Cooking outside?

warmwxrules · 07-21-13, 01:41 PM

Anyone else here refuse to cook inside during this extremely hot/humid weather? Last summer I just used my gas grill (that has a side burner) for cooking meals outside...now this summer i took it a step further and bought a pizza oven and cook with that outside (frozen pizzas/french fries/etc)... We also eat a lot of cold foods (fruit/sandwiches/chips)...but sometimes you want something hot...we also have been guilty of eating fast food a few times (we rarely do that).

I can only imagine how much energy is used to cool kitchens across the US in the summer. No big deal in the winter (just adds heat to the house).

Thoughts?

philb · 07-21-13, 07:11 PM

I cook outside as often as I can in hot weather for this very reason. My solar panels usually have the battery bank full around noon so I divert the power to a crock pot I already have set up. I stir a few times during the day, bring it in and eat at 6p.

NeilBlanchard · 07-21-13, 11:08 PM

My spouse wants an outdoor summer kitchen - these used to be required back when most people had wood-fired cookstoves.

Piwoslaw · 07-22-13, 02:48 PM

Me too, me too!
I explained to the family a thing or two about heat and now we keep baking down to a minimum during hot weather, or at least do it in the evening when the windows can be opened. Small portable devices go outside (toaster oven), and anything that needs to cool down also goes out (pot of soup, for example), often until morning when it is coolest.

AC_Hacker · 07-22-13, 07:06 PM

There certainly is a lot to be said in favor of cooking outside from the standpoint of aesthetics as well as heat management.

Not to try to discourage anyone from outdoor cooking, but if you gotta cook indoors, a small induction cook-top is a real blessing especially in hot weather. The reason being that the induction cooker only heats up the bottom of the cooking utensil... only slightly on the sides due to conduction, and almost none at all on the handle.

-AC

where2 · 07-23-13, 08:33 PM

I cooked outside on my gas grill tonight. The pork chops I found on sale over the weekend tasted great.

I've spent my life living where it is hot and humid for 10 months of the year. I grew up with a close friend whose house had no A/C in South Florida (5 kids too!). That house is still only 2 blocks from where I live. Especially in the summer months, his father used the gas grill outside the garage, rather than fire up a heating appliance in the house. They also made incredible use of ceiling fans in that house!

Piwoslaw · 07-23-13, 11:47 PM

One thing to remember when cooking outside is to make sure that the stove/grill is covered from the wind. Wind will reduce the cooking efficiency, requiring more energy/fuel. I know this from camping...

mejunkhound · 08-01-13, 08:46 PM

67F outside here this afternoon, good for painting the house but to cold for DW to eat outside. Nary a sunbeam all day, at least there was 1/2 hour os sun yesterday.

razor02097 · 08-02-13, 07:23 AM

No I still cook inside. Most of the time I use the microwave since it is much faster but even when I use the range it is still cheaper and easier to run the a/c a wee bit harder than maintaining and fueling a grill. However when I want to grill... it is because of culinary reasons not conservation.

Exalta-STA · 08-25-13, 12:12 AM

Do you guys use charcoal or scrap wood?

07-21-13, 01:41 PM	#1
warmwxrules Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: La Crosse, WI Posts: 78 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Cooking outside? Anyone else here refuse to cook inside during this extremely hot/humid weather? Last summer I just used my gas grill (that has a side burner) for cooking meals outside...now this summer i took it a step further and bought a pizza oven and cook with that outside (frozen pizzas/french fries/etc)... We also eat a lot of cold foods (fruit/sandwiches/chips)...but sometimes you want something hot...we also have been guilty of eating fast food a few times (we rarely do that). I can only imagine how much energy is used to cool kitchens across the US in the summer. No big deal in the winter (just adds heat to the house). Thoughts?

07-21-13, 07:11 PM	#2
philb Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 155 Thanks: 58 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts	I cook outside as often as I can in hot weather for this very reason. My solar panels usually have the battery bank full around noon so I divert the power to a crock pot I already have set up. I stir a few times during the day, bring it in and eat at 6p. Last edited by philb; 07-21-13 at 07:23 PM..

07-22-13, 02:48 PM	#4
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 964 Thanks: 189 Thanked 111 Times in 87 Posts	Me too, me too! I explained to the family a thing or two about heat and now we keep baking down to a minimum during hot weather, or at least do it in the evening when the windows can be opened. Small portable devices go outside (toaster oven), and anything that needs to cool down also goes out (pot of soup, for example), often until morning when it is coolest. __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog. Last edited by Piwoslaw; 07-23-13 at 01:23 AM..

07-22-13, 07:06 PM	#5
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 724 Times in 534 Posts	Cooking Outside... There certainly is a lot to be said in favor of cooking outside from the standpoint of aesthetics as well as heat management. Not to try to discourage anyone from outdoor cooking, but if you gotta cook indoors, a small induction cook-top is a real blessing especially in hot weather. The reason being that the induction cooker only heats up the bottom of the cooking utensil... only slightly on the sides due to conduction, and almost none at all on the handle. -AC __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...

07-23-13, 11:47 PM	#7
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 964 Thanks: 189 Thanked 111 Times in 87 Posts	One thing to remember when cooking outside is to make sure that the stove/grill is covered from the wind. Wind will reduce the cooking efficiency, requiring more energy/fuel. I know this from camping... __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.

07-21-13, 11:08 PM	#3
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	My spouse wants an outdoor summer kitchen - these used to be required back when most people had wood-fired cookstoves.

07-23-13, 08:33 PM	#6
where2 DIY Geek Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Sunny Florida Posts: 401 Thanks: 74 Thanked 83 Times in 73 Posts	I cooked outside on my gas grill tonight. The pork chops I found on sale over the weekend tasted great. I've spent my life living where it is hot and humid for 10 months of the year. I grew up with a close friend whose house had no A/C in South Florida (5 kids too!). That house is still only 2 blocks from where I live. Especially in the summer months, his father used the gas grill outside the garage, rather than fire up a heating appliance in the house. They also made incredible use of ceiling fans in that house!

08-01-13, 08:46 PM	#8
mejunkhound Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: PNW Posts: 197 Thanks: 0 Thanked 47 Times in 31 Posts	67F outside here this afternoon, good for painting the house but to cold for DW to eat outside. Nary a sunbeam all day, at least there was 1/2 hour os sun yesterday.

08-02-13, 07:23 AM	#9
razor02097 Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: 245862 Posts: 43 Thanks: 12 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	No I still cook inside. Most of the time I use the microwave since it is much faster but even when I use the range it is still cheaper and easier to run the a/c a wee bit harder than maintaining and fueling a grill. However when I want to grill... it is because of culinary reasons not conservation.

08-25-13, 12:12 AM	#10
Exalta-STA Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2012 Location: Philippines Posts: 107 Thanks: 12 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Do you guys use charcoal or scrap wood?