If the summer heat is getting to you, stick to cold platters and dishes.
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I live in Atlanta, GA and my kitchen doesn’t have any ventilation — it gets hot! Whenever the temperatures go up I tend to do a lot of cold cooking: crudos and noodle dishes in particular. One of the recipes I return to often is my DIY Bibimguksu (mixed cold noodles).
Yes, you do have to boil the noodles for this dish, but you end up rinsing them under cold water before serving, and all of the toppings are super easy and interchangeable. If you have leftover pulled pork, pop it on! Cold cucumbers, carrots, raw tomatoes, it all works.
If you have a mandoline it’s easy to make it look beautiful, but not necessary for it to be delicious. The noodle holds up really well, too. I like to make two portions and save one for the next day’s lunch. —Seung Hee Lee, pop-up chef and author of Everyday Korean
My kitchen at home is full of beautiful, large western-facing windows, which means it is hot and sunny during summer dinnertime. Crank up the oven and a few stove burners, and it heats up fast.
At my house, we have come to appreciate the beauty of cutting board grazing! I will go beyond the normal expectations of a cheese and charcuterie display. The board is really a representation of what we have lingering in the fridge. Fresh fruits, veggies and dip, a sandwich cut in bite-sized pieces, toasted nuts, last night’s roasted potatoes, maybe a hunk of crusty bread…The list is endless, but the name of the game is cold food without the pressure of tons of dishes, and letting the family graze on their own time. —Bonnie Moore, executive chef at Three Sisters, Blackberry Mountain
