Kitchen without air conditioning

[Claire]

Is there anyone out there besides me who has a kitchen without air conditioning? I love my kitchen, and it is only a problem for a month or two out of the year. I'm going to post a few of my ideas for coping with it, and please chime in with yours.

 

[Uncle Bob]

We have large central A/C units upstairs and down stairs however, during Katrina we had no commercial power for 11 days...However we did have generators for the basics....Electric fans circulating the air helped, using the vent hood in the kitchen to draw heat out, plus we did a lot of cooking outside when possible using grills, propane stoves etc...Now with the addition of a larger generator, I have an "emergency" A/C window unit that can be easily installed to create a cool zone in the house.

 

[Claire]

Uncle Bob, I have lived through many long-term power outages without generators. The most recent was about ten years ago, when hurricanes whipped through the southeast. It was actually kind of funny. My husband and I were on the road for three years, seeing America. We got to Louisiana, and hurricanes were about to hit Florida. We were in a KOA campground, and had fixed dinner. We had an early cell phone with spotty coverage. But I started getting phone messages (couldn't actually recieve calls because of the storm that was coming in). "Mom and Dad are leaving the house, please call when they get there." Similar calls all evening. In a typical communal thing, everyone in the campground was looking for my parents to come in. I was running back and forth from the laundry room, washing sheets for the bed, and at around midnight, my parents showed up, exhausted. I think I had something like chili on the stove, and we spent several happy days together, in Louisiana and Mississippi, then when we hit my parents' neck of the woods, there was no power. What better time to be in a camper-trailer? We were so self-contained that my folks came over after a day of picking up around their house (which was unscathed) and got hot showers and a hot meal.

 

[sparrowgrass]

I have airconditioning, but come summer, my cooking style changes.

The oven hardly ever goes on, between June and September. I do roast tomatoes and peppers for canning, but I do that early in the morning, before the sun heats everything up.

I cook outside on the grill, whenever possible, I eat a lot of cold dinners (salad, sandwiches) and lots of quicky stir fries.

 

[MexicoKaren]

We live in Mexico in a Mexican-style house, which was never designed to be air conditioned. Some substantial structural changes would be necessary, and that would have an impact on the overall beauty of the house. So, we live without some of the amenities that most folks from the US would take for granted, i.e., no AC, no dishwasher. Can you believe it? We are perfectly content.

We have large ceiling fans in every room that run 24/7. In the summer, I put a powerful fan in the backdoor when I'm cooking, and flush the hot air out of the kitchen. But like Sparrowgrass, we change the way we eat in summer - lots of cold meals and/or cooked outside on the grill. My DH is in the process of designing an outdoor kitchen for me, which I may actually have by next summer! Bread and cookie making pretty much comes to a halt this time of year, and those are his favorites, so that gives him some motivation...the only problem would be keeping it dry, as this is also our rainy season...

 

[Katie H]

I have airconditioning, but come summer, my cooking style changes.

The oven hardly ever goes on, between June and September. I do roast tomatoes and peppers for canning, but I do that early in the morning, before the sun heats everything up.

I cook outside on the grill, whenever possible, I eat a lot of cold dinners (salad, sandwiches) and lots of quicky stir fries.

I don't have air-conditioning, but I do almost exactly what sparrowgrass does. One trick, that sounds like it wouldn't be worth the bother, is that I always have a kettle of water on the stove. When I'm done using a unit, I place the kettle on the unit. The water-filled kettle absorbs the residual heat given off by the unit as it cools down. Believe it or not, I have seen a difference.

 

[CasperImproved]

Claire - I have central air for the couple of weeks it's intolerable up here. But I do have a suggestion to make...

Steal all of msmofet's chocolate ice cream and share with your kitties

Bob

 

[licia]

Living in Florida we couldn't survive without ac. We use that more than the heat feature. I wonder how those units that are just plugged in work - no installation - not even in a window. I've never known anyone who had used one, but have seen them advertised. If they work - it would be good in a pinch.

 

[katybar22]

We live here in Texas and have been running both ac units plus the tiny window ubit in my sub room since March/April, I think. For my birthday I told dh the only thing I really wanted was another small unit for our bedroom which is on the HOT west side of the house. Since I will be having more surgeries this summer, I wanted to be sure I don't melt, 'cause I'm so sweet, lol!!!

 

[Constance]

Because of certain medications I take, I am supposed to avoid getting overheated and stay out of the sun. We have a very efficient heating/cooling system, and a well-insulated house, so our bills are quite reasonable, summer and winter.
But I have lived without AC in the kitchen, and a window fan is a must. I also used to dress for the heat, wearing loose-fitting cotton clothing, as brief as possible.
We didn't have crock pots or microwaves back then, so we did most of our cooking early in the morning, and didn't eat big heavy meals.

 

[les]

We don't need a/c here...however one thing I learnt when we were in Australia, was to keep medicines in the fridge, especially any creams. If it does hot up here, we usually turn the cooker hood extractor on & just open the windows all over the house to try & get a breeze through.

 

[Claire]

MexicoKaren, that is part of our "problem" -- the house is 160 years old and retrofitting these homes with central air is prohibitive and mucho ugly. So we have a window unit in the downstairs room where we spend most of our time, one in our bedroom for sleeping comfort, and one to pop into the guest room when we, well, have guests (most people know to come in spring or fall which are the prettiest times anyway).

But I like being able to see out of my windows!

One of my lifesavers are near east brand couscous and taboule. As others have said, I boil the kettle first thing in the morning, pour on the water, and put in the fridge. At dinner time I add the vegetables and herbs, and if we want the couscous hot, I nuke it.

Pre cooking things that I cook on the stove in the microwave oven is a trick I learned when we were on the road in a trailer. Potatoes in particular take to this very well. Whether I'm going to put them on the grill or fry them I put them in the microwave oven until they are almost cooked. Then I can fry or grill them for the right texture and flavor without the time and heat (that's also how I bake potatoes to cut down on baking time year 'round: in the nuculator until almost through, then pop in the oven to get the baked flavor and crisp skin)

I rarely use the oven in the summer, but if I need to, I do baking and long-simmering dishes early in the a.m. (being an insomniac helps), then refridgerate and nuke at dinner time.

I cook pasta or rice in the early hours, toss with some oil, refridgerate, then make pasta or rice salad for dinner.

There are only two of us, so when we fire up the grill I make the most of the coals and cook enough meat and veggies for several meals. That lovely flavor in the meat makes it ideal to use in salads throughout the week.

My husband is a soup fanatic. He'd eat soup for three meals a day, year 'round. SO we start the season with our (albeit small) freezer stacked to the top with home made soups, stews, chili. So he can nuke himself a very home-made meal any time.

 

[MexicoKaren]

Claire, those are all good ideas, and I do many of the same things. I wish my DH would eat soup year around! It is truly one of the best and easiest things to cook, anytime. One of my best strategies is this: I can set the toaster oven outside on the patio and use it there, bypassing the kitchen entirely.I am roasting a small beef eye of round in the toaster oven this morning. We'll slice it for lunch sandwiches and more cold slices for dinner with cheese, hard cooked eggs, other cold cuts, etc.

The responses to this thread have impressed me with what an affluent society the US is! So many comments about the "necessity" for air conditioning....I live in climate that is purely tropical. It never gets below 55-60F, anytime of year, so there is never a need for heat, EVER. A very small % of people here (mostly foreigners) have AC. Our northern friends who live here solely in the winter (snowbirds), are often aghast when we tell them we live here year around...I just point to the several thousand Mexican people who call this lovely little town home...see, we're not the only ones! It is all a matter of perspective.

 

[CasperImproved]

Karen - If it makes you feel better, I went the entire month of May (30'sF over night, and 50 ~ 60F during the day) without the heat turned on. Wearing a sweater, and nighttime cuddling with the cats is not such a bad thing.


Bob

 

[lynseysnatural]

I cook pretty much everything outside in the summer - including boiling water for pasta, even eggs. When I was little we remodeled our kitchen and it took months, so my mom discovered there is really nothing that can't be cooked on the grill. That being said, grilling can be kind of a process so I make sure to plan my meals for the week and if I'm going to have chicken twice, for example, I cook it all at once and simply reheat for the next meal.

 

[MostlyWater]

I lived like that for 20 years; our apt now has a non working ac unit but thankfully i manage with the 2 units in the dining room that blow in.

when i did major cooking, i'd shower right after !!!!

 

[MexicoKaren]

Karen - If it makes you feel better, I went the entire month of May (30'sF over night, and 50 ~ 60F during the day) without the heat turned on.

Oh, I am so sorry!! I deal with the heat MUCH better than the cold. I just returned from a trip to cold and gray and rainy Oregon and I was cold the whole time I was there...the bright smiles of my family and friends served to warm my spirits, though.

 

[CasperImproved]

But the cold shouldn't matter if you can find the right one to snuggle with

If the heat is dry, I don't mind... but if humid, even when down to your birthday suit you can still be uncomfortable. You can always put more on, but you get to a certain point you have nothing left to take off (I know about this).

Bob

Oh, I am so sorry!! I deal with the heat MUCH better than the cold. I just returned from a trip to cold and gray and rainy Oregon and I was cold the whole time I was there...the bright smiles of my family and friends served to warm my spirits, though.

 

[Chile Chef]

I do have a kitchen with out A/C, However with "OUT" my knowledge my mother purchased an ac unit for my apartment and called it a house warming gift, Anyways it cools the whole 600 square foot apartment down and I can cook anything I want too.

 

[CasperImproved]

I do have a kitchen with out A/C, However with "OUT" my knowledge my mother purchased an ac unit for my apartment and called it a house warming gift, Anyways it cools the whole 600 square foot apartment down and I can cook anything I want too.

Now *thats* a nice mom.... I hope you give her tons of love.

Bob