Women tasting food during ramadan and cooling oneself with water

وَبَلَّ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ثَوْبًا، فَأَلْقَاهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ. وَدَخَلَ الشَّعْبِيُّ الْحَمَّامَ وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ. 

Ibn 'Umar moistened a garment and put it on while he was fasting. Ash-Sha'bi went into the hammam ( olden days bathroom for shower).

وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ لاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَتَطَعَّمَ الْقِدْرَ، أَوِ الشَّيْءَ. 

Ibn 'Abbas said, "There is no harm in tasting the pot or something."

وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ لاَ بَأْسَ بِالْمَضْمَضَةِ وَالتَّبَرُّدِ لِلصَّائِمِ. 

Al-Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah said, "There is no harm in someone fasting rinsing out his mouth and cooling himself."

وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ إِذَا كَانَ صَوْمُ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلْيُصْبِحْ دَهِينًا مُتَرَجِّلاً. 

Ibn Mas`ud said, "When one of you is fasting, morning should find him with his hair oiled and combed."

وَقَالَ أَنَسٌ إِنَّ لِي أَبْزَنَ أَتَقَحَّمُ فِيهِ وَأَنَا صَائِمٌ. وَيُذْكَرُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ اسْتَاكَ وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ. 

Anas(radhiallahu `anhu) said, "I had a (water) tub in which I could sit while I was fasting."  It is mentioned that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to clean his teeth [with siwak] while he was fasting.

وَقَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَسْتَاكُ أَوَّلَ النَّهَارِ وَآخِرَهُ، وَلاَ يَبْلَعُ رِيقَهُ. 

Ibn 'Umar said, "He cleaned his teeth at the beginning and end of the day without swallowing his saliva."

وَقَالَ عَطَاءٌ إِنِ ازْدَرَدَ رِيقَهُ لاَ أَقُولُ يُفْطِرُ. 

'Ata' said, "I do not say that (swallowing the) saliva breaks the fast."

وَقَالَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِالسِّوَاكِ الرَّطْبِ. قِيلَ لَهُ طَعْمٌ. قَالَ وَالْمَاءُ لَهُ طَعْمٌ، وَأَنْتَ تُمَضْمِضُ بِهِ. وَلَمْ يَرَ أَنَسٌ وَالْحَسَنُ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ بِالْكُحْلِ لِلصَّائِمِ بَأْسًا.

Imam Ibn Sireen said, "There is no harm in using a moist siwak." He was told that it had a taste and replied, "Water has a taste and yet you rinse your mouth out with it."

 Anas, al-Hasan and Ibrahim did not see any harm in someone fasting using kohl

[Saheeh al Bukhaari, Chapter 25:  Taking a bath by a person observing Saum (fast); Book of Fasting]

Note: This is a Mu`allaq Hadith of Bukhari, but it is connected along with Sahih Ibn Shaiba’ and Bayhaqi and the chain goes on..it makes it Sahih and it says that “Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) he says that tasting vinegar and food while fasting

Ibn `Abbas's narration mentioned in Bukhari is reported via 

Shuraik from Sulayman al-`Amash from Ikrimah from Ibn `Abbas in the following books 

1) Musannaf ibn abi shaibah (3/47 H 9678)
2) Musnad `Ali ibn Ja`d ( 2406) from the hadeeth of Shuraikh to `Ali ibn Ja`d
3) Sunan al-Kubra of Bayhaqi (4/261) from the route mentioned above in Musnad `Ali
4) Taghleeq at-ta`leeq (3/152) of Hafidh ibn Hajar from the route of `Ali ibn Ja`d

Another route of this narration comes via the very weak narrator jabir al-ju`fi 

[Ref: Musannaf ibn abi shaibah H:9677]

Imam Urwah ibn Zubair rahimahullah used to slightly taste honey

[Ref: Musannaf ibn abi shaibah 3/47 H:9280 - Sanad hasan] 

Imam Ahmad: 

"I prefer that he should avoid tasting food, but if he does that it will not affect him and there is nothing wrong with that."

[Ref: Al-Mughni, 4/359]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah:

"Tasting food is makruh if there is no need to do that, but it does not break the fast."

[Ref: al-Fataawa al-Kubra 4/474]

Imam al-Nawawi ash-shaf`i (the teacher of Ibn taymiyyah who died in 728 A.H) answers some questions about fasting:

Question: Does the fast break if one: Tastes the food without swallowing it? Bite bread without swallowing it? Gather saliva in the mouth to swallow it later? Unintentionally open the mouth and a fly flies into it? If one harvest oats or rye and dust falls into the mouth? Water enters the stomach while he gargles or if he blows out water from the nose without exaggeration?

Answer: "None of these acts break the fast."

(Fatâwâ al-Imâm an-Nawawî, p. 55; taken from a source I don’t remember)

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen: 

"The fast is not invalidated by tasting food so long as one does not swallow it, but you should not do that unless there is a need for it; in that case if a little of it reaches your stomach by accident your fast is not invalidated."

(Fataawa al-Siyaam p. 356)

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen:

"It is makrooh to taste food such as dates, bread and soup, unless there is a need to do that, in which case it is fine. The reason for that is that some of this food may go down into the stomach without a person realizing, so tasting this food exposes him to spoiling the fast. Also he may be desiring the food a great deal, so he tastes it in order to enjoy it, and he may swallow it, then some of it goes down into his stomach. Examples of necessity are when a cook needs to see how salty or sweet the food is, and so on."

(al-Sharh al-Mumti’ 3/261)

As for taking a bath or having one's dress made wet to cool the body during fasting

In Ibn Abee Shaybah (2/299) in Chapter: The Fasting Person Cooling Down with Water narrated the following:

Ibn ‘Awn said that Ibn Sireen held the view that it is permissible for the fasting person to wet his clothes and wear it and even place it on his face.

And that ‘Uthmaan bin Abee al-‘Aas used to pour water over himself and indulge in it, and this was whilst he was fasting.

Ibn Rajab said in Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif (Pg. 553):

Imaam Ahmad used to fast extensively to the point that he would almost collapse. He would often wash his face with water. When he was asked as to why he pushes his body to such limits by fasting days of extensive heat, he replied by saying, “It’s not a problem, I can always pour water on my clothes and wear them.”

[Ref: for the above few quotes http://ahledhikr.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-compliance-of-salaf-in-worship.html]