Summer is here and it’s hot as hell and you don’t want to turn on your oven. It’s okay — I get you. There is nothing worse than being attacked by the need to bake on a 98°F day, or wanting a properly cooked meal but not wanting to make your tiny apartment a sauna.
With this list of unusual ways to cook food without an oven or stove, you will be able to chow down without burning up. And, not only will the food impress you, but the way you cook it will, too. Besides, who wants to cook normally anyways?
1. With a clothing iron
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Okay, this might be a bit of a jump — but come on, it’s totally doable. Plus, you can make more than just a grilled cheese on it, too, and I’m sure the heat emitted from cooking this way is much less than the heat that would’ve been emitted from the oven.
2. In a dishwasher
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Two birds, one stone: wash your dishes and poach your salmon at the same damn time.
3. With acid
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This might not count as cooking to some of you but that’s okay. Adding acid to foods technically can alter the state of your food, in the same way that the oven’s heat denatures the proteins in your meat, the acid denatures the proteins, turning it from raw to cooked. Ceviche, for example, is a dish ‘cooked’ with acid.
4. In your car
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Turns out you can make some pretty legit cookies just by utilizing (AKA trapping) the heat outside. Although baking this way takes a few extra hours, you’ll be able to stay cool inside as your treats bake outside. The world, then, is your oven.
5. Pizza box solar oven
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Finally, a solid use for all those pizza boxes piling up in the corner. This little solar oven can’t cook a giant meal, but it can reheat foods and melt smaller things, like cheese and chocolate.