Top Ten ways to cook without turning on your oven

Which brings me to this week's list.

Top Ten ways to cook without turning on your oven

1. Grilled everything -- even pizza

I've never had much luck with grilled pizzas, but I'd be wiling to give it another go before cranking my oven up to 500.

2. Ceviche

No cooking method hotter than citrus juice should be allowed on days like this.

3. Gazpacho

I know the local tomatoes aren't ready for this, but I am.

4. Salad

5. Pasta

Boiling water atop the stove makes some heat, but it still beats the oven.

6. Sandwiches

Friends had us over for lunch Sunday and we had simple ham sandwiches -- on Atwater's bread, so they were lovely.

7. Mooch

Get yourself invited to somebody's house for dinner. Eat. Then retreat to your still-cool home.

8. Microwaved [your recipe here]

I've never really cooked anything in the microwave. I just use it to reheat things. But somebody out there must have a good microwaved something-or-other recipe. Please advise.

9. Smoked salmon

Let someone else prepare the protein, but in a way that doesn't make you feel like you've stooped to buying one of those store-roasted chickens.

10. Store-roasted chicken

Go ahead, stoop. You know you can roast a chicken. Your family knows you can roast a chicken. You have nothing to prove except that you know how to have a chicken dinner in a nice, cool kitchen.

Even cooler than homemade ceviche -- ceviche in a restaurant, like Cindy Wolf's shrimp, scallop and rockfish melange at Charleston. Sun photo by Lloyd Fox