How to keep a kitchen cool – 5 ways to beat the heat when cooking

Knowing how to keep a kitchen cool is a necessary bout of knowledge to have up your sleeve, especially with temperatures rising. Considering many of us in the UK don't have the luxury of air conditioning, cooking in a hot kitchen in the summer can easily leave you sweltering and not all that interested in eating what you just prepared.

Although accounting for the heat may not have originally been a factor to consider when planning your kitchen ideas given that it's cold in the UK for the majority of the year, it's not all doom and gloom, as experts have let us in on their simple tips for keeping your cooking area as breezy as possible all summer long.

How to keep a kitchen cool

When you combine the warm weather with the extra heat created by cooking, best believe it's likely a recipe for disaster (pun absolutely intended).

Here are 5 ways to keep your kitchen cool so you can beat the heat this summer.

1. Close the blinds

It's a simple fix, but trust us when we say it's highly effective. Something as easy as closing blinds during the day and keeping them open at night can help cool down your kitchen loads. It's like your own personal thermostat.

'Having sunlight steam through your windows can greatly increase the temperature in your kitchen. If you have blinds fitted on your kitchen windows, close them when the sun rays begin to shine directly through,' advises Mike Norton, trade and projects director at Magnet Trade.

Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport adds, 'If you don't have any blinds as of yet, consider investing in shutters as they help to keep heat in in the winter and help to keep kitchens cooler in summer.'

2. Open your windows in the morning, and close when temperatures rise

Following suit from the first tip, knowing when to have your kitchen windows open and closed is another important thing to consider if you're trying to keep a kitchen cool. 

'If it is a day where we are lucky enough to have a breeze, try and get up early to open your windows first thing as it will let cool, fresh air in and warm, stale air out. Try and make sure you close them before it reaches midday when temperate are starting to be at their hottest so that you don’t let the hot air back in,' says Richard Davonport at Davonport.

Although of course, keeping your windows open may lead you to having to figure out how to get rid of flies in the house or how to repel mosquitoes, but when it's that hot, it's a risk we're willing to take.

3. Minimise oven use

'An oven throws out a lot of heat that can really warm up your kitchen. Stovetops, especially gas cooktops, also emit added heat that we’d rather not have in sizzling temperatures. In the summer, minimise the use of your oven and stove top and use smaller appliances,' advises Mike Norton at Magnet Trade.

So, what should kitchen appliance should you opt for in the summer? Nothing other than the Ideal Home favourite, of course, the air fryer. When the weather is warm, we think the air fryer wins in the air fryer vs. oven matchup.

Greig Millar, expert at OVO Energy says, 'The average air fryer uses about 1,500 watts of power while an oven uses between 2,000 and 5,000 watts. That's a whole lot of extra energy going to waste and heating up your kitchen. You can cook almost anything with an air fryer, they use less energy and they waste less energy, which will really help to keep the space cool.'

4. Plan mealtimes in advance

Being organised is always guaranteed to produce a positive outcome, and the same can be said for cooking your food.

'By planning and prepping your meals in advance, you can choose to cook them at the coolest times of the day. Cooking something in the morning that can be warmed up in a microwave or eaten cool in the evening will mean you’re not stuck in a stuffy and hot kitchen when it's already 30C outside!' says Greig Millar at OVO Energy.

'Another idea is to batch cook your meals on cooler/rainy days to avoid using the oven when it's already sweltering outside.'

5. Consider heat-proof kitchen design choices

As we said earlier, when you're designing a kitchen in the UK, accounting for the heat may not be at the top of your priorities when considering a kitchen layout. However, it pays to think ahead with how your kitchen will hold up during all seasons of the year.

'Open-plan, flowing designs truly come into their own during the warmer months, helping to keep your home airy and cool. A central island has become a staple feature in open-plan kitchen designs, providing a focal point in connecting different areas of the room and can be a space to congregate away from the cooking areas that are cooler,' says Richard Davonport at Davonport.

Mike Norton at Magnet Trade adds, 'Ensure you have the right ventilation installed within your kitchen design. Cooker hoods will mitigate odours and help improve air circulation. When it comes to cabinetry and countertops, opt for lighter colours which will absorb less heat and give your kitchen a nice airy feel.'

Who knew kitchen colour schemes play a dual role in both aesthetics as well as practicality? This is definitely great news for those sporting a cashmere kitchen (sorry dark kitchens – we still love you).

All in all, the main thing to take from these expert-led tips on how to keep a kitchen cool is to keep an eye on the outside temperature and adjust accordingly.

Hopefully, by keeping some of these tips in mind, you'll be able to beat the heat when cooking and enjoy a breezy summer ahead. Happy cooking!