# I moved my kitchen outside for a whole summer > A Colorado writer swore off indoor cooking during a months-long heat wave, and the payoff went past the thermostat. - Title: I moved my kitchen outside for a whole summer | Shortify - Summary: A Colorado writer swore off indoor cooking during a months-long heat wave, and the payoff went past the thermostat. Not adding heat to your house three times… - Keywords: outdoor cooking, heat wave, home cooling, camp stove, summer, moved, kitchen, outside, whole, Family Handyman - Source: Family Handyman — https://familyhandyman.com/article/cooking-outside-heat-wave - Author: Karuna Eberl - Published: 2026-09-10T20:35:30+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: outdoor cooking, heat wave, home cooling, camp stove, summer ## The lasagna broke her Boiling noodles, a screaming cast-iron skillet, and the oven all at once pushed the living space past comfortable. That dinner ended indoor cooking for the summer. > The lasagna was the breaking point. ## A house built for cool Their Colorado home sits at 7,500 feet and usually coasts on fans and window shades. Cooling is one window unit and a rolling floor model, nothing more. ## A heat wave that stayed This summer the heat did not let up for months. After dinner the ACs ran noisily for hours just to undo what the kitchen had done. > can you still call it a heat wave, when it lasts for months? ## The setup is barely a setup A two-burner propane camp stove, a barbecue grill, and a portable camping table for prep. That is the entire outdoor kitchen. ## The deck had advantages A wooden deck, a dry climate, no sugar ants, and a wind barrier already in place. The obstacles: an overhead power line full of birds, dust devils, and a love of many spices. ## Camping, with a dishwasher It feels like cooking at a campsite, except there is a full-size fridge, a cupboard of spices, and a dishwasher steps away. ## The hassles are real She keeps running back inside for forgotten utensils, and storing gear outdoors means black widows, bird droppings, and dust. One dust devil put a crunchy coating on a stack of crepes. ## Some food comes out better Tofu flash-fries in soy sauce without smoking up the house, and hot peppers sear without watering everyone's eyes. Using lids more to block dust also heats things faster. ## Skip the camp stove Camp burners are hard to fine-tune, rarely simmer low, and will not hold two full-size pans. If you are buying gear, she recommends induction burners instead. ## The grill is an oven A propane grill warms bread and keeps side dishes hot, best with cast iron or stainless. Metal folding tables beat plastic, though hot pans still need a pot holder under them. ## Collapsible everything Collapsible marinade dishes and dish bins stow flat and handle prep, storage, hauling ingredients out, dirty dishes, and scraps. Lidded ones keep creatures and dust out. ## Extras worth hauling out A multi-cooker seals out dust and vents without spattering the counter. A toaster oven fills the no-oven gap, and a propane pizza oven crisps wings, steaks, and cauliflower. ## The house did stay cooler Skipping three heat dumps a day let the ACs keep up and even shut off sometimes. Better sleep, better moods, lower bills, though she notes her house is small. > Not adding heat to the house three times a day has allowed the air conditioners to effectively keep up ## Key takeaway Not adding heat to your house three times a day lets a modest AC actually catch up, and cooking outside makes you pay attention to your food again.