Remember This Tip When Cooking During A Summer Heatwave
Whenever there is a summer heatwave, one of the last things anyone wants to do is spend time in a hot kitchen cooking a meal over the stove. Most people resort to cooking with an appliance that doesn't put off a lot of heat (like an Instant Pot), cook on the grill outside, or the most popular — order takeout. There is a solution that will make it so you don't have to resort to giving up your favorite garlic butter steak and potato skillet dinner when the temps skyrocket, and it doesn't require any special equipment. You can actually cool off your kitchen with your range exhaust fan.
The truth is most of us home chefs should be using our exhaust fans a lot more than we do. If you have a gas range, it's absolutely vital for your indoor air quality to have your exhaust fan on when you are using your range. Contrary to what many think, your exhaust fan is for more than just preventing your fire alarm from going off every time you get a little excessive with your cooking temps. Exhaust fans pull not only smoke, oil, moisture, and odors out of the kitchen, but also excess heat from cooking. They work in the exact same way your bathroom fan does when you're taking a shower. But this tip will only work if you have a specific type of exhaust fan.
Your range hood doesn't just clear smoke — it clears heat, too
When temperatures soar into the 90s and above outside, it can make cooking a meal feel like you're literally in "Hell's Kitchen." The secret to a cooler kitchen, especially if you don't have air conditioning, is to turn your exhaust fan on high before you even start to cook. The exhaust fan not only removes unwanted odors, but it also helps to vent the heat from cooking to the outside of the house, keeping your kitchen cool while you cook. This works as long as you have an exhaust fan that vents to the outside, also known as a ducted exhaust fan. If you have a ductless exhaust fan, one that recirculates the air, this tip will not work.
There are some other tips you can use in conjunction with your exhaust fan to stay cool in your kitchen during a heatwave. Try to cook meals during cooler times of the day (morning and after sunset). Make an old-school one-pot meal so you are only using one burner at a time. Use a box fan in the entry of your kitchen that will blow the air into another room. Only use your stovetop on lower temperatures, if possible, and not the oven (an oven generates more heat). It also is a good idea to keep kitchen window curtains closed from morning until sundown. You should also keep your exhaust fan on well after you're done cooking, to continue clearing out residual heat until your kitchen — and your burners — have cooled completely.