Should You Drain the Melted Ice in Your Cooler?

Plus, no-cook meals for hot weather. [START FREE TRIAL]( or [LOG IN]( [America's Test Kitchen: Notes from the Test Kitchen]( [America's Test Kitchen: Notes from the Test Kitchen]( [FIND RECIPES ›]( July 7, 2023 [A collection of recipes from this newsletter]( [A collection of recipes from this newsletter]( What’s New at ATK [Cooler]( Should You Drain the Melted Ice in Your Cooler? This hot cooler tip will[keep your food and drinks icy cold. →]( A Faster, Easier Way to Prep Kale Do you carefully slice around the stem? Make a V shape? Can you just chop it whole?[Here’s our method for quickly stripping kale. →]( A Note From Our Test Cooks [Southwestern Black Bean Salad; Lisa McManus's Headshot]( No-Cook Meals for Hot Weather From Lisa McManus, Executive Editor, Reviews This time of year, when the sun keeps on shining late into the evening, I never want to go indoors and start heating up my kitchen to make dinner. I don’t even necessarily want to eat very hot foods. Bright flavors, plenty of vegetables and fruit, and lighter dishes make the best summertime meals. So here are a few ideas for quicker, (almost) no-cook meals that you can enjoy this summer. Then you can get right back to relaxing! [Southwestern Black Bean Salad]( brings that perfect combination of “hearty enough to be filling, but not super heavy,” with a gorgeous color and lots of fresh flavor. Bonus: You’re just heating a skillet for 5 minutes to give the corn toasty flavor. That’s it. This dish comes together fast and is also great to bring to a barbecue or potluck. [Air-Fryer Beef Satay with Red Curry Noodles]( uses the speedy air fryer and some boiling water to do all the “cooking” for you in minutes. Pro tip: If you have an [electric kettle]( which holds 7 cups, such as our favorite from Oxo, it’s a quick way to boil the 6 cups of water you need for this recipe without bothering with pans on the stove (you’re just pouring water over the thin rice noodles to cook them). You could even make up the beef skewers in advance and refrigerate them until you are ready to air fry. [Pan-Seared Salmon with Lentil Salad]( is a satisfying meal that doesn’t take a lot of heat. The filets cook quickly on the stove, about 6 minutes per side, and the lentil salad is easy to pull together. This recipe even calls for canned lentils, but you can always cook a bigger batch from scratch early in the week so that they’re ready to go for this and other dishes on subsequent days, such as this [Lentil Salad with Olives, Mint, and Feta](. Finally, if you don’t mind some minor setup, here’s another way to stay outside while cooking almost hands-free: Let a [charcoal grill rotisserie kit]( take care of all the work. You put a chicken or leg of lamb on the skewer and plug in the little motor, and the device turns the spit over the fire while you watch it revolve from the comfort of your lawn chair—while sipping a cool drink. Don’t you wish summer never ended? Members get every recipe, review, and video. Get instant access to everything from the most trusted cooking experts. [Start your 2-week free trial](. Equipment to Keep Your Kitchen Cool [The Best Air Fryers →]( [Buy the winner →]( [The Best Electric Kettles →]( [Buy the winner →]( [The Best Charcoal Grill Rotisseries →]( [Buy the winner →]( Lisa’s Recipe Recommendations [Southwestern Black Bean Salad →]( [Air-Fryer Beef Satay with Red Curry Noodles →]( [Pan-Seared Salmon with Lentil Salad →]( Serve Up Something Cool and Refreshing [Southwestern Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Chicken →]( [Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes →]( [Thai-Style Chicken Salad with Mango →]( [Try Digital All Access. 14,000+ Reliable Recipes, Tips and Tricks, Mobile App, 8,000+ Product Reviews, Cookbook Collection. Unlock all Test Kitchen discoveries and succeed every time you cook. Get 14 Days Free. S'mores Bars.]( [Fried Shallots]( From Our Online Cooking School How to Add Crunch to Bowls Crispy fried shallots add savory flavor and crunch to all types of bowls. Pick your method—on the stovetop or in the microwave—and try some! [watch video]( Try Another Newsletter [The Essentials of Plant-Based Eating Newsletter Preview]( [Sign up for The Essentials of Plant-Based Eating →]( Your guide to plant-based eating. [Five-Ingredient Dinners Newsletter Preview]( [Sign up for Five-Ingredient Dinners →]( Make mealtime manageable with recipes and kitchen hacks from our test cooks. A Word from the Sponsors of America’s Test Kitchen [The Bold Look of Kohler]( Learn about the latest new products, plus great ideas for building efficiency and convenience into your kitchen, at [Kohler Kitchen Solutions](. 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