Stay Cool by Bringing Back the Summer Kitchen

Yesterday the outside temperature came close to a record high, and I had all my fans going full blast in the house. Yet, when it came time for my supper, during the hottest part of the day, I lit a fire in the middle of my house to cook my pasta.

Which, frankly, seemed just a little silly. I was definitely reminded of that old saying about "slaving over a hot stove." Even with the exhaust fan turned on high, the heat from the boiling water and the flame under it spread throughout the kitchen and beyond.

It doesn't really make sense to use up gas to warm up the house, and then use electricity in the air conditioner to cool it down again. Since I'm not ready to restrict myself to raw salads for the next few months, I started thinking about building myself a summer kitchen.

In many parts of the world, it's traditional to set up a small building outside the main house for summer cooking. It simply makes sense - the heat from the stove, and the cooking odors too, are kept out of the living quarters. In the US, we often take our cooking outside in the summer months, but usually only for a special weekend meal of grilled burgers or steaks. If you're in the mood for pasta, the average barbecue grill really isn't very useful.

The ideal summer kitchen would be a small shaded building. If a summer kitchen needs to be set up and taken down with every use, it probably won't be used very often. The traditional summer kitchen was a permanent building, and in a perfect world, it would have screened openings on all four sides to let in the cooling breeze. There would also be permanent counters and cupboards where equipment and supplies could be kept during the summer months. Perhaps it could double as a potting shed in the spring, when it was still comfortable to cook inside the house.

If you don't already have a building that fits that description, a semi-permanent cooking arrangement could be set up on a covered deck or a north-facing porch without spending much money. Naturally, having easy access to water will make the area easier to use. Critters, especially raccoons, can open almost any cupboard or chest, so staple food items should be kept in the house or in an area that can be firmly locked.

If you have easy access to an outside electrical outlet, a two-burner electric hotplate will do just fine. For under $30 you can also get a two-burner propane stove, which is great for whipping up a stir-fry. Asian markets almost always have a large selection of propane stoves for this purpose, and you can also find them online. Of course, traditional propane camp stoves can also be used, and the wind screen that usually comes with them would be especially helpful if your new outdoor kitchen is open to the summer breeze.

A cold water tap could be created with just a few fittings from the hardware store and a plastic dish tub. A quick trip to the local Goodwill store could also net you enough pots and pans so you wouldn't need to carry your good set out to the back yard. For storing your new outside pans, and a few staples, you can find lockable storage cupboards made from heavy plastic at large discount stores. They're usually designed for tool storage in the garage, but they could work just fine in a summer kitchen.

I spent a few hours this morning getting my new kitchen set up on my covered deck. Screened walls would be nice, but that will have to wait until next year. For now, I have a place where I can fix my dinner without heating up the house along with the pasta.