Editor's note: This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind shares some ways to cool off your kitchen this summer… and keep those electric bills down! This post was originally published on July 3, 2007.

Can't stand the heat? Don't get out of the kitchen this summer — cook smarter!

Summer is here — at least in the Northern Hemisphere — and with it, high cooling bills.

It's not just your pocketbook that suffers. Every kilowatt hour consumed by your air conditioner leaves behind an environmental footprint in the form of toxins, greenhouse emissions, and wastewater. So it makes sense to take a bite out of your seasonal energy needs.

One good place to start is the kitchen. It's already your home's biggest consumer of resources, and summertime cooking carries with it the double burden of removing heat from the room which escapes from your food and appliances. In a way, you're paying for the same energy twice.

Keeping heat out of the living space (along with the very real risk of cooking fires) was one reason large homes in the American South used to build kitchens detached from the rest of the house. And while that option isn't on the table for most modern residences, there are some things you can do to cool your kitchen — and your summer energy bills.

Cook in the Raw

No, not that kind of raw. We're talking about raw cooking: preparing food with minimal or no heat.

Raw foodism has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Its fans claim raw food is healthier and easier to digest than conventional cuisine. Raw food retains vitamins and enzymes which might otherwise be destroyed by conventional preparation. It also means less heat for your air conditioner to overcome.

That's not to say raw cooking is a free ride: you'll have to learn some new kitchen skills, and raw cooks recommend some specialized equipment, such as dehydrators, juicers, and food processors. But if you get into raw cooking, you'll be exchanging manual labor for the energy requirements of ovens and stovetops. You may also discover a fun, flavorful healthy way of eating.

Want to know more? Explore the Living and Raw Foods website. Alisa Cohen's book, Living on Live Food is a great place to get started, and Cohen offers an introductory DVD by the same title if you're a visual learner.

Think Small

Your oven uses as much energy as the furnace. And is there really any reason to crank up the range, when all you want to do is boil a little water?

If you want to reduce kitchen heating during the summer months, downsize your appliances. Take the oven, for instance: it's great for big meals. But in addition to heating your food, you're paying to heat 15 cubic feet of air — overkill if browning a piece of garlic bread is what you have in mind.

In this case, a toaster oven would be perfect. It browns and does pretty much everything a conventional oven might, but on a smaller scale. Quick meals, side dishes, desserts: you can do it all in a toaster oven without cranking the air conditioner down to 76.

The kitchen efficiency champ is the microwave, and for warm-weather cooking, it's without peer. The beauty of the microwave is that most of the energy goes into heating your food, not the air around it. You'll get in and out of the kitchen faster, saving a few watts in the process. Pair it with a toaster oven, and you can do just about anything.

There are some other choices, such as the tried-and-tue crock pot. While the energy saving benefits of slow cooking are a bit overstated, crock pot design keeps heat inside the cooking vessel and out of your kitchen. Veggie chili? Two cups of kidney beans, some salt and chili powder, veggies of your choice, a large can of organic tomatoes, and a can of beer (bonus points if it's organic brew). Set on low and head to the office. Dinner is ready when you come home.

Cook in the Great Outdoors

Summer is a great time to be outdoors, and one way to keep cooking heat from warming your house is never to bring it inside in the first place.

Yes, it's possible to grill and live green at the same time. You could go with a solar oven, or just wheel out the barbecue and enjoy the ritual of cooking with real fire.

According to the Sierra Club, the most environmentally friendly way to grill is with propane or electric. That's not to say the occasional charcoal BBQ is out of the question, though there are better alternatives in terms of air quality.

If you're going the charcoal route, consider briquettes made from sustainable materials like coconut shells. One example is Greenlink's Natural Charcoal Briquettes. They're chemical-free, and don't contain binders like anthracite or clay. Skip the charcoal starter — it's full of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Opt for an electric charcoal starter instead.

Even vegetarians can get in on the act. Check the Vegetarian Kitchen for some meat-free outdoor grilling ideas.