A hot day and hanging over your stove were never meant to be. When fresh produce beckons but you haven't much energy to respond, these recipes help you settle into a more relaxed kind of cooking designed to keep you and your kitchen cool. Untether yourself from the oven with make-ahead meals best served cold (or at room temp), like poached salmon with cucumber-tomato salad and tzatziki. Fix-and-forget recipes like pulled pork made in the electric pressure cooker and slow cooker won't steam up the kitchen. Equally easy are dinner salads; we've got enough to keep them interesting and varied, from Shrimp and White Bean Salad with Garlic Toasts to Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. Barely more effort are fresh summer recipes requiring the briefest stint in a pan, such as Beet and Carrot Noodle Salad with Pan-Seared Chicken or Braised Sea Bass with Zucchini and Tomatoes.

Ready to take the party outside? You'll find all you need for casual patio meals prepared entirely on the grill (from meat to veggies, even pizza). Throw a fantastic cookout with easy starters, frosty drinks, and new twists on picnic must-haves like Spice-Rubbed Picnic Chicken, Texas Potato Salad, and Lemony Buttermilk Coleslaw. Visited the farmers' market? Find ideas for main dishes as well as sides inspired by the seasonal bounty, plus the best fruit desserts worth turning on the oven for. To end your meal on a cooler note, turn to a chapter of icebox desserts and no-bake sweets.