Summer Kitchen
Boy, did we ever have a heat wave here on SE Vancouver Island. It's the humidity that kills. Luckily it has "cooled" down to 28' during the day and lower humidity. Never thought I would be saying 28' is cool!!
Re: summer kitchen. I have been using a toaster oven set up on a TV tray on the shady side of the house. There is a plug-in next to it and only a few feet from the back door. So far I have made: roast pork, canneloni, apple crisp and cheese cake. It takes a 9" cake tin so the size is just right. I am planning a zucchini cake next. Yes, that time has arrived where one does not offer free zucs in polite company.
Does anyone know if I am saving much electricity by using the toaster oven instead of the stove oven?
bobmcc
Sun, 07/04/2021 - 19:10
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toaster oven v. stove oven
No contest - the toaster oven uses less power than the stove oven. If your stove is natural gas, it would be close...
Teresa from Hershey
Mon, 07/05/2021 - 10:08
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I've been thinking about a summer kitchen again
I've been thinking about a summer kitchen again because of earlier discussions about keeping cool.
We have a small patio (where we removed a raised bed). We could expand it again by removing another raised bed. We don't grow the veg we used to and we'll still have plenty of space left.
I want a countertop. We'll probably repurpose the marble coffee table that's been sitting unused (and moved from house to house at least six times!). If I set the metal legs on cinderblocks, I can get the height I want AND the table is weather-safe. The gas grill would move over to sit next to it, making it much more accessible. In winter, the gas grill would move back to its sheltered but awkward location under the eaves.
We've already got a salvaged glass patio table and patio chairs (two different garbage heaps). A dining fly?
I don't know what I'd want after that, but it's a good start. We've got all the materials on hand so it's effort and time, but not a cash outlay.
Teresa from Hershey
Wed, 07/07/2021 - 10:49
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Other things to make space for in your summer kitchen
It occurred to me that there are other things to make space for in your summer kitchen.
The solar oven
The haybox sitting on the counter (added heat from the sun!)
The solar dryer or drying racks
If you want to go all out: a wood-burning built-in brick oven or barbecue with chimney so you're not reliant on charcoal briquettes or propane gas canisters to provide an energy source
Since a summer kitchen probably has a hard floor (paving, concrete, bricks, etc.) and could be in full sun other than a dining fly, why not use it for other food preparations as well as your grill?
ClareBroommaker
Wed, 07/07/2021 - 12:54
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Summer kitchen safety
If you are going to be cooking outside regularly, you might want to do some thinking about safety issues. At my house, I see one of the greatest issues is the stairs we have to use between the yard and the back door which leads into the "housed" kitchen. Going up and down with hot pots seems to be the biggest issue for us. Carrying knives up the stairs is something to be careful with, but at least you would have one hand available to hold the stair rail when carrying a knife. A hot pot requires both hands and a set of insulating pot holders. We haven't had any accidents so far, but I do think we are tempting fate.
Our back stairs lead up to a concrete porch which is [still] not enclosed by wall or window. I could solve the stair-climbing with hot pot problem by setting the pot onto the porch from below. But that still would have me lifting the pot to about the level of my face, which is probably also not the greatest idea. If I do that, then I can climb the stairs empty-handed and pickup the pot from the porch floor once I'm up there.
What other safety issues do any of you think of with regard to regularly cooking outdoors near your home?
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Ooh, here is my chance to show off the solar cooked pork roast my husband cooked last week. It got a little dry because he is touchy about pork and took it up to a higher than necessary temperature. It does make good sandwiches, though. We cannot use the solar oven on our patio, as privacy hedges shade it too much. It has to be set out in the grassy part of the yard, where all the neighbors can see us cooking. The aromas drift far and wide as well, just as with barbecue.
Teresa from Hershey
Thu, 07/08/2021 - 10:01
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Doors would be a safety issue
I can see doors as an issue. They have to be propped open or held by someone so you -- carrying the pot of scalding water -- can march through. Open doors invite bugs, so the doors have to be closed immediately afterwards.
There's also the tripping hazard of pets and kids.
We replaced all our doorknobs decades ago with lever handles. They are MUCH easier to open because you don't actually need a free hand. You can open one with your elbow.
ClareBroommaker
Thu, 07/08/2021 - 12:38
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doors, yes, an issue here
Yep, that's an issue for me. Our storm door opens outward, then main door inward. Have to "pre-open" the storm door and hold it open with its brake (?), then twist the knob on the main door and push hard with my body because the frame so often swells in the humidity making the door seal very tightly. I should at least get in the habit of leaving that door barely closed when I think I will be bringing hot pots in the house. New habit to build. I like the tight seal, otherwise.
Teresa from Hershey
Fri, 07/09/2021 - 10:19
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Having dealt with problem doors, here are some suggestions
We've got problem doors too.
Some fixes:
The aforementioned lever handles. They are made for exterior doors as well as interior. They are a lifesaver. When you replace all your exterior doorknobs, get them rekeyed and discard all the old keys. You now have better key control, a potential safety issue if you don't know how many keys are floating around. I suggest one key for the exterior lever itself for both front and back door AND the second key for the deadbolt for front and back door. Thus, two keys for each door, but one for the door handle lock and the separate key for the deadbolt, front and back. Don't get double deadbolts as you'll never be able to unlock it at 3 am when the smoke detector goes off.
Magnetic doorstops at all doors, interior and exterior. The magnetic doorstop keeps the door knob from smacking into the wall AND it hold the door in the open position when you need it to stay open. This only works when the opened door touches a wall.
Doors that swell in the humidity should be taken down and sanded down, a millimeter at a time, until the door fits during the worst of the humidity. Then, paint the exposed raw wood. You don't want swollen wood: you want weather-stripping to keep the cold (or heat) out. In addition, a properly fitted door is held in place by its own weight, properly installed hinges, AND the door latch.
Door latches can be fiddled with to move the plate back and forth so the newly sanded door is held shut. A tiny adjustment will permit a recalcitrant door to close securely no matter how humid the weather. But again, only if the door fits properly.
While you're fixing your doors, replace the hinge screws with the longest ones you can get: four or five inches. The screws will then bite deep into the framing around the door, providing more support to the door. You'll need a power screwdriver to install these screws because you'll probably strip them if you screw them in manually.
It's worth getting your doors to close firmly because then it's harder for someone to open them, even when you think they're locked. This is also the reason for a separate deadbolt.
Ken
Thu, 01/06/2022 - 19:36
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Kitchen safety
Picked up a slow cooker full of pinto beans to take to the sink to drain. Forgot to unplug it - big mistake. Be careful in the kitchen!
lathechuck
Sat, 07/24/2021 - 21:01
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If you're using air conditioning...
... you're saving some energy by not pumping the excess heat from the indoor oven outdoors with the A/C. With the indoor oven, you heat the air in the oven, the racks, the food, the box, the stuff around the box, and all of it except the food needs to be cooled again with the A/C. Moisture cooked out of the food (or added to the oven to reduce drying during cooking), then adds to the indoor humidity (a topic much discussed elsewhere on this site). The energy consumed while cooking is just the start.