Midsummer is the hottest time of year, and 2025 has delivered record-breaking heat waves across the US. With temperatures in three digits, the idea of standing in a hot kitchen might be driving you to consider take out. When it's outrageously hot outside, there are a few tricks that help you stay cool and deliver a delicious dinner for your family.
Read more: Best Foods for Staying Hydrated During Hot Weather
From choosing the right appliances to timing your cooking sessions just right, a few simple strategies is all it takes. Better still, these tricks will help keep the kitchen from warming up the rest of the house and sending your AC bill through the roof.
Here are nine practical tips to keep your kitchen -- and you -- cool, even when the temperature outside is pushing triple digits.
1. Prepare instead of cooking
Ceviche requires no cooking. It just might be the perfect summer food. CNET
Don't want to heat up your kitchen? Don't cook. That doesn't mean you can't eat. Focus on no-cook, fresh foods, such as summer salads, ceviche, smoothies and cold noodles. Even slicing up fresh fruit or vegetables like cucumbers and melons can be a refreshing and healthy summer treat. No-cook foods help beat the heat in two ways: By not heating up your kitchen -- or your body -- as you consume them.
When you do cook, limit your time in the kitchen with a helpful meal kit (these are the best meal kits for 2025). You'll likely still have to cook the food, but you'll do far less prep and spending less time in a sweltering kitchen is definitely a good thing. Most services offer lighter, no-cook meals during the summer, too.
Essential gear for food prep
2. Use an exhaust fan
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