When it’s hot, many of us shy away from using the oven and heating up the entire kitchen (instead of just our food), much like this reader:
Here’s my question. So many meals require cooking in the oven. I want to make a good meal but what if I don’t want to turn on the oven and make the kitchen hotter?
Cooking on the grill is always an option, but my second favorite is using the toaster oven instead of the oven. If you have a large family, it will take a little longer to prepare your dinner, due to the size of the typical toaster oven. In my opinion it’s worth it to avoid “slaving over a hot stove.”
You might be surprised by what you can make in a toaster oven. I usually try to work it out where only one course has to be cooked in it, to keep things simpler. For example, I might make the meat in the toaster oven and make baked potatoes in the microwave, and toss a salad together.
These are pretty common, simple ideas, so if you’re thinking, yeah, I already do these things then how about this: Set aside a night (it’s usually cooler after the sun goes down) to do some advance cooking. Then all you have to do is pop your meal out of the freezer and warm it through on one of those sweltering evenings when you may not feel like cooking at all much less turning on the oven.
There is also a nice variety of satisfying cold foods with which you can experiment. Some people are not fond of cold food (my husband doesn’t really consider it a meal if it isn’t hot… basically meat and potatoes) but you may just find something everyone likes. Adding shrimp or other types of seafood might just make cold food more appealing for those who don’t normally enjoy it much.
Adding a nice dessert can also help make a so-so meal a bit more appetizing. Most meals sounds better when you add “save room for cheesecake.”
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