Summer is the hottest season of the year and is thus the time when people keep looking for ways to cool themselves down. They would lounge by the beach, dip in the swimming pool, take a drive with the windows down, or eat ice cream and drink smoothies. Whichever works best for you, summer is a time when everything you do seems to be an effort to keep yourself cooled off. And for that reason, foods are best consumed cold. There are more ways you can cool yourself off through the food you eat than by simply eating some ice cream. Some methods are even delicious and healthy at the same time. To give you an idea, here are nine summer food hacks you can try out to keep everyone cool on your next summer party.
Hack #1: Coffee Ice Cubes
Iced coffee replaces regular hot coffee during summer—it will give you the same energizing jolt minus the sweat and burning tongue. To stop getting watered-down iced coffee on a particularly hot day, you can use coffee ice cubes instead. Freeze some coffee on an ice tray ahead of time then just bring it out and pour some milk over it to create a delicious iced coffee drink.
Hack #2: Oreo Ice Cream
Add the delicious flavour of Oreos on any ice cream flavour you prefer to make your own scrumptious ice cream treat. Simply crush some Oreos and mix them in your favourite ice cream flavour—vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, etc. The creamy, chocolaty cookies will surely make the ice cream taste even better.
Hack #3: Brownie Bowl Sundae
Two muffin trays can make the perfect brownie bowl for your sundae. Use your own brownie recipe or use a brownie mix for the bowl. Bake the bowl first then just top it with your favourite ice cream flavour. Add some syrup and some sprinkles to finish the delicious desert.
Hack #4: Upside-down Burger
Grilling some meat is one of the highlights of a summer party or a simple get-together. The bigger the burger is, the better. To keep all the juices and the condiments of the meat, as well as the other ingredients, within the burger without falling apart, use the top bun for the bottom and the bottom bun for the top. The thicker top bun will hold the burger together better when it is used for the bottom.
Hack #5: Keep ice cream soft
Ice cream is one of the necessities during summer. Keep your ice cream soft and ready to serve by placing the ice cream container in a large Ziploc freezer bag first before placing it in the freezer.
Hack #6: Spiral Hotdogs
Another trick while grilling meat is to cut the hotdogs into a spiral first for more even cooking. You can use a wooden skewer to make this process easier. The spiral cut makes all the condiments such as mustards and ketchups more evenly distributed throughout the hotdog as well when you’re ready to eat it in a bun.
Hack #7: Fresh fruit punch bowls
Get all the delicious summer flavours into the punch by ditching glass or plastic bowls and replacing them with fresh fruit. Hollow out a large fruit such as pineapples or watermelon and use them as serving bowls for the punch. The fruit’s flavours will infuse into the punch and make it even more delicious and more fitting for the season.
Hack #8: Drip-free popsicles
Popsicles can get really sticky when they melt onto your hands. Use a cupcake wrapper to catch all the melted popsicle before they reach your fingers. This is particularly helpful for little children who can’t help but make a mess.
Hack #9: Yoghurt Popsicles
For a delicious and healthy alternative to an ice cream, pierce a disposable spoon into the wrapper of a yoghurt and freeze it for a couple of hours. Peel off the wrapper, pull out the spoon, and enjoy the sweet, frozen, calcium-rich treat.
