dessert that requires the oven for later in the day (I love baking, so summertime cuts into one my favorite hobbies!), I usually do it in the mornings.

Close Your Kitchen Blinds

We have huge kitchen windows and if they are open they will let the sun stream in. While I love the brightness of it, the sun can definitely heat up that room fast.

So, shut your blinds (in our case, wooden shutters), and shut out the sunshine (at least for a bit).

What’s your go-to cooking method or idea to keep your kitchen cool in the summer? Let me know in the comments! I am always looking for a new recipe or idea for my summer cooking while keeping myself and my house cool!

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