This Is What Ina Garten Cooks When It's Too Hot To Turn On The Oven

Ina Garten lives in the upscale enclave of East Hampton, New York. Her beautiful home and renovated barn have been seen extensively, as it's where her Food Network show, "Barefoot Contessa," is filmed. Fans have seen Garten walk on the nearby beaches and shop at the town's idyllic farm stands many times. But, make no mistake, as perfect as it looks on television, it can get hot and humid in East Hampton in the summertime; in fact, there are times when Garten finds it too uncomfortable to cook at all. But that doesn't mean she stops entertaining. She simply selects fresh, cool dishes that require little to no cooking time.

When asked on her website about her cooking preferences when the temperature rises, Garten gave some examples of dishes she relies on, which include sweet corn with butter and sea salt and tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad. The salad is also known as caprese salad, and you can upgrade it by drizzling on some sherry vinegar. Since tomatoes and corn are amongst the produce that's in season in the summer in New York, the less they are cooked, the more their inherent flavor comes out. As for dessert, when it's hot out, Garten doesn't touch her oven. Instead, she purchases cookies or tarts from local bakeries. The heat doesn't keep the adored entertaining maven from setting a splendid table that's full of color and flavor. In fact, it gives her the opportunity to take it easy in the kitchen.

My first apartment had no air conditioning, and in the summertime, it got absolutely stifling. I used to love making Ina Garten's roasted shrimp and orzo salad on these occasions. My husband and I would pack it up and take it to a nearby park to eat it for dinner because it was cooler there than it was at home. Granted, this recipe did require boiling orzo and roasting shrimp, but since I chilled it before serving, I would make it either the night before or in the cooler morning hours.

The idea of serving appetizers on a hot day is appealing because it's casual and can be put together entirely with store-bought ingredients. The Barefoot Contessa shows how this can be done with her Mediterranean mezze platter, where she combines things like hummus and baba ghanoush with feta cheese, olives, and pita bread. She often adds some spice to her hummus by mixing in some Tabasco sauce. I love her tuna and hummus open-faced sandwiches, which is another recipe I keep on standby in the summer. The only "cooking" it requires is toasting some bread. Cool soups are another good choice because they are full of flavor and fill you up like a meal. Garten's gazpacho and summer borscht are wonderful choices.