Tips for Outdoor Kitchens

Is an outdoor kitchen truly necessary for a home? Maybe not. But if you want to add value to your property and if you already have a patio that goes with it, why not increase the value further by adding that outdoor kitchen. It’s a plus feature especially if you are fond of entertaining friends at home. And what’s entertainment without food? The outdoor kitchen allows you more camaraderie and bonding time while you do the cooking instead of simply serving a sumptuous meal to your family and friends.

Advantages of an Outdoor Kitchen

Aside from the obvious value-added feature to a house, installing an outdoor kitchen definitely has advantages.

For one, you can extend bonding time with family or friends by involving them in the cooking activity. A second advantage is that foods leaving certain odors when being cooked are better prepared outdoors. Another advantage is that you save time in serving a meal because you don’t have to trek back and forth from the indoor kitchen to your patio where you want to serve lunch or dinner. You serve the food fresh and hot from the stove or oven onto your guests’ waiting plates.

How to decide on what outdoor kitchen to install

First consideration is space. You might want a full service outdoor kitchen complete with oven, sink, utensil drawers, and fridge but space may not allow this. Although its a layout is similar to an indoor one (hot zones, cold zones, wet zones, dry zones, etc.) your space may only afford you the hot zone comprised of the stove or oven or grill, and dry zone which includes countertop for food preparation and cabinets for storage.

There should be enough counter space for getting the food ready for cooking. This aspect is often miscalculated and as a consequence there’s too little workspace to work on. Also make sure that guest traffic doesn’t intersect with the major zones of the outdoor kitchen unless the guest is the cook’s assistant.

With a much larger space that can accommodate all zones, everything becomes practical and efficient. You can store pots and pans along with accessories and equipment specifically for outdoor cooking in the cabinets and drawers. No more running in and rushing out.

Next, after establishing the amount of space available and which zones are the must-haves, prioritize appliances to be installed based on these zones. Definitely, you’ll have a stove or oven, an adequate countertop and a couple of cabinets. You may squeeze in either a grill or a small fridge.

Once everything’s installed, you’re ready to send out invites to friends and/or family for your first cookout on your newly installed outdoor kitchen. Life has become so much more enjoyable and fun.




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