By mid-July, even the thought of turning on the oven can make the kitchen feel warmer. This is when we start to lean on crisp salads, frozen treats, and meals that come together with little more than a cutting board and a blender.

This week, we're sharing the recipes we come back to when it's simply too hot to cook. Plus, a handful of hardworking tools that make the prep even easier.

Summer cooking doesn't have to be complicated. Think shrimp dressed in bright citrus, sandwiches layered with tuna and veg, and pasta salads built around a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Whether you're looking for lunch, dinner, or something sweet, these recipes do the heavy lifting without heating up the house.

Sunrise Slushie

Shrimp & Scallop Aguachile 

Summer in Denmark Avocado Toast

Strawberry Sorbet

Our no-cook essentials

No-cook cooking is all about working smarter, not harder. The right tools can make prepping ingredients faster, whether you're juicing a pile of limes for aguachile, turning cherry tomatoes into a quick pasta sauce, or scooping homemade sorbet.

These are a few of the pieces we reach for all summer long.

1. The blender that can whip up a frozen margarita in seconds.

2. Our go-to citrus squeezer. 

3. Popsicle molds for easy summer treats.

4. The perfect vessel for your strawberry sorbet. 

7. The scooper we reach for.

If you're looking for one more warm-weather project, our Test Kitchen recently put three no-machine ice cream methods head to head—including the elementary shake-it-in-a-bag trick. Surprisingly, the bag method came out on top thanks to its light, airy texture. We're also fans of this classic no-churn chocolate ice cream, made with whipped sweetened condensed milk. Or let summer fruit do the work with our peaches-and-sour-cream flavor.

-Food52

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