Flickr has no images of an heirloom tomato on a motorcycle jumping over a shark tank

but they should. Cornielius Bear takes an even harder line than Max on the ugly tomato phenomenon:

There is no more succinct way to put it: I am absolutely sick to death of heirloom tomatoes and basil. Téodor, bless his intentions, is so in tune with seasonal cookery that he is blinded to the notion of satiety in these items. Night after endless night we are waylaid with salted tomato atop grilled bread, tomato-basil risotto, caprese salad, stuffed roasted tomatoes, gazpacho, pizza margherita, pico de gallo, capellini pomodoro...the combinations are as interminable as they are ruinous to the digestion.

The problem is partly fighting the hype, but also seasonal. No one wants to be in the kitchen when it is wicked hot, and tomatoes, basil etc ad infinauseam are an easy default. I always enjoy when it cools off enough that I can cook, rather than chop and scatter. But in the meantime, I would welcome any novel solutions to the challenge of eating at home when it is hot out.

Comments

[sac]

Air conditioning.

[alizinha]

Sac, even with air conditioning it can be too hot to cook. Well, at least with window AC instead of central, I find that the kitchen gets very hot very quickly.

Personally, I cannot get enough of good local tomatoes--heirloom or otherwise--and could eat them year-round and never complain.

For weeks now I've been all about tomato salad with extra-virgin olive oil, red-wine vinegar, feta, and fresh basil and/or oregano. (Oh, and with some good bread to sop up the juice at the bottom of the bowl.)

[BK]

Kitchen BTUs tend to stick around. We take the McDLT approach and grill outside, so the hot stays hot and the cool stays cool.

Gazpacho and taboule also work.

[max]

Move to California. Duh. Not stupid hot flyover California (Sac), rich yuppie coastal California.

Also, tomatoes get a new lease when you lay off the basil.

[Derek]

Cook in your underwear if it's too hot. Don't forget the apron though!