7 Tools for Cooking in a Heat Wave

It’s been a minute since I’ve seen a daytime temperature below 90 degrees. And I know the South isn’t alone in experiencing a series of days where the heat index is over 100℉. (Though I will say, the South knows how to do air conditioning right!) Cooler days aren’t exactly around the corner, so for the sake of my air conditioning utility bill—and my personal comfort at home—I’m trying to lessen the amount of heat I put out into my house. That means my oven has been put on leave, and even my gas stovetop has taken some much-needed vacation. Instead, I’m leaning hard on a few key tools and appliances that don’t overheat my kitchen. Keep reading to shop my seven go-to tools for beating the heat. 

Shop Cooking Products That Keep Me Cool: 

Beautiful by Drew Barrymore 9 Quart TriZone Air Fryer

I’m not a big fan of extra kitchen appliances, so I resisted the air fryer trend for a long time. But as soon as I tried out air fryers in our test kitchen, I knew I had to have one in my own kitchen. I practically begged to bring home this Beautiful by Drew Barrymore 9-quart air fryer for long-term testing, and I’m even more obsessed now than I was originally. I use it re-heat pizza, quesadillas, and other leftovers, and in a recent effort to avoid my oven, I’ve been using it to cook frozen waffles and cinnamon rolls on weekend mornings and even salmon and a whole chicken for dinners. Just today, I Googled air fryer carrots and found this recipe, which I’ll be making tonight to use up some aging carrots in my produce drawer (and continue to avoid my oven).  

OXO Good Grips Tabletop Spiralizer

Here’s another tool that’s great for using up summer produce and doesn’t add any heat to your kitchen. If you have an abundance of summer squash or zucchini, this spiralizer will help! But don’t stop there: you can spiralize potatoes, beets and more! 

Breville Fresh & Furious Blender

I love my blender, but it takes up valuable real estate on my kitchen counter so as soon as I’m done with it, I put it away. As soon as the heat index kicked up, though, it’s earned a near-permanent spot on my counter. We’ve been making more than just smoothies—smoothie bowls, homemade pesto and even some chilled soups have been on our menu.  

OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner

It’s not summer if you haven’t put your salad spinner into overdrive, and i’s especially clutch when we’re experiencing record-high temperatures outside. Whether it’s washing salad greens for dinner or berries to put on top of cottage cheese (yes, I am a fan!) for breakfast, my OXO salad spinner hasn’t been put back in the drawer in at least a week. Oh, and if you’re still on the fence about whether a salad spinner is worth it, check out my seven surprising ways to use a salad spinner beyond just washing and drying lettuce. 

Fellow Corvo EKG Electric Kettle

The Fellow electric kettle has been my go-to for a couple of years now. It gets used most during the colder months for tea or hot chocolate, but lately, I’ve put it to use to quickly heat water up to a boil so I can run my gas stovetop for shorter periods. The only hindrance is that depending on what I’m cooking (or how many I’m cooking for), I need to refill it once or twice. That’s when I pulled out this larger one from Beautiful by Drew Barrymore, which I tested first-hand for this roundup of our best electric kettles and have been long-term testing since.

Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Rice Cooker

Similar to my fellow EatingWell editor, Penelope Wall, we eat our fair share of rice in our house. It’s my youngest daughter’s favorite carb. After I read Penelope’s review rice cooker, I got myself one and haven’t looked back. While I haven’t tried cooking other items in my rice cooker, we’re on a rice jag these days because this handy little appliance doesn’t heat up my kitchen a single degree. 

LMNT Recharge Variety Pack 

This isn’t a kitchen gadget, tool or appliance, but between the sweaty outdoor temps and indoor air conditioning (which, as you might know, dries you out!) my fluid needs have gone up considerably. Adding electrolytes to my water helps me drink more water and stay hydrated, and these LMNT packets are my favorite of the electrolyte powders we tested.