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tim irvine
Aug 18, 2012 08:16 AM
Indonesian when it's that hot...the tomatoes, the nuts, and the chilis. Mainly the chilis. Or Vietnamese, bun cha wrapped in lettuce with sprouts and carrots and cukes, and cilantro tucked there. Or steamed crabs and cold beer, maybe with some sliced tomatoes. Or sit outside and tend a BBQ for 14 hours and smoke a brisket. When it's really hot, sometimes it's better if you embrace it.
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sugar free jello w/whippage (really)
sugar free fudgesicles
chicken salad (s)
Tuna salad
Egg Salad
green bean and tomato soup
eggs with (from frozen) hash browns
pasta marinara
egg white omelettes w/spinach and mushrooms
broccoli tofu stir fry
cottage cheese with fruit
yogurt with fruit
iceberg w/blue cheesewell, that's what I've been eating the past couple weeks, while living on the surface of the sun
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re: laliz
njmarshall55
Aug 15, 2012 10:26 AM
Interestingly enough, when I DO finally decide a dish is not complete without whipped cream, I make sure I have what I need to make it myself. Rarely does it make it to the final presentation, however.
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mamachef
Aug 14, 2012 04:37 AM
What about just putting together an antipasto from your deli? Some rolls, meats, olives, artichoke hearts, roasted veg....really, anything you want, served up with ice-cold ginger lemonade or beer, followed by a dessert of melon chunks, which we enjoy sprinkled w/ lime and salt and sometimes chile powder.
Another nice hot-weather idea; just poach some prawns and ice them. Do it in the morning and the heat won't be a factor. Those, with some purchased hummus and pita, and maybe a cuke/tomato/onion raita, would be delicious. You could also make a big prawn Louis salad. In fact, there are a ton of composed salads out there that would be terrific: Cobb salad; tuna, egg, potato, shrimp or chicken salad stuffed into a delicious heirloom tomato, with some crackers or breadsticks would be nice. Retro, but fun - and nice and cool. -
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greygarious
Aug 13, 2012 09:12 PM
The posters who've suggested overnight roasting, cooking soup, crockpots, and the like are made of stronger stuff than I am! I'll pull out all stops to avoid using the stove for more than 10 minutes, if at all. Even then, as soon as it's turned off, I put a covered pot of cold water onto the burner or into the oven to absorb the heat, then use that heated water in the dishpan, or dump it down the drain.
In the link I posted upthread are ideas for using a wafflemaker for off-label purposes. I have been using an ancient electric frying pan since I can put it outside to cool off as soon as I'm done with it. The toaster oven gets more use in hot weather than cold, too. Use whatever appliances do the job at hand with the least amount of power.
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re: greygarious
I too noticed a lot of suggestions that require cooking. I had the A/C on, but I live in a studio and it heats up quickly when using the oven or stove. I've been breaking out the old Foreman Grill on some occasions, but tonight, I used the toaster oven. Sliced everything in half so it was really thin and it cooked within 8 minutes...no real heat put out. Phew!
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re: greygarious
DuchessNukem
Aug 13, 2012 10:46 PM
Hah! I use the electric frypan on a table outdoors and leave it there to cool. Have to wedge large beetles under the table legs to level things though.
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re: lmann
An Indian savoury pastry shell, filled with either a spiced meat (kheema) or vegetables. I make both the meat and veg versions. Plus, a big short-cut on the pastry is to use wonton wrappers. Delicious, usually served as an appetizer with chutneys, but we made a platterful as a whole meal.
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re: greygarious
I think it depends on how long the hot spell lasts. For a week or two, I'm content to eat lots of salad, bread and cheese, dips and veggies.
After a couple of weeks, through, the restrictions of heat free food get boring. I find that starches and protein are the hardest - veggies and fruit are no problem, dairy is easily consumed in milk, yoghurt and cheese. But for heat free starches, I've got two types of bread (sandwich and baguette), crackers and pre-packaged cold noodles (not nearly as nice as the ones you make yourself). For protein, I can get a limited supply of canned beans (chickpeas and kidney, both expensive), tofu, supermarket cheddar, and canned tuna, and I'm not fond of most microwaved meat dishes.
Unfortunately, I live in a climate where the hot, sticky season lasts a third of the year, with 35 C and high humidity normal conditions.
But you can do stuff to cook, but minimize the discomfort. Doing something like poaching chicken or cooking pasta before you leave for the day lets a small apartment cool off while you're gone, doing so right before bed (when it's cooler out) can do the same if you've got multiple rooms. A crock pot or rice cooker can be put out on the balcony with an extension cord. If you've got room by room air conditioning, you can leave something cooking slowly at night, stay in your comfortable bedroom at night, and put it in the fridge in the morning before you leave for the day. You can also cook stuff in batches - cook enough meat or rice or potatoes for multiple meals so you only have one hot cooking spell for multiple meals.
I think the hottest cooking I do in the summer is making Zhong-zhi (rice filled bamboo leaf wrapped dumplings), which is usually in mid to late June. It's traditional for the Dragon boat festival, but foods that take a couple of hours to steam, after you've stewed and sauteed the fillings, are not well suited to hot humid weather!
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Gazpacho.
Chickpea salad with tomato, celery onion and mint, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.
Tuna salad - either mayo or vinegar based.
Three bean salad.
Couscous salad
Tofu salad (Block of silken tofu, top with soy sauce and either a bit of grated ginger, or fish flakes)
Caprese salad.
Greek salad.
Spicy thai Mixed seafood salad (seafood cooks really quickly)
Green papaya salad
Bread and cheese.
Potato salad with a vingar dressing.
Pan fried fish with citrus salad (fish cooks really quickly)
Take out sushi.
Cold noodles.Dips with flatbread, crackers, or chips. Think hummus, guacamole, fresh salsa, tatziki, Indian raitas, etc.
Simple veggie salad - quickly blanch or microwave a vegetable (green beans, asparagus, broccoli, etc). Let cool, served dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper, and wine vinegar or lemon juice (this is amazingly good with really fresh produce).
Quickly poach a batch of chicken breasts. Use for chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, chicken caesar salad, etc.
Cook meat and potatoes early in the day, and cool. Serve sliced with a simple dressing (salsa, pesto and cream, mustard sauce, etc).
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weezieduzzit
Aug 13, 2012 02:59 PM
When we grill something we grill several meals worth- extra chicken and steak that can be sliced up cold and served on top of big salads or made into chicken salad, etc. Previously grilled veggies brought to room temp are great on salads, too.
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Db Cooper
Aug 13, 2012 02:36 PM
Nothing cools you off actually as much as soup so I've been making a lot of them recently geared more towards summer. My favorite has been a roasted zucchini bisque garnished with shaved apple and basil oil. You just roast the zucchini with some onions. Put it in a saucepan with some chicken stock and nutmeg and simmer it for 30 minutes. Blend it and add some cream. Bang, you're done.
I've also made some vichysoisse which can be served warm (potato leek soup) or chilled.
Love this heat, you'll be missing it in about five months.....
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mrbigshotno.1
Aug 13, 2012 02:31 PM
Cheese
Crackers
Hard salami
cucumber & tomato slices fresh from the garden
Jalepeno (that's just me)
Iced coffee, tea or a beerThis is how we've been doing it this burning *** summer at least once a week.
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todao
Aug 13, 2012 02:14 PM
A seafood salad with lettuce, hard boiled eggs, cold asparagus spears, chunks of peeled tomato, red onion, shrimp or other favorite seafood, maybe a few capers and a good thousand island dressing made with your own hands.
If you want to reduce the heat produced/vessels used faction, boil the eggs, use the remaining water to loosen the peels on the tomatoes, poach the asparagus in the remaining water (for 3 - 5 minutes) and use the last of the water to steam the seafood. -
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