How to Brunch During a Heat Wave

Summer is hot. This is known. No one expects summer to be cold. But this summer and last have been hot in a weird way. My fine city just broke its record for “consecutive days of temperatures 95℉ or higher,” and my single air conditioning unit is struggling to keep my living room below 80℉. (Also: My refrigerator is broken. I am having fun.)

Needless to say, I am not enjoying cooking right now, but I still enjoy eating. Cooking breakfast and brunch foods like splattering bacon, eggs poached in boiling water, and piles of steaming pancakes feels particularly oppressive, but I’m not going to stop eating breakfast and brunch, particularly on the weekend.

Fortunately, there are a lot of morning-friendly foods that taste incredible when served cold, or at least at room temperature, and none of which require turning on your oven or stove.

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Make a breakfast salad

Breakfast salads are very popular here at Lifehacker, for many and varied reasons. You get to start your day off on a smug note (healthy!), but salad is also delicious. I have a guide for building your best breakfast salad here, but the key to making one during the sweltering months is to choose ingredients that don’t need to be cooked, or at least not right before they’re served: Boil some eggs the night before, once the temp drops for the evening, and chill them in the fridge overnight; use prosciutto instead of bacon if you need a cured pork product.

Other than that, it’s your usual salad building ordeal. Make an acid-heavy dressing—like this bacon fat vinaigrette—and get as many fresh summer vegetables (or fruits) involved as possible. (If you must have a crouton, consider the humble tater tot—just make sure to cook it in your air fryer, which does not produce much heat.)

Embrace the Three Cs (charcuterie, cheese, and chilled seafood)

A breakfast board is basically a charcuterie and cheese board with a breakfast bent, and it’s one of my favorite weekend treats. Un-deviled eggs feature heavily, with lots of salty meats for support. I’m also a big fan of breakfast pâté, as spreads are quite luxurious. If you want it to feel extra breakfast-y, round things out with fancy croissants, store-bought scones, some good jam, and lots of fresh seasonal fruit. (Need a theme for your breakfast board? I offer several here.)

Beyond meat and cheese, don’t forget to look to the treasures of the ocean. Oysters are a fun way to start your day (especially with a blood orange and bacon mignonette), a horseradish-heavy shrimp or crab cocktail is right at home next to a Bloody Mary, and caviar is perfectly comfortable on a bed of breakfast carbs. (What are blini besides tiny pancakes?) Just make sure to do your blini cooking in the coolness of the evening the night before (or just buy them). And don’t overthink it: Bagels and lox is an iconic no-cook breakfast for a reason.

Serve some cold fried chicken

One of my favorite breakfasts, regardless of the temperature, is leftover chilled fried chicken. I have explained my obsession with the cold bird before, but just to re-cap:

Cold fried chicken is delicious. Unlike other previously hot-but-now-cold fried foods, such as french fries, fried chicken keeps its crunch. The grease congeals, forming a thin layer of what I like to call “chicken butter,” and the seasonings shine more brightly once they’re no longer battling hot grease for room on the palate. It would not be hyperbolic to say that I prefer cold fried chicken to fresh hot chicken (though it would admittedly be a close call).

Order a big box or bucket of chicken from your favorite chicken joint, pop it in the fridge overnight, then serve it alongside some sort of bread with honey and jam, some bright red tomato slices, and lots of bright bubbly.

Don’t forget the drinks

Everyone is low-key dehydrated right now, so beverages are even more important than usual. Mimosas and Marys are fine, but they must be supplemented with a huge pitcher of water (add lemon and cucumber slices to make it more enticing), or chilled cans of seltzer.

If you’re going to serve coffee, make it iced, and consider a pitcher of iced tea as well. Tea may not be as hydrating as pure water, but it’s still more hydrating than champagne and orange juice, and when it’s this hot, every ounce of hydration is critical.