The earliest
kitchens were a mere campfire on the ground, or in a pit. Today people experiment with this type of
cooking and most find the results to be wonderful. One of the best meats I ever tasted was a pit
roasted buffalo at a rendezvous. It was
so tender and tasty.
I’ve had
many a meal that has been pit cooked and not a one has been bad. The food has always been cooked to
perfection. I’ve added to my long list
of planned articles to do one in the future on pit cooking and how truly simple
it is.
With a few
pieces of good cast iron I can cook just about anything on a campfire, but
those early men and women didn’t even have that. They either spit cooked or wrapped the foods
in leaves or wet clay to cook them. Yes, I’ve had foods cooked in this manner
too, and yet another article for the future. Spit roasted hog is wonderful.
Experimenting
with these types of cooking can not only cut down your cooling bill in the
summer, but can be a great learning experience for the whole family.
As people
became more and more adjusted to the creature comforts of a shelter their “kitchens”
developed as well. Small campfires were
put in a pit in the center of lodges or tipis and smoke flaps were used to draw
the smoke upward and out of the structure.
As more
permanent homes were built the fires were moved into either the tallest part of
the house to allow the smoke to go upward and out, or into a fireplace with a
chimney.
Eventually
stoves were developed and the fire was more enclosed and easier to
control. Then of course came the development
of electric stoves and various cooking appliances.
What all of
the cooking sources of the past and present have in common is of course
heat. In the winter it is great to cook
large pots of a hearty stew or other meal and let it simmer all day, filling
the air not only with delicious aromas, but with wonderful heat.
In the
summer, however, while a stew may sound great for supper no one wants to heat
up the house. Not only is it
uncomfortable, but it runs your air conditioning bill even further up. But you simply can’t stop cooking entirely—although
I know some that have seriously considered it.
This is
where we go back in history. My husband,
son and I love touring old historical homes.
One common thread you see in most of these older homes is the “Summer
Kitchen” or the “Canning Kitchen”.
Generally
these kitchens are in the basement, on a lower level or an entirely separate
building from the main house. They were
where all the “grunt work” of the labors of preparing elegant and not so
elegant meals occurred.
Some were
huge and housed in well lined basements that kept the rooms a decently cool
temperature while the cooks labored over the wood and coal fired stoves or
fireplaces. Some were merely a shed that
sheltered from rain and little else.
What they
all had in common was keeping the main house cool in the summertime. It is this concept we have been looking into
at the Rock ‘n Tree Ranch. I actually
have in my mind’s eye what I eventually want, but budget is always a concern
with each new structure we add here. So
in the meantime I am opting for a modern version of the Summer Kitchen. The idea is so simple anyone can do it
anywhere.
You move the
cooking outdoors. It can be as simple as
plugging your crockpot, toaster oven, rice steamer, electric wok, bread
machine, electric turkey roaster, or other electrical cooking appliance in out
in the garage or on a covered patio, balcony or porch, or in the basement.
Avoid using
extension cords if you can, but if you must use one use a heavy duty cord. Having the appliance in a sheltered area is
best so that you are prepared for sudden showers or the neighbors sprinkler
that comes on with no warning.
Also use
your hibachi, charcoal grill, or gas grill often. I know one family that cooks entirely on
their gas grill during warm weather. All
three meals a day they cook on their gas grill OUTSIDE. Anything you can cook on a gas grill you can
cook on a charcoal grill or wood fire, it just takes a little practice and patience.
Then of
course you could experiment with building and using a solar oven. There are plans all over the internet for
ones as simple as a foil lined cardboard box to very elaborate ones.
Think now
about the kids’ winter science fair and get a head start on the project. Have them help build and cook with the solar
oven and do a project on it. Think about
it, how many birds could you kill with that one stone? 1) Moving the heat of cooking outside and
therefore lowering your cooling bill. 2) Answering the problem of “Mom I’m
booooored!” by giving the kids an interesting project to do 3) Avoiding the
last minute rush of science fair time by doing the project now and thus
creating a better project 4) You get a great meal at the same time. Now that’s a great way to take down a whole
flock of birds with one stone!
You could do
similar with the pit and campfire cooking, but with close adult supervision.
Include a history lesson or two along the way while doing this form of cooking
and you have another winning scenario.
No matter
which way you do it move your cooking outdoors and cut your cooling costs. As with all projects you do need to exercise
caution as you move to your summer kitchen.
Don’t string electrical cords in main walkways, don’t leave food cooking
where a dog, cat, child or other critter could dump hot foods on
themselves.
Oh and
beware of cobbler thieves. At one
rendezvous we were having a Dutch oven cook off and I made peach cobblers, yes
cobblers. You see I’d make one, then set
it to cool, then I’d go back to check on it and it would be gone. By the time the actual camp meal rolled
around I had armed Dog Soldiers standing around the fourth and final cobbler
because I was all out of dried peaches by that time. To this day I do believe one of those Dog
Soldiers was the cobbler thief. My cobbler placed well in the competition, but
my biggest cobbler fan ( a Dog Soldier) pled out from eating any because he was
too full. Could it be because I saw a
bit of peach in his beard?
My dream
summer kitchen is a wood and screen structure just off my side deck, under the
shade trees. It would have a two burner
propane camp stove on a sturdy base OR an apartment size propane stove with an
oven. Tables, a water hook up, a storage
cabinet, and all the conveniences including an electrical hook up and lighting. There would be storm panels I could put up as
a wind break or against sudden changes
in the weather. I have most of the bits
and pieces I need to stock it, I simply need the structure.
In the
meantime I use our sunroom for setting up the electrical appliances for cooking
out of the main house.
How much
could you lower your cooling bill by cooking outside this summer? There is no reason to not cook a frugal and
savory stew even on the hottest odays this summer. Just cook it outside.
Jan who uses
the heat of the wood burning stove in the house in the winter to cook many a
pot of soup all day long in OK
Hi, Jan, I'm enjoying your new blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling with this a lot. I get home at 5:30 and the last thing I want is "comfort food" or to turn the oven on or the fryer, etc. I have tried the "solar oven" thing and didn't have any luck with it.
Last week, I dehydrated onions and did it outside and thought, "Why don't I bring the crock pot out here?" but I haven't done it yet. I bet I made 20 trips in and out of the house for those onions!
Thanks Ashley, writing the blog helps me keep more centered on cutting our costs around here. Jan who is working today on listing things for sale in OK
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