Last year, the summer season is when we tended to eat out a lot. Sweltering heat waves made it pretty much impossible to turn on the oven, and the idea of a restaurant’s cool air conditioning seemed like an extra blessing. Of course the blessing of not having to heat up the house (or cook) came with the price of spending way too much on eating out.
This year, we’ve gotten smarter and are saving more money.
Be Prepared
On days when the heat index isn’t so high, consider throwing together a couple of freezer meals that are pre cooked. This way, all that you have to do is defrost and warm these meals in the microwave, and there is no heating up the kitchen.
Use other appliances
In addition to the microwave, there are other cooking appliances that don’t cause so much heat but still give you a fresh, hot meal.
Crockpot: throw the ingredients together in the morning and have dinner ready on time. These do generate some heat, but their portability allows them to be used anywhere with an outlet, such as on a covered porch!
Wok: quick cooking and little heat makes this an idea appliance for summer.
Grill: keep the heat outdoors where it belongs when you throw your dinner out on the grill. Invest in a couple of accessories, such as a vegetable rack and a pizza stone to broaden your dinner options.
Griddle: pancakes for dinner anyone? How about eggs, grilled cheese or other things that can be cooked this way? Get creative with fancy sandwiches, such as cheese steak and more that rival your favorite go to restaurant.
Toaster Oven: when you just cant get away from baking, consider adapting your favorite recipes to your toaster oven. Even a smallish toaster oven can usually accommodate a meat loaf, and it won’t generate as much heat as your full-size oven will.