Living in Atlanta, I've had to get used to the fact that summer starts in April and the hot weather can last well into October. Being one who despises heat and humidity (not to mention mosquitoes), this has been no easy feat!

Thank goodness for central air... it's made an Atlanta summer much more tolerable than the New York City summers I endured with ineffectual window-unit air conditioners. Still, I hate the wasteful feeling of blasting my air conditioning while I've got the oven and stove heating up the kitchen.

In the olden days (before air conditioning), many homes had detatched summer kitchens where cooking and baking could be done without heating up the rest of the house. They had the right idea, but most of us don't have the luxury of a summer kitchen. So this summer, I'm going to see if I can go the entire summer without turning on my oven, in the hopes of saving some energy both in cooking gas and air-conditioning electricity. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get dinner on the table while keeping your cool.

Regular readers already know that I'm a big fan of outdoor grilling, especially since it means my husband does most of the work. We have a charcoal Weber grill, but gas grills are faster and convenient to use, and the many accessories, such as woks, burners, pots and even specialty equipment like pizza pans, make it possible to cook an entire meal alfresco. Apartment dwellers, don't fret. Countertop grills like the Cuisinart Griddler and George Foreman Grill might not deliver as smoky a flavor, but they're nearly as good at keeping heat in check.

I've recently rediscovered my pressure cooker. This stovetop pot cooks food under pressure 70 percent faster than conventional methods. Translation: less time at the hot stove. It's mostly good for making soft, liquidy foods, such as beans, stews and grains, but I find plenty of varied and interesting dishes to make in my pressure cooker.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a slow cooker simmers food all day long, but plugged into the wall, it uses much less energy to do so than if you had a pot on the stove. And with the heat enclosed in the lidded crock, you won't feel it.... and nor will your thermostat. Chili and baked beans are two of my favorite slow-cooker dishes, but a number of cookbooks on the market can help make the most of this appliance.

When I'm picking up dinner fixings earlier in the day, I like to choose pre-cooked or uncooked foods that can make a fast, light and cool meal. Rotisserie chicken is a versatile option; you can slice it on a Caesar salad, shred it for fajitas or tacos, or just eat it on its own with a green salad and some store-bought rolls. Grilled vegetables or baked tofu make delicious sandwiches or salad toppings, or a poached salmon fillet from the supermarket's take-out counter can be eaten cold, along with a sliced cucumber salad and a whole-grain baguette.

Speaking of bread, I'm not going to let the hot summer deter my bread-baking kick, especially when a bread machine requires far less work and gives off less heat then my oven. I'm even starting to get used to those crazy oversized loaves... after all, they mean a bigger-sized sandwich made from tomatoes and basil from my garden!

And for those times that I simply must have a fresh-baked cookie, I'll fire up my trusty toaster oven. It heats up much more quickly than a full-sized oven (mine takes 5 minutes to get to temp, while my regular oven takes about 20), and the little tray it came with can make a batch of 6 oatmeal cookies at a time. That's just enough cookies for my family to enjoy with a batch of homemade ice cream — because of course, an ice cream maker is another essential in my summer kitchen.

Do you think you can make it til September without using your oven?

Photo courtesy Carey Tilden.