The sun high up and room temp reaching scorching levels can only mean that summer is in full swing! Now, before you gather the family for a quality barbecue in the backyard, make sure you get these summer cooking tips in the bag!

Tips for Summer Cooking

• Do a bit of planning. This includes making a meal plan, researching recipes, gathering your tools and actual prep work for what you plan to cook. Doing lunch? Best to have everything prepared in the morning. Thinking of grilling slabs of meat? Make sure that they’re prepped the night before.
• Keep it simple. The go-to types of dishes for summer are light, refreshing and simple. Think salads, sandwiches, fruity snacks, thick cuts of meat grilled or poured with dressing or a light sauce. No need for complex recipes! You can always impress and delight the family with quick, easy and flavorful dishes.
• While soups may be best known for keeping you warm on cooler days, cold soups are a great way to cool down during the dog days of summer. Check out this chunky, 30-minute Garbanzo Gazpacho recipe:

   
  INGREDIENTS

  3 Tasty Vegetable Recipe Pinoy Faves
  • 2 cans Mega Prime Quality: Garbanzos
  • 1 can (400g) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 ¼ cups V8 juice or tomato juice
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
  • ½ cup chopped seeded cucumber
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion
  • ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 3 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce

   
  DIRECTIONS
  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

• Work in the greens. Summer is also known as barbecue season. But you don’t have to limit yourself to meat! Vegetables and fruits add a flavorful, textured variety to the usuals. Simple skewers of barbecue? Go #pinaSARAP and make shish kebabs by adding greens such as tomatoes and bell peppers.
• Stick to small appliances. For prep work in the kitchen, using a toaster oven, slow cooker and other small appliances allow you to work without heating up the whole kitchen.
• Go out in the sun! Backyard, that is! What’s a summer family moment if not done under the sun? So go set up a table and your cooking or grilling station in a nice cozy spot in the backyard!
• Prime Mom tip: have the kids join in on the fun. Try involving them in simple preparations such as getting the table ready or tossing the salad!
• Fire up the grill. Using the grill is simple. But for fired up meals that make summer bonding with the family extra special, it pays to be a little more thorough with the process. Take these cooking tips with a grill for a run:
   
  1. Always start with a clean grill. Never let last night’s grilled delight ruin today’s #pinaSARAP dish. For easier scrubbing, heat the grill for a bit before brushing with a metal brush.
  2. Don’t play with the food. Resist poking and flipping what you’re cooking. If a piece of meat is stuck to the grill, allow it to cook for a bit more.
  3. Don’t flatten the meat. Doing so squeezes out fat and with it, your meat’s taste and moisture!
  4. Too much fire is not good as it chars and dries your food. Dampen flare-ups with a handy spray bottle on hand.
  5. Let meat thaw or come to temperature on a counter for 30 minutes before putting it on the grill.
  6. Because food continues to cook after it leaves the grill, it’s best to slightly undercook what you’re grilling.
  7. After cooking, let meat rest on a clean platter for 10-15 minutes before carving, so that juices can redistribute.

 
Read more recipes and practical kitchen tips by Prime Moms for Prime Moms, and get more #pinaSARAP moments with Mega Prime products available on Shopee and Lazada!