Tips for Warm Weather Cooking & Entertaining

30 Tips for Warm Weather Cooking & Entertaining

1. Avoid watered-down drinks in warm weather by making ice cubes with the same beverages you plan to serve. This tip works great with lemonade, iced tea & other non-carbonated beverages.
2. Want a perfect rim on your margarita glasses? Try this: Instead of dipping your dampened glasses straight down into a plate of coarse salt, sugar, or other mixture, moisten only the outside of the glass. Then, roll the dampened outer edge of each glass at a 45-degree angle around the plate. This will create a nice looking rim, but will keep the salt or sugar from getting into the drink and affecting its taste.
3. Create DIY ice packs by soaking new and unused kitchen sponges in water and freezing them overnight. In the morning, remove from freezer and seal in a plastic bag before placing inside your picnic coolers or lunch boxes/bags.
4. Next time you make peach or other fruit cobbler, break out of the “plain-old-vanilla-ice-cream” routine. Instead try pairing your creation with ice cream flavored with the same ingredients as the recipe itself. For example, try pairing cinnamon or peach ice cream with a nice warm peach cobbler.
5. Mini sweet peppers are great for snacking on right out of the bag, but they are even better when stuffed with your favorite blend of cheeses, fresh thyme and bacon. Pop under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned and voila! You have a perfect warm and delicious appetizer in less than 15 minutes.
6. It’s easy to take basic lemonade to a whole new level with some quick and easy tweaks. Instead of making a basic simple syrup of 1 part water to 1 part white sugar, try adding some chopped lemongrass and fresh, peeled gingerroot into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly before straining to remove solids. Use the cooled infused syrup to sweeten lemonade to taste.
7. Many popular culinary herbs are available in citrus varieties and can be used to add an extra dimension to your recipes. Lemon balm, basil, thyme, mint, and lemongrass are popular and readily available examples. Choosing citrus varieties of herbs will allow you to add another subtle layer of flavor to your dishes.
8. Speaking of lemongrass, it is very easy to grow from seed and can act as a pretty ornamental in your garden, as well. Because it is from the tropics, it won’t survive cold winters in northern areas. However, it can reach 3-5 feet in height in a single growing season, so be sure to give it ample room to grow.
9. Lemongrass is a popular ingredient in many Thai recipes. Different parts of the plant have different uses: The base of each stem has a strong lemony flavor ideal for infusing simple syrups or cooking oils, while the more tender leaves are great for making tea or soups.
10. Fresh herbs are abundant during the warmer summer months, so it makes sense to pair them with season’s most popular cooking method. Herb salts and compound butter are 2 super easy ways to add extra flavor to grilled meats and vegetables. Simply combine chopped fresh herbs with either salt or soft butter. Be creative! Add some fresh citrus zest to salt combos for even more flavor variations.
11. Although kale’s tough and somewhat bitter leaves can be a bit unappealing raw, there is a simple fix for that. Simply massage each leaf with olive, sesame, or other oil until they become soft. Then enjoy kale in mixed green salads just like you would any green, leafy lettuce.
12. A perfect picnic comes down to just 3 things: a great location, good company, and delicious food. Keep the menu simple. Think along the lines of finger foods, salads, fresh fruit, veggies, and plenty of cold drinks – so you can relax and enjoy the experience.
13. Food Safety Tip: Keep cold foods at or below 40°F to avoid contamination from harmful bacteria. Once this temperature is exceeded, you have a 2-hour window before your food will spoil. On exceptionally warm days (exceeding 90 degrees), that window is reduced to just one hour.
14. On the other hand, hot foods need to be kept 140 degrees or warmer to prevent harmful bacteria growth. Cooked foods that fall below 140 degrees need to be refrigerated within 2 hours (or less on super-hot days).
15. Foil Packet Cooking: This method is perfect for carefree summer meals because it is super simple and there is no messy clean up involved. Just layer your food items on a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to fold over your ingredients. Then, seal the 3 open edges completely when you are finished.

Tip: Seal it tight enough that no steam escapes, but leave enough room for some expansion while cooking.

16. Many types of fish can be tricky to cook directly on the grill because they tend to fall apart. So, cook it in a foil packet, instead. As an added bonus, there is no reason to defrost frozen fish before cooking with this method. Simply place the frozen fish in the pocket as you normally would and leave on the grill a few minutes longer than normal.
17. Grilling: When it comes to grilling, it is important to know the difference between direct and indirect heat. Direct heat refers to when the fire or heat source is positioned directly under the food you are cooking. With indirect heat, the fire or heat source is still present, but it is not directly below the food. As a result, direct heat tends to cook foods faster than indirect heat.
18. For best results, grill burgers over direct, high heat for 8-10 minutes. Actual cook time will depend on the thickness of your burgers and the desired degree of doneness.

Note: According to the USDA, the minimum safe internal temperature of ground meat, including beef and pork, is 160°F. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest portion of your burger to ensure it has reached a safe temperature before serving.

19. For perfect grilled cheeseburgers, add softer sliced cheese to the patties about 1 minute before they are done. For harder, chunkier cheese, such as crumbled blue cheese, move your burgers to indirect heat a couple minutes before they are finished. Then add the cheese and close the lid for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has completely melted.
20. Direct heat is ideal for smaller and faster-cooking items that won’t over-cook on the outside before they are cooked through on the inside. Burgers, fruits and vegetables are examples of foods that can be cooked over direct heat.
21. Use indirect heat when grilling larger items, such as roasts or whole chickens, that require a longer cooking time. Indirect heat can also be used to finish items that were seared over direct heat.
22. When grilling an assortment of summer vegetables, try to cut them as uniformly thick as possible. This ensures they cook evenly and makes for a better presentation when serving.
23. Another tip when grilling fresh vegetables is to cut them so that the maximum amount of surface area is exposed. The more surface area exposed to the grill grates, the better the taste will be.
24. Plain ground beef doesn’t have a lot of flavor, so be sure to blend in plenty of seasonings before forming it into hamburger patties. Basic additions like salt and pepper make a big difference, but why stop there? Worcestershire Sauce, very finely minced onions, garlic, and fresh rosemary add wonderful flavor, as well.
25. Tired of dry, boring burgers? The “secret” to juicier burgers is to select meat with a higher fat content. Regular ground beef is a great choice because it is higher in fat than ground chuck, ground round or ground sirloin. If the package isn’t clearly labeled, don’t hesitate to ask whoever is behind the meat counter to point you in the right direction.

For less “fatty” alternatives, add Worcestershire sauce and/or very finely minced onions to your ground beef. Both add moisture to your ground beef mixture, so your burgers will be juicier (and will taste better) as a result.

26. Unlike red meats that can be seared on the outside and rare-to-medium on the inside, pork needs to be more uniformly cooked throughout. When grilling, a medium, direct heat is the best way to ensure the inside cooks evenly with the outside.
27. The pork available today is a lot leaner than it was a couple generations ago. This means it can dry out quickly if overcooked. For years, pork was always served well done due to fears of trichinosis. As a result, an entire generation grew up believing tasteless, dry pork was the norm!

However, in 2011 the USDA dropped the recommended internal cooking temperature of pork down to 145 F – a full 15-degree drop from previous recommendations. This means it is now okay to serve pork that is still juicy and a little pink inside. Just be sure to use an instant-read thermometer to confirm the meat has reached a safe internal temperature before serving.

28. Warm goat cheese croutons are a great way to make any salad seem more like a full meal. For best results, make sure the croutons are at least ½” thick and not too wide across or they are more likely to break apart while handling. Also, be sure to get the oil hot enough before frying them, because they need to cook quickly, or the goat cheese will start seeping out of the crust.
29. Most recipes for warm goat cheese croutons call for using vegetable or canola oil for frying. However, coconut oil is a delicious, healthy alternative that does not infuse the melted cheese or breadcrumb crust with an overbearing coconut flavor.
    1. No ice cream maker? No problem! It is possible to make creamy, delicious ice cream at home without buying special equipment. The base for many “no-churn” ice cream recipes consists of just 2 simple ingredients: sweetened condensed milk and heavy whipping cream.